Table of Contents
Introduction
If your employer pays, you know the significance that potential customers can locate your company on the internet customers. A listing on Google My Business is one of the most efficient methods to accomplish this goal. However, because there are so many different classifications, it may be challenging to determine which one to choose. In this article, we will walk you through everything you need to know about the different categories under which your Google My Business profile can fall so you can make an intelligent choice.
What Are Google My Business Profile Categories?
Google My Business (GMB) is a tool offered free of charge to companies to establish a listing on Google. This listing provides essential details about the company, including its name, location, phone number, hours of operation, and various other relevant information. In addition, companies can describe their processes using one, two, or even more categories. These categories assist Google in comprising the nature of your company, making it more straightforward for prospective clients to locate your company online.
Why Are Google My Business Listing Categories Important?
People who use Google to seek businesses almost always use keywords to locate what they require. For those looking for a plumber, for instance, they might type “plumber close to me”. Afterwards, Google will use its algorithm to match those buzzwords with companies that provide the services in question. It is more likely that your company will appear in those search results if the categories that it is listed under are accurate and adhere to the search terms.
How to Choose the Right Google My Business Listing Categories
It is critical to carefully select the categories for your GMB profile, for instance, If you have a wood establishment, you probably don’t want to include “jewellery store” as one of your categories in the listing. Instead, you should select categories that adequately characterise your company. To get started, you can input your primary category and then look through the available choices to add additional categories to characterise your company further.
Types of Google My Business Listing Categories
Google gives users access to various categories, all regularly updated and supplemented with brand-new options. The following is a list of some of the most widespread kinds of GMB categories:
- Service-based businesses: If you offer services as opposed to tangible products, you have the option of selecting from a wide variety of classifications, including “accountant,” “lawyer,” “plumber,” “cleaning service,” and many more.
- Retail businesses: If you offer physical products, you have a variety of options to choose from, including “grocery stores,” “pet stores,” “jewellery stores,” and others.
- Businesses related to restaurants: If you own a restaurant, you have the option of selecting from various categories, including “pizza restaurant,” “sushi restaurant,” “barbecue restaurant,” and others.
- Businesses related to entertainment: If you provide services related to entertainment, you have the option of selecting from a variety of classifications, including “movie theatre,” “bowling alley,” “arcade,” and others.
- Businesses related to health and wellbeing: If your company provides services related to health and wellness, you may select from a variety of categories, including “yoga studio,” “gym,” “acupuncture clinic,” and others.
- Businesses related to automobiles: If you provide services related to automobiles, you may select from a variety of classifications, including “car repair,” “car dealership,” “auto body shop,” and others.
The Most Effective Methods for Offering Categories on Google My Business
Some best practices should be kept in mind to guarantee the efficiency of your Google My Business profile categories, and they are as follows:
Be specific: Choose classifications that adequately convey the nature of your company. For instance, if you own a coffee store, you should select “coffee shop” as your business category rather than a more general one like “restaurant.”
Use all available categories: Since Google lets you choose up to ten different types for your company, you should use them if feasible. This will enhance your company, increasing the likelihood that relevant search results will include your company.
Stay away from keyword stuffing: This means you shouldn’t attempt to include as many keywords as possible in each of your classifications. This could harm your ranking and give the impression that your listing is filled incorrectly.
Ensure that categories are current: You should make it a habit that your categories get looked at regularly and update them as required. If your company changes focus, you might need to choose unique categories to represent the unique circumstances accurately.
Utilise local categories: If your company services a particular geographical region, you should include categories that reflect that in your listing. Choose “restaurant in San Francisco” rather than “restaurant”. For instance, your category is located in San Francisco and serves food to customers.
How to Choose the Right Google My Business Listing Categories
Now that you understand why the categories for your Google My Business listing are appropriate categories to select for your company.
Begin with your primary category.
The primary category is the one that is considered to be the most essential for your company. It is the category that gives the most precise picture of your company. You need to select a primary category that appoints its products or services.
For those who run businesses in the food service industry, the “Restaurant” category should be their principal focus. You may want to add a supplementary category for this specialised in a particular case, Italian or Mexican.
Add Secondary categories
After selecting your primary category, you can add secondary categories that characterise your company further. These categories should have some bearing on your company and your merchandise or services.
You can include categories such as “Italian restaurant” and “Mexican restaurant.” You can add a division labelled “Caterer” to your website where you provide catering services.
Be Specific
It is essential to be as specific as is humanly feasible when selecting the categories. Better understanding will better understand precisely what your company does, which will help it appear in more relevant search results.
For instance, rather than selecting a broad category such as “Plumber,” go with something more particular such as “Emergency plumber” or “Residential plumber that it allows you to select.
Google allows you to select up to ten different categories for your company. It is in the best interest of your company to make use of all of the categories that are accessible to maximise its visibility.
However, you should check to see that each of the classifications you select is appropriate for the nature of your company. It is not necessary to introduce categories that your company doesn’t deal with.
Conclusion
When it comes to whether or not prospective customers can locate your company online, having an accurate Google My Business listing category will help others find you and generate leads. Suppose you follow these best practices and choose a category. Your relevance to your content; will increase the likelihood that your website will appear in search results that are permanent to your content, which will, in turn, drive more traffic to your website. Don’t forget to check in on your categorregularlyasis and make any necessary adjustments so that your profile can stay as accurate and current as possible.
