Elevate your local presence: How to pick the right local business category on Google
In the world of local SEO, the choice of your Google Business Profile's primary category holds a pivotal role, yet it's an aspect often overlooked by many small businesses. The struggle often lies in the desire to encompass too much under a broad category, leading to a missed opportunity for selecting a local business category that carries a more effective ranking.
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However, the solution lies in the precision of selecting the best, and most relevant, primary category on your client’s GBP. A specific representation of what you offer is the best way to improve your ranking potential on Google.
In this blog post, we're diving deep into the importance of picking the right local business category for Google Business Profile management, how it helps SEO, and how to manage some of the common challenges you might face during the process.
Table of Contents
- What’s the purpose of local business categories?
- How do business categories impact local search rankings?
- What are the benefits of choosing the correct local business categories?
- How to change the category of a Google Business Profile
- Tips for how to choose the best business category for your business
- Frequently asked questions
What’s the purpose of local business categories?
The purpose of local business categories for a Google Business Profile is to describe the nature of your client’s business and connect you to potential customers.
Here are the key reasons why Google local business categories are important:
1. Relevance:
By selecting the appropriate Google Business Profile categories for your client, you increase the chances of your profile showing up in relevant searches on Google Maps and local search results. For example, listing your primary category as a hair salon is likely to trigger your business appearing in local search results for broader or categories, such as beauty services or hair care.
2. Local rankings
Your category selection is one of the factors that affect your local ranking on Google. Optimizing your Google Business Profile categories can have a significant impact on your client’s local search rankings. Choosing the right primary and secondary categories can boost visibility and help potential customers find your client.
3. Special features
Depending on your business category, you may have access to special features available for your Google Business Profile. For example, hotels can show class ratings and list amenities, while food and drink businesses can add URLs for online orders, reservations, and menus.
How do business categories impact local search rankings?
Here are some ways that categories affect local search rankings:
- Competition: Categories can help you stand out from competitors by highlighting unique aspects of your client’s business.
- Targeted Audience: Choosing the correct categories helps Google understand what a business does and the types of searches you're relevant to. This way, you're able to target those who are specifically looking for the products or services your client offers.
- Ranking Factors: Categories are one of the most important ranking factors for local search results. Selecting the right ones increases the likelihood of your client's business being found by potential customers.
- Brand Awareness: Consistent branding across all platforms and listings reinforces brand image, increases recognition, and builds trust among potential customers. Selecting the most relevant categories that accurately represent your business can heighten brand awareness.
What are the benefits of choosing the correct local business categories?
Choosing the correct local business categories for a Google Business Profile offers several benefits:
- Improved visibility: Selecting the right categories increases the chances of your client's business appearing in relevant searches on Google Maps and local search results.
- Higher local search rankings: Optimizing your client’s Google Business Profile categories is a significant ranking factor for local search results. Accurate and relevant categories can improve local search rankings and increase the likelihood of your client's business being found by potential customers.
- Targeted audience: Choosing the correct categories helps Google understand what a business does and the types of searches you're relevant to.
- Stand out from competitors: Secondary categories allow you to highlight additional aspects of your client’s business and differentiate them from competitors to attract more customers and stand out in highly-saturated markets.
- Increased brand awareness: Local business listings provide an additional avenue for promoting your client’s brand. When you keep branding consistent across all platforms, it improves their brand recognition and awareness.
- Opportunity for growth: Regularly reviewing and updating business categories allows you to adapt to changes in your client’s industry or target market.. It gives you the opportunity to explore new categories that may better represent evolving business offerings and attract a wider customer base.
Remember, choosing the correct Google local business categories is an ongoing process that may require trial and error. It's important to regularly review and update categories to ensure they accurately represent your client’s business and maximize visibility in local searches.
How to change the category of a Google Business Profile
To change the category of a Google Business Profile, follow these steps:
- Sign in to the Google Business account.
- Select the correct listing in the Google Business Profile Manager.
- Click on the "Edit profile" button.
- Choose the "Edit Business category" option.
- You will see a drop-down menu with different business categories.
- Select the new primary category that best describes your client’s business.
- If you want to add additional categories, click on "Add Another Category" and type in the additional category.
- Click "Save" to apply the changes to the Google Business Profile.
