Once a ZZP (Dutch sole proprietor) or small company has a website, a new question appears. How do you show up in a map result for a search such as "webdesign Den Haag"? The tool for that is Google Business Profile.
Many home-based owners do not want a home address on public display. There is no shop and no sign, so it is unclear how to register. This guide explains how to register without showing an address, only the areas you serve, checked against Google's help pages and the guidance of KvK and ACM.
The Google, KvK, ACM and schema.org pages were checked on 31 October 2026. This is general information, not a guarantee for an individual case. Google's rules and screens change, so read the current help before registering.
| Main sources | What was checked |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile help (service areas, guidelines, verification, local ranking) | Hiding the address, area limits, name and category rules, verification |
| Google contribution policy (reviews) | Fake reviews, incentives, selective requests, quotas |
| Google Search Central (LocalBusiness) and schema.org | Required properties, definition of areaServed |
| KvK guidance (hiding the address, public data) | Conditions, public postal address |
| ACM guidance (reviews) | Fake-review ban from 28 May 2022 |
| What you will learn | Short answer |
|---|---|
| How local ranking works | Relevance, distance, prominence (chapter 1) |
| Whether you qualify | Service-area, hybrid or ineligible (chapter 2) |
| Hiding your address | Hide it on the profile; never use the KvK postal address (chapter 3) |
| Order of steps | Six steps from creation to verification (chapter 4) |
| Areas and categories | Up to 20, about 2 hours' drive, one specific category (chapters 5, 6) |
| Dutch, English, Japanese | One profile, 750-character description (chapter 7) |
| Reviews | No incentives, no cherry-picking, no quotas (chapter 9) |
| Schema | Does not edit the profile (chapter 10) |
1. What happens when someone searches a city plus a service
When someone searches a trade plus a place, Google may show a map block. Businesses get into it through their Business Profile. It is ranked differently from the ordinary results that show your website.
It matters to understand how it is ranked. Misreading it leads to wrong expectations, such as paying to rise or stuffing keywords.
The three ranking factors
Google's help says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence.
| Factor | Google's explanation (summary) | How much you control |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | Complete, detailed information helps match a search | A lot. Fill in category, description, services accurately |
| Distance | How far you are from the searcher, or from the location Google has for them | Little. Area settings and address handling |
| Prominence | Links from other sites, number of reviews and ratings | Some, but it takes time |
You cannot move your home, and distance is measured from the searcher. Effort is best spent on relevance and prominence.
You cannot pay for a better rank
The same help page says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Keep that in mind when someone offers to "boost your profile".
2. Do you qualify: service-area, hybrid or ineligible
Check first whether your work qualifies. Skipping this can end in a suspension and a rebuild.
Comparing the three types
| Type | Google's description (summary) | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Storefront | Serves customers at its address; needs permanent signage | Shown |
| Service-area | Visits or delivers to customers; does not serve them at its address | Hidden, areas shown |
| Hybrid | Serves customers at its address and also visits or delivers | Can be shown, with areas |
A shop-less ZZP usually fits the service-area type. If you do not receive customers at home, the help tells you to remove the address from the profile.
What if clients come to your home
A business without permanent on-site signage is not eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business, according to the help. A home office with no sign and visits by appointment only does not meet the storefront conditions. When in doubt, choose service-area and hide the address.
What is ineligible
A virtual office, where you only rent a mailing address and do not operate there, is not eligible. A co-working space qualifies only with clear signage, customer reception during hours and your own staff present.
| Setup | Profile | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Work at home, visit clients | Service-area, allowed | Visits customers |
| Work at home, meet only online | Naturally read as ineligible | Neither a location customers visit nor going to customers |
| Rented mailing address only | Not eligible | You do not operate there |
| One desk in a co-working space | Conditional | Signage, reception, own team |
| Sales or lead-gen agents | No separate profile | One profile per business |
If your work is fully online
Here is how the guidelines read. For web design or consulting done entirely online: the guidelines cover only a business with a physical location customers visit, and a business that goes to customers (service-area). Online-only work fits neither, so it is natural to read it as ineligible. No sentence excludes it by name, so this is the author's reading. The guidelines warn that violations can lead to changes, removal or suspension.
