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How to Choose the BEST Category for Your Google Business Profile
Are you a business owner looking to improve your online presence? One of the most crucial factors in boosting your local visibility on Google Maps and Search is selecting the right category for your Google Business Profile.
Categories help Google understand what your business does, which in turn helps you rank for relevant searches in your local area. However, since Google Business Profile updates categories frequently, through renaming, adding, or removing them, it can be a source of confusion for local business owners. To help you make the best choice, let’s dive into the key aspects of Google My Business categories and the tools you can use to optimize your listing.
Also, check out our super helpful video on how to pick the best GBP category too!
Understand Google’s Constant Category Updates
Google frequently updates the names of its categories, adds new ones, and removes old ones. For example in 2025, “Hockey rink” was renamed to “Ice hockey rink” in June, Google added “Probate attorney” in August, and they removed “Swimming Basin” as a category in December.
These frequent changes can sometimes lead to confusion, as you might think a new category has been added when it’s simply a renamed one. Keeping track of these updates is essential to ensure your business remains correctly categorized.
New Categories Can Give You a Ranking Boost
When Google introduces new categories, it’s worth considering whether they’re a good fit for your business. Being one of the first businesses to claim a new category can give you a competitive edge and a significant boost in rankings. For example, back in 2018 Rich Owings from Local Is Where It’s At shared on the Local Search Forum how an escape room business saw a major ranking increase by adding the newly introduced “Escape Room” category when most competitors hadn’t yet adopted it.
While not every new category will work for every business, staying on top of these additions and adapting quickly can help you stay ahead of the competition.
Use Tools to Find Relevant Categories for Your Business
Choosing the best categories for your Google Business Profile involves a little research, but the good news is that there are tools available to help. Two popular options are the Pleper Chrome extension and GMB Everywhere.
Pleper Chrome Extension: This tool allows you to search for a specific keyword on Google Maps (e.g., “movers in Tucson”) and see the categories associated with businesses that are ranking for that keyword. This can give you valuable insights into which categories are being used by competitors in your industry and location.
^Pleper Chrome extension in Google Maps
Additionally, Pleper’s Category Tool helps you input your business information along with the keyword you want to rank for. It will then show you the most common categories used by other businesses similar to yours.
GMB Everywhere: This tool lets you easily view all the categories a listing is using when you check it on Google Maps. It’s particularly useful for discovering categories your competitors are leveraging that you might not have thought of.
^GMB Everywhere extension on a Google Business Profile
3. Primary vs. Secondary Categories: Choose Wisely
One of the most important aspects of Google My Business categories is understanding the weight of the primary category. Your primary category holds more ranking power than secondary categories. This means that selecting the right primary category is crucial for ranking well for your most important keywords.
For example, a personal injury attorney who was previously using “insurance attorney” as their primary category saw a significant improvement in rankings when the category was switched to “personal injury attorney.” This change resulted in better visibility for personal injury-related keywords and decreased visibility for insurance-related ones. Choose your primary category carefully to ensure it aligns with the core focus of your business.
Google Category IDs (GCID) vs. Display Names
The category you see on your Google Business Profile dashboard might not be the exact name that appears in the search results. This is because Google assigns each category a unique Google Category ID (GCID), which may not match the name displayed in your dashboard. In some cases, the GCID could appear in the search results instead of the category name you’re familiar with. For example, the category “Heating Contractor” in Australia is actually labeled as “Central Heating Service” in the Google My Business dashboard, as pointed out by Brodie Clark on Twitter.
Understanding this distinction can help clear up confusion if you see competitors displaying categories that seem unavailable in your dashboard. Keep in mind that Google’s display of categories can vary depending on the country or region.
Category Names May Differ by Country
It’s also important to note that categories may have different names in various countries. For instance, in Canada, the “Real Estate Agent” category is labeled as “Estate Agents,” similar to the naming convention used in the UK. This can cause confusion, especially if you’re targeting multiple countries or serving international clients. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the specific naming conventions for each country in which you operate to avoid any discrepancies.
Category Dilution: Myth or Reality?
One common misconception in the Local SEO community is the idea of “category dilution.” Some believe that adding multiple categories to your Google Business Profile will weaken your ranking because the ranking power will be spread across all the selected categories.
However, our testing has shown that this is not the case. In fact, adding more categories often results in improved rankings and increased visibility because your business will show up for more related queries.
For example, a law firm in Florida added the category “Employment Attorney” to their profile, alongside their primary category of “Personal Injury Attorney.” Within 48 hours, their ranking for employment-related queries improved significantly, demonstrating that multiple relevant categories can help your business appear for a broader range of searches.
Warning! Be Prepared to Reverify if You Edit or Add Categories
Category edits, especially a primary category change, can be considered a major edit by Google. Sometimes, major edits can trigger a reverification. Recently, on the Local Search Forum, users reported that category edits triggered reverification, in some cases even just adding secondary categories. Keep this in mind when editing your categories and be prepared to reverify the profile, just in case.
TL;DR
- Choosing the right categories for your Google Business Profile is key to improving your local search visibility.
- Use tools like Pleper and GMB Everywhere to research competitors’ categories and stay updated on Google’s frequent category changes.
- Prioritize your primary category, as it holds more ranking weight.
- Consider adding multiple relevant secondary categories to broaden your search visibility.
- Regularly check for new categories and adjust your profile to maintain optimal rankings.
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