Important note:
Remember that changing a primary category may require you to verify your client’s business again to ensure the accuracy of business information. It's important to choose the most relevant categories that accurately represent the business to improve local search rankings and help potential customers find your client online.
Tips for how to choose the best business category for your business
If you want to improve your client's local search rankings, picking the most relevant category is important.
To find the right category, it can be helpful to think like the client's typical customer. Try to determine what they'd usually search to find the business and optimize their Google Business Profile accordingly. You can also use tools to conduct research into the different relevant business categories, and take a look at how direct competitors are using their Google Business Profiles.
Here are some best practices for choosing the most relevant category for any business on Google:
Consider what keywords the business ranks for
Choosing categories based on a typical customers' search behavior helps to optimize your client's online presence. When you align business categories with the keywords and search terms potential clients are actively searching for, you're essentially creating a direct pathway for them to discover your client.
This boosts visibility and increases the chances of attracting leads who are already interested in your client’s products or services. So, take the time to analyze these search terms thoroughly, and align the categories strategically – it's a fundamental aspect of effective local SEO.
Use tools to research different business categories:
When choosing the most relevant category for your business on Google, it's important to think like your client’s customers, be specific, consider the competition, choose the most important category, and regularly review and update categories. By using these tools and following best practices, you can optimize the client’s Google Business Profile and increase their visibility in local searches.
There are several tools available to research Google Business categories. Here are some of them:
- GMB Everywhere: This tool allows you to easily see all the categories a listing is using when you view it on Google Maps.
- Pleper: Pleper helps you browse the comprehensive list of categories and identify the most relevant ones for your client’s business.
- Phantom GMB Audit Tool: This tool allows you to find competitor business categories by performing a search for your target keyword or competitor in Google Search or Maps.
Tips for choosing your Primary Category:
- Choose one primary category that best describes the business. This is the most important category and has the most significant impact on your client’s local search rankings.
- Choose the most specific category that accurately describes the business. Avoid using broad categories that do not accurately represent your client’s business. For example, if you own a pizza restaurant, choose "Pizza Restaurant" instead of "Restaurant."
- Choose the Most Important Category. The primary category is considered first by Google’s algorithms so choose the category that’s most important to your client for the best local search rankings.
Don’t ignore the secondary categories:
You can add up to nine secondary categories to a Google Business Profile. These categories allow you to highlight additional aspects of the business and differentiate your client from their competitors.
The categories are continually updated by Google, so it's essential for you to stay up to date with any changes or additions. Selecting the most relevant categories that accurately describe the business can help Google surface business information for local searches.
Here are some tips for refining your list of secondary categories:
- Consider the business’s offerings: Think about the different products, services, or areas of expertise that the business offers. These can be potential secondary categories that provide more specific information about the business.
- Research relevant categories: Use resources like the Google Business category list or tools like GMBspy to explore the available categories and find ones that are relevant to the business. Look for categories that accurately describe the different aspects of your client’s business.
- Avoid duplicating categories: It's important to note that if the business includes separate departments or services that operate independently, they should have their own profiles with their respective primary categories. Avoid adding their categories to the main profile to maintain clarity and accuracy.
Regularly review and update categories
Regularly review and update categories to ensure they accurately represent your client’s business and maximize visibility in local searches. Google updates its categories often, so try to stay on top of any changes or additions.
Look at direct competitors
Conduct frequent research into your client's competitors. This gives you more insight into what they're doing right, and gives you a competitive advantage over the rest of the market. Use the insights you gather to make informed decisions when choosing your business category.
- Understanding the market: Competitive research can help you understand your client's market and factors like location, saturation, and pricing.
- Planning for the future: Competitive research can help you create a strategic plan for your client’s business. This can help you improve offerings, price appropriately, and improve marketing and promotions.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take for the category change to take effect?
Google does not provide a specific timeline for when the category change will take effect. However, it usually takes a few days for the changes to be reflected on Google Maps and local search results. It's important to note that changing your primary category may require you to verify your business again to ensure the accuracy of your business information.
Can you change the category of a Google Business Profile multiple times?
Yes, you can change the category of a Google Business Profile multiple times. You can change your primary and secondary categories as often as you need to ensure that they accurately represent your business. However, keep in mind that changing your primary category may require you to verify your business again to ensure the accuracy of your business information. It's important to choose the most relevant categories that accurately describe your business to improve your local search rankings and help potential customers find you.
