GBP Eligibility: Can I List My Food Truck, Kiosk, Virtual Kitchen, or Other Special Business Model?

Variety is the spice of life, and fortunately, the Guidelines for representing your business on Google don’t confine eligibility solely to the commonest business models like brick-and-mortar or service area businesses. Over the years, Google has occasionally updated their documentation to address the fact that the real world is full of interesting, varied local business operations. In some instances, however, this resource lacks clear guidance for particular business types.

Today I’m going to cover some top FAQs about whether more nuanced business models like food trucks, kiosks, virtual kitchens, home-based businesses, co-working spaces, and more are eligible to create Google Business Profiles (GBPs). Where an official guideline is absent, I’ll cite the most trusted sources I know of. And, if you discover today that your company doesn’t meet the requirements, you may be able to make some changes to your operations to become eligible for creating one of these powerful local business listings!

Find out if your business is eligible for a Google Business Profile

Are food trucks eligible for Google Business Profiles?

Are kiosks and ATMs eligible for Google Business Profiles?

Are virtual kitchens and virtual food businesses eligible for Google Business Profiles?

Are home-based businesses eligible for Google Business Profiles?

Are virtual service businesses eligible for Google Business Profiles?

Are seasonal businesses eligible for Google Business Profiles?

Are businesses located at co-working spaces eligible for Google Business Profiles?

Are virtual offices and P.O. boxes eligible for Google Business Profiles?

Conclusion

Google’s various guideline documents cover a lot of scenarios, but they don’t speak directly to every local business model. Hopefully, you’ve found useful guidance in today’s column, but if not, take these next steps:

• Search the guidelines linked to in this article to see if language exists for your circumstances.
• If not, search resources like the Google Business Profile Help Community for threads that feature scenarios like yours and hopefully include recent guidance from a volunteer Product Expert. If you can’t find anything, consider starting a thread of your own, providing your complete business details and all facts about any eligibility problems you’re experiencing. 
• Be very wary of random advice you see on social media sites regarding GBP eligibility; it could be factually incorrect or simply outdated. Similarly, do not give any credence to Google’s AI Overviews regarding eligibility. I have repeatedly seen them giving wrong advice.

In attempting to create compliant Profiles, millions of business owners rely on Google’s guidelines. Let’s hope that leadership at Google understands the real-world value of this particular subset of their documentation, and that both policies and language continue to evolve to cover the immense variety of fascinating local business models.

Miriam Ellis is a local SEO columnist and consultant. She has been cited as one of the top five most prolific women writers in the SEO industry. Miriam is also an award-winning fine artist and her work can be seen at MiriamEllis.com.