How to choose your Google Business Profile categories

Why categories matter so much

Google says the categories you select affect your local ranking. They also decide which features you get: restaurants can add menus and ordering links, health and beauty businesses can add a booking button and service list, and hotels can show amenities. Your category even sets the icon on Google Maps.

Choose your primary category

1. Describe what your business is, not what it has. Google's example: a hotel with an ATM shouldn't use “ATM” as a category.
2. Pick the most specific option that's true: “Cosmetic dentist” rather than “Dentist” if that's genuinely what you are, “Barber shop” rather than “Hair salon” if you're a barber.
3. If the exact category doesn't exist, choose the next best general one. You can't create your own.
4. Match it to the searches you most want to win, as long as it honestly describes you.

Add additional categories

You can add up to nine more. Google says to use as few as possible to describe your core business, and to add a few for other departments or services rather than one for every offering. Each should complete the sentence “This business is a…”.

Check what's working for competitors

Search for your main service and look at the businesses in the top three map results. Their primary category shows under the business name. Seeing which categories rank for your searches is a good sense check, but only copy a category if it's true for you.

Changing categories safely

• Change one thing at a time and watch calls and rankings for a few weeks.
• Google says editing categories can trigger re-verification, so make sure your details and signage are ready.
• Don't switch categories seasonally to chase searches; it confuses customers and Google.