Choose the most specific primary category that completes the sentence "This business is a…", then add additional categories only for other core parts of the business. Google says the categories you select affect your local ranking, so a vague or padded list works against you.
What Google asks for
- Be specific. Google's own example: choose Nail salon rather than Salon.
- Pick what the business is, not what it has. Google says a grocery store with a bakery uses Grocery store as its primary category and can add Bakery as another.
- Use as few categories as possible to describe your core business. Google says not to add a category for every product or service, or to use categories as keywords.
- If the category you want isn't in the list, pick a more general one. Google says you can't create your own.
Deciding between close categories
When two categories both sound right, ask which one your customers would use to describe you in a word. Put that one first and add the other only if it is also true. These pairs are a rule of thumb, not Google's wording.
- Dentist or dental clinic: a practice built around one or two dentists reads as a dentist. A larger practice with several dentists and specialists under one roof may be closer to a dental clinic.
- Hair salon or beauty salon: if most bookings are cuts and colour, choose hair salon. If hair is one service among nails, skin and brows, beauty salon fits better.
- Cafe or coffee shop: if people mostly buy coffee to take away, coffee shop. If they sit down to eat, cafe.
- Gym or fitness center: a floor of equipment sold by membership reads as a gym. A studio built around classes may suit fitness center better.
How to change a category
Google says that, depending on your category, you might see special features on your profile. Restaurants can add links for orders, reservations and menus, for example, and health and beauty businesses can add a booking button and a list of services. To change your categories on Google:
- Go to your Business Profile and select Edit profile.
- Next to Business category, select Edit.
- In the Primary category box, enter your category and select it from the list.
- To add another, select Add another category, then enter and select it.
- Select Save.
Common problems
- How many additional categories should I add?
- Google asks you to use as few as possible to describe your core business. Reach lets you add up to 9 additional categories, but most businesses need far fewer.
- My exact trade isn't in the list. What now?
- Google says to choose a general category that describes the business. You can't create a new one.
- Can I add a category for one service I offer?
- Only if that service is a core part of what the business is. Google says not to use categories as keywords or to describe attributes. List individual services in the services section instead.
- Google asked me to verify again after a change. Is that normal?
- Yes. Google says adding or editing a category might mean verifying the business again. Follow the steps Google shows you.
Keep extra categories in step with what you sell
With Reach
Reach does not change your primary category. Set it on Google with the steps above and it syncs back to Reach. Reach handles the rest: add or remove additional categories, up to 9, on the profile page and publish them when you save, then watch the weekly rank grid in Search Visibility to see whether the searches those categories target start to move.