How to choose your Google Business Profile categories
Of everything on your Google listing, the primary category probably does the most to decide which searches you appear in. It's also one of the easiest things to get wrong, because Google's list is long and the obvious choice isn't always the right one.
Primary and additional categories
Every profile has one primary category and can have several additional ones. The primary category describes what your business is. Additional categories cover other things you genuinely do. Google also uses the primary category to decide which features the profile gets, such as hotel details, menus or appointment links.
Describe what you are, not what you sell
Google's guidance is to choose categories that complete the sentence "this business is a…". A shop is a "mobile phone store", not "phone covers". A school is a "primary school" or "high school", not "education". The products and services you sell belong in the services and products sections of the profile, not in the categories.
How to find the right one
- Start typing in the category field and read every suggestion; there are often more specific options than you expect
- Search for your type of business in your area on Google Maps and look at the categories shown under the names of the businesses that appear
- Pick the most specific category that's true. "Ski school" beats "school"; "tour operator" or "travel agency" depends on whether you run tours or arrange them
- If two are equally true, choose as primary the one that matches what most of your customers come for
Additional categories
Add categories only for things that are a real, significant part of your business. A hotel with a restaurant open to the public might add "restaurant". A hotel that serves breakfast to its own guests shouldn't. Adding categories you don't really offer doesn't help you rank and can make the profile look less trustworthy.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a broad category because it sounds bigger
- Copying a competitor's categories without checking they fit you
- Changing the primary category often to test rankings, which can trigger a review of the profile
- Putting services into the business name because the right category wasn't found
Check after changing
After any category change, watch the profile's performance report for a few weeks: searches, calls and direction requests. If the change was right, you'll often see more of the searches you wanted. If not, you'll know before it costs you much. Big category changes can sometimes prompt Google to ask you to verify again; see how verification works.
I choose categories as part of setting up or fixing a Google Business Profile, and my industry pages, such as listings for hotels and listings for schools, cover the specifics.