Check whether there are real occasions when you go to the client, such as workshops, photo shoots or training. If there are none, consider other ways to be found (chapter 11) instead of a profile.
3. Where your address appears, and where it does not
Your address touches three places: the KvK register, your site and the Google profile. Each is decided separately, and mixing them causes confusion.
In short: hidden on Google, hidden at KvK if you choose, and on the website a point to check.
What happens when you hide your address at KvK
According to KvK, a sole trader (eenmanszaak) can have the visiting address (bezoekadres) removed from the register. This is called afschermen (shielding). It then does not appear in the register or in extracts.
You must register a separate public postal address (postadres). It is public and cannot be the same as your home or business visiting address.
| Item | KvK treatment |
|---|---|
| Visiting address | Sole traders can hide it, via Mijn KVK |
| Postal address | Public; must differ from home and visiting address |
| Business phone number | Not public in the register |
| Email and website address | Public |
| Authorised parties | Lawyers, notaries and similar can still see it |
Google does not accept a remote mailbox
Here is the trap. Some owners who hide their address at KvK use a mailbox as the public postal address. Google's guidelines ask for the real location of the business and do not accept P.O. boxes or mailboxes at remote locations.
So never reuse your KvK postal address as the Google address. Hide the address on the profile and show only the areas.
Check the website address separately
This article does not give a firm answer on the website. Article 3:15d of the Dutch Civil Code asks service providers to make their establishment address available, but we found no official guidance on what to do when the address is shielded at KvK. We cover that point in our ZZP website checklist. Ask KvK or an adviser.
4. Six steps from creation to verification
Follow this order to avoid editing the name or address later and having to re-verify.
Steps 1 to 3: create, hide the address, set areas
Use the name you use at KvK and on your site (chapter 6). For a service-area business, set the address to hidden. Open Edit profile, then Location, then Service area.
Google says approved service-area edits can take up to 48 hours to appear. Do not change them on the day you need them.
Step 4: category
Choose a specific main category. Chapter 6 covers it in detail.
Step 5: verification methods and timing
You can manage the profile as your own only after verification. Google decides the method automatically, and you cannot choose.
| Method | Description | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or text | A code by call or SMS; automated phone systems cannot receive it | Enter on screen |
| Follow the message sent to the address shown | Same | |
| Live video call | A representative asks you to show location and proof; business hours only | Depends on availability |
| Postcard | A 5-digit code mailed to the business address | About two weeks; expires after 30 days |
| Video recording | Recommended where eligible | Review usually up to 5 business days, sometimes longer |
Note that a postcard arrives at the address you gave. Do not change the name, address or category while it is pending, or the code stops working. Requesting a new one invalidates the old one.
Step 6: description, hours, photos
After verification, add a description, hours and photos. The description is limited to 750 characters, with no URLs or HTML. Keep it about the business, not promotions or prices. Edits are reviewed by Google before they go live.
5. Choosing your service areas
Areas decide where you may appear and what you promise customers. A wider list is not automatically better.
Google's limits
According to the help, you can list up to 20 areas, set by cities, postal codes or similar areas. Radius-based areas are not allowed. The overall area should generally be within about two hours' drive of your base, though some businesses may justify more.
| Item | Limit or rule |
|---|---|
| Number | Up to 20 |
| Unit | City, postal code or similar (no radius) |
| Range | About 2 hours' drive from base |
| Time to apply | Up to 48 hours once approved |
| Removing all areas | Only for a storefront with the address shown |
A fictional example: based in The Hague
This is an illustration, not a real business. A designer based at home in The Hague (Den Haag) considers where they can visit clients.
Nearby cities such as Delft, Rijswijk, Voorburg, Wassenaar, Zoetermeer and Rotterdam are manageable day trips. Pick only places you can really reach and do not list distant cities.
| Approach | Do | Don't |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Keep to cities you visit | Fill all 20 with far places |
| Names | Use names people say | Add names you never use |
| Reach | Stay within driving range | Select the whole country |
Areas are also a promise
To a customer, a listed area means "they will come here". Listing places you cannot reach brings enquiries you must refuse, and can hurt reviews.
