I work from home. Do I have to show my address?

No. Google's guidelines ask service-area businesses to hide their address and set a service area instead. If clients visit a staffed studio during posted hours, the rules are different.

Can I use a virtual office address to look local?

Google's guidelines say a rented mailing address where you don't operate isn't eligible for a Business Profile. Using one risks suspension, so we don't do it.

How far can my service area reach?

Google's guidance says a service area generally shouldn't extend beyond about two hours' drive from your base. In practice, list the towns you actually want work in.

When should I ask for a review?

At the moment the client is happiest, which for designers is usually the reveal and for stagers is often the day the listing photos go live. Ask once, personally, with a direct link.

Local Search for Decorators and Home Stagers

Local search is how a homeowner in Kelowna or an agent in Moncton finds a decorator or stager nearby. It runs mostly through Google Business Profile and the map results, and it rewards businesses that are set up properly far more than businesses that spend heavily. For design firms, the most common obstacle is not competition; it's the home-studio address question.

What it is

Local search covers everything that decides whether you show up for "interior decorator near me", "home stager Burlington" or "colour consultation Saskatoon". The main pieces are your Business Profile, the town and service pages on your website, and the reviews and photos that make a profile worth clicking.

Many decorators and stagers run from home, travel to clients, or keep a storage unit for staging inventory. Google's guidelines for representing your business say service-area businesses should hide their address from customers, and that a rented mailing address where you don't operate isn't eligible. We set your profile up to follow those rules from day one, which avoids the suspensions that hit many home-based businesses later.

Who it's for

Solo decorators and colour consultants working from a home office
Design studios with a client-facing space, who need the profile to reflect real hours
Staging companies with a warehouse that agents don't visit
Businesses expanding into a neighbouring town and wanting to be found there

If your website has no project pages yet, combine this with portfolio websites, because the profile will send people to the site and the site needs to close them.

What's included

Profile review. Categories, description, service area, hours and photos, checked against Google's guidelines.
Service-area setup. The towns you actually serve, within a realistic drive, with the address hidden where that applies.
Town pages that say something. Only for places where you have real work to show. A page per town with nothing local on it is a doorway page, and we don't write those.
Project photos on the profile. Fresh images from recent work, uploaded on a regular rhythm.
Review requests. A short, personal ask with a direct link, sent at the reveal or when listing photos go live.
Consistent details. Your name, phone and email the same everywhere they appear online.

Timeline

Profile fixes usually take one to two weeks, though Google sometimes requires verification steps that add time. Town pages and photo uploads follow over the next month. Visible change in map results tends to take two to three months, and depends heavily on how many genuine reviews and projects you add.

How results are measured

Each month we report profile views, calls and website visits from the profile, the searches people used to find you, and new reviews. We also check map visibility for a short list of searches you choose, in the towns you care about. If calls rise but they are for services you don't offer, we tighten the categories and description.

A note for stagers with warehouses

If you keep staging inventory in a warehouse or storage unit that agents and clients never visit, that location usually isn't a customer-facing storefront. Treat your business as a service-area business, set the towns you cover, and keep the warehouse address off public listings unless it is staffed and receives customers during posted hours.

Mistakes to avoid

Listing a home address when you're a service-area business. It exposes your family and can conflict with the guidelines.
Keyword stuffing the business name. "Jane's Decor Best Interior Designer Toronto" invites a suspension.
Choosing the wrong title for your province. In Ontario, ARIDO says only its registered members may use the title "Interior Designer". If you aren't registered, describe yourself as a decorator or stylist. The Ontario page has more.
Asking for reviews in bulk. A sudden flood looks unnatural; steady, genuine reviews look like a working business.
Ignoring questions on the profile. Unanswered questions sit in public. Answer them as you would a client.

Our guide on naming your services covers the wording choices that affect local search. To review your profile together, call, text or email us, or see pricing.

Local search for design studios and home-based decorators