Does the defined service area affect GBP rankings?

[VicolasSEO]

Hi everyone,
I’ve been curious about something regarding Service Area Businesses in Google Business Profile.
When you define multiple service areas, does that actually influence rankings in those cities, or does Google mainly rely on other signals like proximity, reviews, and website relevance?
I’d love to know what others here have observed in real situations. Looking forward to hearing your insights.

 

[whitespark]

The service areas do not have any impact on rankings. All they do is show the user where you're willing to travel to. Setting them in GBP will not help you rank in those areas.