Distance to the searcher is also a ranking factor. Listing far areas does not beat nearby competitors. Appearing reliably nearby is more realistic than stretching wide.
6. Name, category and description
Name, category and description affect relevance most, and each has guideline rules.
Name: your real name only
The guidelines ask for the real-world name customers see on your storefront, website and stationery. Do not add taglines, hours, phone numbers, URLs or location notes such as "near the station".
The temptation here is to add keywords, as in "Webdesign Den Haag". If that is not your real name, do not add it. It violates the guidelines and can lead to edits or suspension.
| Example | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The exact KvK name | Good | Matches site and invoices |
| Name plus "Den Haag" plus "Webdesign" | Avoid | Words not in the real name |
| Name plus phone number | Not allowed | Banned in names |
| Name plus "Freelance" | Depends | Only if your site uses it |
Category: specific and few
Google's category help says:
- Choose a specific primary category that describes the business as a whole
- If nothing specific fits, choose a more general one that is still accurate
- Pick what the business is, not what it has
- Use the fewest categories needed for the core business
- Additional categories are optional, up to 9
- Changing a category can trigger re-verification
For web design, options are web design or web development style names. Names shown can vary by region and language, so choose from the suggestions in the field. Check on screen; the exact label is not asserted here.
Description: 750 characters, about the business
Say what you offer, what makes you different and how long you have operated. Keep it under 750 characters, without URLs or HTML, and do not use it for discounts, prices or sales.
7. Writing in Dutch, English and Japanese
Clients of a Japanese ZZP in the Netherlands may speak Dutch, English or Japanese. Which language to write in is a real decision.
What is confirmed: the guidelines say one profile per location, so you cannot make one per language, and the edit help does not list a language field.
One profile, three languages
What follows is the author's suggestion where the help gives no rule.
| Item | Suggestion | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Registered name, no language added | Names must not carry extras |
| Description | Main client language, short English line | Fits the 750 limit |
| Service names | Words clients search | Relevance follows client wording |
| Review replies | The reviewer's language | Reader understands |
Choose the main language by what your clients actually search in. No figure is given here. Your own Search Console shows which languages and queries bring impressions.
Description templates
These are fictional templates (the company name is an example).
| Language | Template |
|---|---|
| Dutch | "Studio Voorbeeld maakt websites voor ZZP'ers en kleine bedrijven in Den Haag en omgeving. Wij komen langs voor een gesprek op locatie." |
| English | "We build websites for freelancers and small businesses around The Hague. We visit clients on site for planning sessions." |
| Japanese | "デン・ハーグ周辺の個人事業主・小さな会社向けにWebサイトを制作します。打ち合わせは客先に伺います。" |
Putting all three side by side can approach 750 characters. A description that works in one language first, with English added if space remains, is simpler. Say "we visit clients" only if you do.
Check the words people use
"Webdesign", "website laten maken" and "webdesigner" are close in meaning. Which is searched more is not assumed here. Check Google's suggestions and your Search Console, then use the winning words naturally.
8. Matching your KvK details and spelling
Keep profile, KvK record, website and invoices identical. Google does not ask for your KvK number. The matching is for practical reasons.
Fields to match
| Item | KvK | Website | Google profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Registered name, trade name | Same spelling | Real name, same spelling |
| Address | Postal public, visiting can be hidden | Check | Hidden, areas only |
| Phone | Not public in the register | Show it, especially for consumers | Add it |
| Public | Show as text | Not required | |
| Website address | Public | Your own | Register it |
| Number | KvK number | In the footer | Not entered |
Avoid spelling drift
Japanese ZZPs often end up with a Latin name at KvK, a Japanese shop name on the site and another spelling on the profile. Use one spelling, capitalisation and spacing. A Japanese name can be added on the site next to the registered name.
ACM guides consumer-facing businesses to show the name registered at KvK. Match your site for that reason too. Details are in our ZZP website checklist.
Phone numbers are not in the register
The KvK register does not show business phone numbers. Still put one on the profile: verification can run by phone, and customers use it.
