Google Business Profile Categories: How to Pick the Right Ones
How to choose the right Google Business Profile categories: picking your primary category, using secondary categories well, and examples for common trades.
Short answer: your primary Google Business Profile category should describe the service you most want calls for, using the most specific category that is true, such as “Roofing contractor” instead of “Contractor”. Add secondary categories only for other real services. The primary category is one of the strongest signals for which searches your profile shows up in.
Primary vs secondary categories
- Primary: one category. It carries the most weight and shows on your profile.
- Secondary: Google lets you add up to nine more. They help you appear for related services.
How to choose your primary category
- List your services by revenue or priority. Which job do you want the phone to ring for most?
- Search that service in your area and look at the categories used by the top three map results.
- Pick the most specific match. “Water damage restoration service” beats “General contractor” for a restoration company.
- Make sure your website agrees. Your home page and main service page should clearly cover the same service.
Secondary categories: do and don’t
- Do add categories for real services you offer, such as “Drainage service” for a plumber who clears drains.
- Do match each one to a service page on your website.
- Don’t add categories for things you do not do.
- Don’t keep changing categories every week. Make a change, then give it time.
Examples
| Business | Primary | Possible secondary |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC company | HVAC contractor | Air conditioning contractor, Furnace repair service |
| Plumber | Plumber | Drainage service, Water heater installation service |
| Mover | Moving company | Mover, Storage facility (only if true) |
Category names vary slightly over time, so pick from the list Google shows you.
Frequently asked questions
Will changing my primary category hurt my ranking?
It can shift which searches you rank for, up or down. Change it only for a clear reason, then watch the results for a few weeks.
Can I use a category that is close but not exact?
Use the most accurate one available. If none fits exactly, choose the closest true category.
What else matters as much as categories?
Reviews, distance and your website. See the local SEO checklist and our Google Business Profile checklist.
Not sure your categories are right?
Run your profile through the free profile checker, or ask for a free audit.
Written by Qasim Qureshi, founder of Synova Digital, who has six years of hands-on experience in local SEO and Google Business Profiles for service businesses.