How Do Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) Features Differ by Business Category?

Google Business Profile is an invaluable tool for business owners and marketers; however, it is important that you understand how to select the right business category when setting up your account. 

Google relies on business owners to select the appropriate category in order to connect the business with customers searching for the products and services they provide. Business owners are advised to select a “primary category” that describes their business as a whole. The more specific, the better. For example, “nail salon” would be preferable to “salon” as a primary category, and “pizza restaurant” would be preferable to “restaurant.”

Additional categories can then be added to let potential customers know more about your services or departments. However, Google recommends that businesses use as few categories as possible to describe their overall core business, so use restraint when selecting your business categories. 

To add or edit your Google Business Profile category, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to Google Business Profile
2. Next to the primary category, click “Edit”
3. Select the new category, along with any other additional categories you want to add
4. Click “Apply”

The features available in Business Profile will vary greatly depending on the business category you select, so you’ll want to make sure to choose the primary category that best fits your specific business type. Features such as appointment booking URLs are only available for certain primary categories. Business Profile attributes, which allow a business to specify amenities, accessibility, atmosphere, health and safety precautions, and many other business features, differ significantly from one primary category to another. Service details also differ by category, and even some major features like Google Posts have category limitations (Posts are not available in hotel and lodging categories). 

Of course, it’s of primary importance that your categories accurately reflect the core offerings of your business, so you should never choose a category just to get access to a particular feature.

Google continues to roll out new attributes and amenities for certain business categories, so features that aren’t available today could be offered in the future. Learn more about category-specific features.

If your company is managing multiple locations and need help updating your Google Business Profile listings to ensure that they are up-to-date and accurate, SOCi can help with listings management.