Selecting the Right Category in Google My Business 

Google My Business is a free platform that all businesses should be using. Creating a Google My Business account will help customers be able to find your business, increasing leads. When you’re creating a Google My Business profile, you’ll need to choose a category. Here’s some advice—and some cool tools!—for helping you to select the right category for you. 

Why Does Category Matter in Google My Business?

Google My Business categories matter because they describe your business and help to connect customers who search relevant categories near you. Categories can impact your local search rating, and can also be used to assign a place label to your business. 

How to Choose a Category in Google My Business

You might think that choosing a category is obvious, but depending on your business type, it could be a bit more complex than it originally seems. For example, you may think that just “restaurant” is a great category, but you actually want to be as specific as possible—you should choose “pizza restaurant” or “Italian restaurant,” rather than just “restaurant” alone. Additionally, your business may fit into more than one category, and you may not be sure what to select as your primary category. 

What Category Is Right for Me?

As you navigate the Google My Business category options, here are a few different things to think about that may help you to make a decision: 

• Keywords. First, think about all of the keywords that describe your business and that your business is currently using to develop its SEO strategy. Chances are strong that some of the keywords that you use are also categories, and should be included. You want to match your keywords to your categories as closely as you can.
• Competitors’ keywords. Another thing to think about are the keywords of your competitors. Once you identify some of your market competitors, you can actually download a new, free extension called GMBspy. This extension allows you to search for your competitors on Google Maps, find their business, and then view their categories! It’s a pretty cool feature that can provide ideas about your own category choices. 
• Help with category suggestions. If you’re still struggling with deciding on a category, you may want to get help with category suggestions from PlePer or another GMB category helper. If you’re using PlePer, you can simply type in your business name and then PlePer will show you your current categories, categories in your area, and category suggestions! 
• Select multiple categories. Finally, don’t forget that you can—and should—select multiple categories in many cases. This is a great thing to know when you’re struggling to choose a single one. 

Get Help with Your Google My Business Page Today

If you are a local business in Indiana, you need a Google My Business page. At NUVEW, we can help with all of your social media marketing and digital marketing goals. Call us today to learn more.