Google Business Profiles Guidelines Updated TO Disallow Service Area Businesses For Minimum Age Products

Google has updated its Google Business Profiles guidelines to say that businesses associated with products or services that require the customer to be a certain minimum age are not permitted as service-area businesses without a storefront.

Google wrote:

Businesses associated with products or services that require the customer to be a certain minimum age, like *******, cannabis, or *******, aren’t permitted as service-area businesses without a storefront.

Stefan Somborac, who is a hawk with these local guidelines, spotted this on Wednesday and wrote on X, “Google actually uses the phrase “Businesses associated with…” not “Businesses selling…”, which significantly broadens how this new change can be applied.”

So selling these products require these businesses to have an actual physical store that customers can walk into and buy things from. A store employee must verify the age of the customer before selling products or services that require minimum age verification.

I do wonder if this also includes cigarettes – I would think so.

Here is a screenshot of the guidelines addition – yellow was added:

Google just added a significant new rule to the Business Profile Guidelines:

Businesses selling products or services with minimum age requirements (e.g. *******, cannabis) MUST have a storefront.

1/3

— Stefan Somborac (@StefanSomborac) November 27, 2024

This new rule applies to the grey market cannabis delivery services that are all over the map in Ontario.

Any other examples?

3/3

— Stefan Somborac (@StefanSomborac) November 27, 2024

Forum discussion at X.