9. Reviews: asking, rules, replying
Reviews feed prominence, and the help lists replying to and earning reviews as ways to help ranking. That is exactly where people are tempted to break the rules.
What Google prohibits
The contribution policy says businesses must not do the following.
| Prohibited | Summary |
|---|---|
| Fake reviews | Not a real experience; many accounts by one person |
| Incentives | Payment, discounts or free goods in exchange |
| Cherry-picking | Asking only happy customers, discouraging negative reviews |
| Conflict of interest | Staff, family, competitors |
| Pressure | Demanding reviews on site, giving staff quotas |
| Scripted content | Dictating text or naming staff |
Such reviews are removed and the profile can be suspended.
What you may do
Businesses may encourage genuine reviews without incentives or trying to influence the rating. Google's help mentions sharing a review link or QR code.
In practice, after a job write "if you have a moment, an honest review would help" and add the link. Send the same message to every client, not only happy ones.
Dutch rules
In the Netherlands, ACM has explicitly banned fake reviews since 28 May 2022. A business showing reviews must take measures to make sure they are genuine and inform consumers. ACM gives removing only the negative ones while keeping the positive as an example of what is not allowed.
| Rule | Source | In your case |
|---|---|---|
| Fake reviews banned (from 28 May 2022) | ACM | Do not buy or script reviews |
| Paid reviews must be disclosed | ACM | Avoid trading perks altogether |
| Do not remove only negative ones | ACM | If you show reviews on your site |
| Suspect a fake? | Report to ACM | For suspicious competitor posts |
ACM states the maximum fine as EUR 900,000 per violation or, if higher, an amount based on annual turnover (1% or 10%). That is remote for a tiny ZZP, but the line stays: a bought review is illegal.
How to reply
You must be verified to reply. Replies are public and appear as from your business, not your personal name. The reviewer is notified and can still change their review. Google checks each reply and may ask you to edit it.
| Situation | Approach | Short English example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | Thank them specifically | "Thank you, Anna. Happy the new site is working well." |
| Harsh | Check the facts, apologise where fair, no personal data | "Sorry about the delay. Please write to us so we can fix it." |
| Factually wrong | State facts calmly, flag policy breaches | "We have no record of this project. Please contact us." |
Reply in the reviewer's language, in two or three sentences. Avoid emotional rebuttals and never reveal client names or contract details. For suspected policy violations, use the report function.
10. Connecting it to your site: LocalBusiness schema
The profile and the site back each other up. One thing you can do on the site is LocalBusiness structured data.
First, a misunderstanding: structured data does not change your profile. Google's guidance is about how pages can appear in search results, separate from the profile dashboard.
What Google's page asks for
| Property | Treatment in Google's guidance |
|---|---|
| name | Required |
| address | Required; include as many fields as you can |
| geo, openingHoursSpecification, telephone, url | Recommended |
| Format | JSON-LD; use the most specific subtype |
| Service-area businesses | No guidance |
Note two things: address is required, and there is no guidance for service-area businesses. That is a clash if you hide your address.
If you do not publish an address
What follows is the author's judgement where the guidance is silent.
| Option | Content | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| A: show the address | Mark up a public address | Your home address becomes public |
| B: city and country only | addressLocality and addressCountry | May trigger missing-field warnings |
| C: skip it | No LocalBusiness markup | Accept a smaller effect |
If you do not want your home address public, choose B or C. You never need to publish a hidden address for schema. schema.org's areaServed describes the geographic area where a service is provided.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "(name registered at KvK)",
"url": "https://example.nl/",
"telephone": "(business phone)",
"areaServed": [
{ "@type": "City", "name": "Den Haag" },
{ "@type": "City", "name": "Delft" }
],
"address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Den Haag", "addressCountry": "NL" }
}
This template only shows the shape. Replace the values with your own and check warnings in Google's Rich Results Test before publishing.
schema.org also marks the older ProfessionalService type as deprecated because it is easily confused with Service. Use LocalBusiness or a more specific subtype.
Practical ways to join profile and site
These matter more than the markup.
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Register your site address on the profile | Links the two |
| Show the same name, phone and email on the contact page | Spelling matches |
| Add a "where we work" page | Backs up relevance |
| Link your review page from the contact page | Gives clients an entry |
Google's help says links from other websites contribute to prominence. A better site helps the profile.
