---
key: set-the-address-search-area
title: Set the area address search looks in
audience: staff
section: administration
routes: ["/settings/org/address-search"]
permissions: ["org.settings.address_search.read"]
features: ["settings.org.general"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Point address search at the area you serve, so the suggestions that appear when someone types a customer's address are local ones.
keywords: [service area, address suggestions, google address, radius, autocomplete, wrong city, address lookup]
related: [update-your-company-details, add-company-contact-points, create-a-branch]
---

In the sidebar, open **Administration**, then choose **Address Search** under **Company**. The page address is `/settings/org/address-search`.

When your team types an address on an account or a location, Nova suggests matches. This page tells those suggestions where your company works, so a technician typing "Main Street" sees the one in your town first.

## Before you start

- Your admin has to give your role permission to change address search settings. Without it, the page says you do not have permission to view these settings.
- Changes save on their own a moment after you make them. Watch for the Saving indicator and the saved time next to it.

## Steps

1. In **Service area center**, type the address of your shop or the middle of the area you serve and pick the match. Nova stores a centre point for it.
2. Set **Radius (km)** to how far out you normally travel.
3. Choose the **Behavior**:
   - **Bias results to area** puts nearby matches first but still allows an address anywhere.
   - **Restrict results to area** only ever suggests addresses inside the circle.
4. Pick a **Country** to limit suggestions to one country. Leave it blank to allow any.

## What you see

- Under the fields, Nova reports the centre it has stored, or that no centre is set yet.
- **Clear** empties the whole service area so suggestions come from everywhere again.
- A branch can set its own area that wins over this one; see the **Address Search Override** section when editing a branch in [[create-a-branch]].

## If something looks different

- A note says Nova is using an older schedule service area: your organization's area was set up before this page existed. Change any field once and Nova saves it here.
- Suggestions still show far-away addresses: **Behavior** is set to **Bias results to area**, which only reorders matches. Switch to **Restrict results to area** to block them.

[[route:/settings/org/address-search|Open Address Search]]