I just watched a perfectly good barbershop go under because they picked “Beauty Salon” as their primary Google category.
Yeah. That’s all it took.
While they sat around wondering why nobody was calling, their competitor down the street was drowning in new customers. Same quality cuts. Same prices. Hell, the failing shop had better reviews. But they were invisible to anyone searching “barber near me” because Google thought they were a nail salon. One dropdown menu selection killed their business.
Google My Business categories control whether you show up when people search. Not your reviews. Not your photos. Not even your perfectly optimized website. If you pick the wrong category, you’re dead in the water. And most business owners have no clue this is happening.
What Google My Business Categories Do
Google has over 4,000 business categories. You pick one primary category and up to nine secondary ones. These tell Google what searches should trigger your business listing.
Sounds simple. It’s not.
Your primary category is the second most important ranking factor for local search. Only your business name matters more. Pick “Restaurant” when you should pick “Pizza Restaurant” and watch your phone stop ringing.
I learned this the hard way. Five years ago, I was helping a plumber who couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t getting emergency calls. Turns out he’d selected “Plumbing Supply Store” instead of “Plumber.” One category change later, his 2 AM calls tripled. His wife hates me now.
Why Most Businesses Mess This Up
Business owners pick categories like they’re filling out government forms. Generic. Safe. Wrong.
They think “Hardware Store” covers everything. Meanwhile, customers are searching for “Paint Store,” or “Tool Rental Service,” or “Propane Supplier.” Google shows them competitors who picked specific categories, not the generalist trying to be everything to everyone.
The worst part? Google keeps adding new categories. Last month, they added three new restaurant categories. If you set your categories in 2019 and never looked back, you’re missing opportunities that didn’t exist before.
Finding the Categories That Print Money
Stop guessing. Start spying.
Pull up Google Maps and search for whatever your customers search for. “Emergency dentist.” “Divorce lawyer.” “Midnight tacos.” Look at the businesses in that little 3-pack at the top. Those are your competition.
Now comes the fun part. You can see their categories if you know where to look. Their Google listing URL contains category codes, or you can use free Chrome extensions to reveal them. I use GBP Spy because I’m lazy, and it shows everything in two clicks.
Last week, I found a dog groomer ranking for “pet store” searches because they picked that as their primary category. They don’t sell anything. They just wash dogs. But they’re stealing traffic from actual pet stores because they picked a high-volume category. Shady? Maybe. Effective? Definitely.
The Categories That Matter
Here’s what nobody tells you: some categories are worthless.
“Business Center” sounds professional. It gets zero searches. “Service Establishment” could mean anything. Google ignores it. “Shopping Mall,” when you’re one store inside the mall? Congrats, you’re invisible.
The money categories are specific and match how people search:
- “Emergency Plumber” beats “Plumber”
- “Divorce Lawyer” beats “Law Firm”
- “Thai Restaurant” beats “Asian Restaurant”
- “iPhone Repair Service” beats “Electronics Repair Shop”
I know a locksmith who went from 3 calls a week to 3 calls a day by changing from “Security System Supplier” to “Emergency Locksmith Service.” Same guy. Same van. Same terrible jokes. Different category, different business.
Playing Dirty (But Legal) With Secondary Categories
Your primary category does the heavy lifting, but secondary categories catch the stragglers.
A smart pizza place might use:
- Primary: Pizza Restaurant
- Secondary: Pizza Delivery, Pizza Takeout, Italian Restaurant, Bar
Now they show up for pizza searches, delivery searches, Italian food searches, and “bars near me.” Four different customer types, one listing.
But here’s where people get crazy. They add categories for services they barely offer. The dentist who adds “Orthodontist” because they did Invisalign once. The restaurant that adds “Caterer” because someone ordered 50 sandwiches that one time.
Google’s not dumb. If your website, reviews, and posts don’t back up your categories, you’ll tank your rankings across the board. Pick categories for what you do well, not what you wish you did.
The Monthly Category Audit Nobody Does
Categories aren’t set-it-and-forget-it. Google adds new ones constantly. Your competitors switch theirs. Search patterns change.
Set a calendar reminder. First Monday of every month, spend 10 minutes checking:
- What categories are your top competitors using now?
- Has Google added new categories for your industry?
- Which searches are you missing out on?
A massage therapist I know discovered that Google added “Pregnancy Massage Therapist” as a new category. She specialized in prenatal massage but was using generic “Massage Therapist.” One change, 40% more bookings from pregnant women who found her instead of generalists.
Making Categories Work With Everything Else
Categories alone won’t save your business. But they’re the foundation everything else builds on.
Your website content needs to reinforce your categories. If you pick “Vegan Restaurant,” you better have vegan menu items plastered all over your site. Not buried on page three of your PDF menu.
Your Google posts should mention services related to your categories. Your photos should show what those categories promise. Your reviews should naturally mention the keywords those categories target.
I worked with a gym that had “Fitness Center” as its only category. Their reviews kept mentioning “CrossFit,” and “powerlifting,” and “Olympic weightlifting.” We added “Gym,” “Weight Loss Service,” and “Personal Trainer.” Suddenly, Google understood what they really offered. Calls doubled in six weeks.
When Categories Go Wrong
Some horror stories to keep you up at night:
The medical spa that picked “Hospital.” Google suspended them for misrepresentation. Took three months to get back online.
The food truck that used a commissary kitchen address and picked “Restaurant.” Customers showed up to an empty warehouse. The reviews were… colorful.
The consultant who picked 47 different service categories trying to game the system. Google shadowbanned their listing. They still don’t show up for anything, two years later.
Follow the rules. Pick categories that honestly represent what you do, where you do it. Gaming the system works until it doesn’t, and when Google catches you, you’re done.
Stop Overthinking, Start Testing
You can change your categories right now. Takes two minutes. If you’ve been struggling to show up in local search, this might be why.
Log in to your Google Business Profile. Click edit. Look at your primary category. Ask yourself: “Is this what my customers search for?”
If the answer’s no, change it. Wait two weeks. See what happens.
The barbershop I mentioned at the start? They finally figured it out. Changed from “Beauty Salon” to “Barber Shop.” Started showing up for barber searches. Business recovered. Barely.
Don’t wait until you’re desperate. Your competitors aren’t.
Categories are the difference between showing up and showing off. Most businesses never figure this out. Now you know better.
Go fix yours before someone eats your lunch.