11. When a profile does not fit: other routes
Some owners do not meet the conditions: work and meetings are entirely online and they never visit clients.
Then avoid forcing a service-area listing, since a violation can lead to suspension. Alternatives exist.
| Route | Content | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Location pages on your site | Pages per area or sector | Avoid duplicated copies |
| Industry directories | Real associations' member lists | Links add to prominence |
| Other map services | Follow each service's terms | Check individually |
Is a few visits a year enough?
Google gives no threshold. It is a grey area. The safe line is an honest description: "mostly online, visits on request", which matches reality.
12. Where people get stuck: rejections, suspensions, mismatches
The causes are few. Knowing them avoids needless rebuilding.
| Pitfall | What happens | How to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Keywords in the name | Edits or suspension | Real name only |
| Mailbox as address | Ineligible | Hide the address |
| Several profiles for one business | Treated as duplicates | One per business |
| Editing during verification | Code stops working | Leave it until verified |
| Changing name or category after verification | May require re-verification | Decide first |
| Changes not showing | Under review | Wait for stated windows |
Changes are reviewed
Edits go live after Google reviews them. If nothing shows immediately, do not rewrite repeatedly; it can lengthen the wait.
If you are suspended
Google may change or remove information or suspend a profile for guideline violations. The dashboard explains the reason and how to appeal. Read the reason before rebuilding, or the same cause will stop you again.
13. If you are a Japanese business targeting Europe
A Japanese business planning a European site can use the same ideas. Google Business Profile is the same kind of system in Japan and in Europe.
There is a condition. The guidelines ask for a real business location and treat roughly two hours' drive from your base as the area limit. A Japanese business with no base or visits in the Netherlands listing Dutch cities as service areas does not fit that.
| Situation | Profile | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Base in the Netherlands, visits clients | Possible | Steps in chapter 4 |
| Base in Japan, remote clients in the Netherlands | No Dutch areas | English and Dutch pages on your site |
| Clients near your Japanese base | Create as a Japan business | Follow the rules there |
The overall process for a European-ready site is on our service page.
14. Fictional cases
These three people are invented to show how answers differ. They are not real people or companies.
Case 1: a designer in The Hague who visits clients
Works at home and meets clients on site a few times a month. Use the service-area type with a hidden address, limit areas to cities actually visited and keep the KvK name.
Case 2: works at home, video calls only
No visits. This fits neither of the guidelines' two cases and is naturally read as ineligible, so do not register now. Strengthen location pages first, and consider registering once work that genuinely takes you to client sites arises.
Case 3: shielded at KvK, uses a mailbox as postal address
Do not use the mailbox as the Google address. Keep the address hidden and show only areas. Match name and phone across KvK and the site.
| Case | Type | Address | First move |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Visiting designer | Service-area | Hidden | Register with a tight area list |
| 2 Online only | Read as ineligible | Do not register | Improve location pages |
| 3 Mailbox as postal address | Service-area | Hidden | Register without the postal address |
15. What not to do
| Don't | Why |
|---|---|
| Add keywords or cities to the name | Banned by guidelines; can suspend |
| Use a mailbox or virtual office as the address | Ineligible |
| List cities you cannot reach | Contradicts reality; you must refuse work |
| Buy reviews or trade perks for them | Banned by Google and ACM |
| Ask only happy clients | Counts as selective soliciting |
| Delete only negative reviews on your site | ACM names it as not allowed |
| Edit name or address during verification | Code stops working |
| Publish a hidden address for schema | Schema does not edit the profile |
16. Checklist before you start
- You really visit or deliver to customers
- You checked the KvK name and use the same spelling on site and invoices
- You decided the address for KvK, website and Google separately
- Areas are real places you can reach, 20 or fewer
- You chose a specific main category from the suggestions
- The description is under 750 characters with no URL
- You will not change name, address or category until verified
- Review requests go to everyone with the same message
- Replies use the reviewer's language, two or three sentences
- Schema choice matches how you handle the address
17. Summary
- A shop-less ZZP registers as a service-area business with the address hidden
- Real visits or deliveries are the premise; online-only work fits neither case and is naturally read as ineligible (not excluded by name)
- Up to 20 areas, by city or postal code, within about two hours' drive
- Real name, specific and few categories, description under 750 characters
- Never use the KvK postal address as the Google address
- Reviews: no incentives, no cherry-picking, no quotas; reply in the reviewer's language
- LocalBusiness schema does not edit the profile; skipping it can be right when you hide your address
If you want local findability built into a new site or a redesign, our approach is on our service page. If you are unsure whether your work qualifies, or how to show your details on the site, get in touch and describe your situation. More guides are in the column archive.
