Google Business Profile Categories for Service Businesses

Your Google Business Profile categories tell Google what your business is. They influence which searches you can appear for on Maps and in local results, and which features your profile shows. Choosing them well is one of the simplest local SEO improvements you can make.

Primary category: be precise

You choose one primary category. Pick the one that best describes your core business, as specifically as Google allows. "Dental clinic" is usually better than "Health consultant"; a category describing what you are works better than one describing a single service.

To choose, think about what most of your customers search for when they need you, then look at which categories Google offers for that. Competitors' categories can give ideas, but only copy what's true for you.

Secondary categories: only what you really do

You can add secondary categories for other genuine parts of your business. Use them for services you actively offer and want enquiries for, not for everything you've ever done. Adding loosely related categories can confuse which searches you show up for and bring poor-fit enquiries.

Make the rest of the profile agree

Categories work best when everything else supports them:

• Services and products listed in the profile
• Description that explains what you do in plain words
• Photos that show the work you want to be found for
• Website with clear service pages matching each category
• Reviews that naturally mention the services customers used

Common mistakes

• Choosing a broad category because it seems to have more searches
• Changing categories frequently, which makes results hard to judge
• Adding categories for services you don't offer
• Keyword-stuffing the business name instead of using categories (this can break Google's guidelines)

Special cases

If you serve customers at their location and have no storefront, the rules differ; see our guide to service-area businesses. Clinics have extra considerations too, covered in local SEO for dentists.

Check the effect

After changing categories, watch your profile's performance data, such as searches, calls and direction requests, over several weeks before changing anything else. Categories are one part of local SEO; for whether to start with SEO or ads, read local SEO or ads first.

Frequently asked questions

Get your profile reviewed

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