Adding as many Google Business Profile (GBP) categories as possible (as long as they are relevant) will have a positive impact on rankings without diluting them. Each profile can have up to ten categories.
The spectrum of the GBP category
There is a wide spectrum when it comes to selecting GBP categories, where at one end you will find categories that are directly related to your business. On the other hand, you’ll find categories that have absolutely nothing to do with your business. What we did notice, however, is that there is a gray area in the middle of the spectrum that I like to call the land of semi-independent categories. This country may contain some valuable category options and I think it’s worth spending time there.
Case 1: Installation of Christmas lights
Sometimes a company wants to rank for something that doesn’t have a category. For example, this lawn maintenance company installs and sets up Christmas lights and decorations during November and December when Toronto, Ontario lawn maintenance is not required; However, there is no category for this on Google. Instead, we found the closest category we could find. In this case, Christmas sales.
This store is not a Christmas store. But by using this category, while not an exact representation of the company, Google associates it with “Christmas Lights Installation” when people search for it on Google. This was extremely helpful and allowed the business to rank in the local pack and increase sales.
Case 2: Invisalign and ceramic braces
Another example is dentists who want to rank for Invisalign or ceramic braces. What we noticed is that they can’t rank for these searches unless they’re in the Orthodontist category. This can be debatable since you don’t technically have to be an orthodontist to do Invisalign or ceramic braces; However, it may not be the best idea to advertise that you are an orthodontist if you don’t have one working for your business. This is something you definitely want to get approved by the dentist before using this category in this case.
So what?
Adding additional GBP categories to your business listing was the 7th ranking factor for local packages according to the 2023 Local Search Ranking Factors Survey. With that in mind, and the fact that GBP services affect ranking, meaning the more categories you select, the more services you can select from, there is a huge incentive to dig deep and as many GBP categories as possible to add. And remember, having a category that doesn’t directly relate to your business doesn’t mean it won’t help you rank and increase sales.
Found an interesting semi-unrelated category? Let us know!