Sources
Google Business Profile
- Manage your service areas — Google Business Profile Help: service-area and hybrid types, up to 20 areas, no radius, about two hours' drive, 48-hour update
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google: name, address, mailboxes, categories, service-area businesses, virtual offices, consequences
- How local results are ranked — Google Business Profile Help: relevance, distance, prominence; ranking cannot be bought
- Verify your business — Google Business Profile Help: methods, postcard timing, changes during verification
- Edit your Business Profile — Google Business Profile Help: name, address, hours, description, 750 characters, review of edits
- Manage your business category — Google Business Profile Help: choosing categories, up to 9 additional
- Manage your Business Profile description — Google Business Profile Help: writing the description
- Read and reply to reviews — Google Business Profile Help: replying, public replies, notifications
- Tips to get more reviews — Google Business Profile Help: asking for reviews, no incentives
- Prohibited and restricted content: reviews — Google Contribution Policy: fake engagement, incentives, conflict of interest, pressure
Structured data
- Local business structured data — Google Search Central: required and recommended properties, JSON-LD, subtypes
- areaServed — schema.org: the geographic area where a service is provided
- ProfessionalService — schema.org: the older type marked deprecated
- Rich Results Test — Google: checking markup
Dutch official sources
- Afschermen van je bezoekadres — KVK: hiding the visiting address of a sole trader, public postal address
- Geregistreerd in het Handelsregister — KVK: what is and is not public
- Reviews en beoordelingen gebruiken — ACM: duties of businesses that show reviews
- Strengere regels voor online verkopers — ACM: fake-review ban from 28 May 2022
- ACM kan hogere boetes opleggen — ACM: fine ceiling since 1 July 2016 (EUR 900,000 per violation, or 1% or 10% of turnover)
All were checked on 31 October 2026. Google's rules, screens and category names change; verify in the latest help before registering or editing.
Related: ZZP website checklist, Maintaining structured data with automation
FAQ
- Can a home-based ZZP without a shop create a Google Business Profile?
- Yes, if you visit or deliver to customers. Google calls a business that does not serve customers at its own address a service-area business and lets you hide the address and show only the areas you serve. If all your work and meetings are online, you fit neither of the two cases the guidelines cover (a location customers visit, or going to customers), so it is natural to read you as ineligible.
- Can I appear for city searches while hiding my home address?
- Possibly. Google lets service-area businesses hide the address and list up to 20 service areas by city, postal code or similar areas. Ranking depends on relevance, distance and prominence, and cannot be bought, so no method guarantees a top spot.
- I hid my address at KvK. Does that conflict with my Google listing?
- It can. Hiding your visiting address at KvK means registering a public postal address, which may be a mailbox. Google does not accept remote mailboxes as a business address, so do not use that postal address on the profile. Hide the address on the profile instead.
- Can I offer a discount in return for a Google review?
- No. Google's policy bans payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for reviews, selective requests for only positive ones, and staff quotas. In the Netherlands, ACM has explicitly banned fake reviews since 28 May 2022.
- Will LocalBusiness schema update my Google Business Profile?
- No. Structured data helps Google understand your pages and does not edit the profile. Connect them by keeping details identical on your site and the profile and adding your site address to the profile.
- Which language should my profile description use: Dutch, English or Japanese?
- You get one profile per business location, so you cannot make one per language. Write the description in your main client language, add a short English line if useful, and reply to each review in the reviewer's language. The description is limited to 750 characters and cannot contain URLs.
Planning a site that has to work in both markets?
Get in touch
