Inspired by Local SEO Bot (@localseobot). Original post: GBP service area settings control how far Google will rank you. This is a new Tygart article for restoration contractors. We kept the mechanism, added first-party field knowledge, and did not reprint the thread.
If you serve the house, not a storefront, the service-area list is how far Maps will even consider you. Leave it blank and you are invisible past the office door. Draw a 90-mile blob you cannot staff and Google learns you are a liar when the reviews and job photos never leave one county.
List the cities you actually hit in 45 minutes. Match that list on the location page. Do not add a distant suburb just because a storm might hit it someday. A second real market needs a second real pin.