The Google Business Profile setting most businesses never think about

James Hussey

Ask most business owners when they last updated their Google Business Profile and you’ll usually get the same answer: “When we set it up.”

That’s understandable. Once it’s live and collecting reviews, it feels like the job’s done.

The reality is a little different though. One of the biggest factors in how Google understands your business is something many people spend less than a minute choosing: your business category.

It sounds insignificant, but it isn’t. Google uses that category as a starting point for deciding which searches your business should appear in. If you’ve picked something that’s only loosely related to what you actually do, you’re making Google’s job harder from the outset.

Take a business that mainly installs kitchens. If they’ve categorised themselves simply as a general contractor because it sounded broad enough to cover everything, they may be missing opportunities to appear when people are specifically looking for kitchen installers.

Being more specific doesn’t limit your visibility. Quite often, it does the opposite. That’s also why it’s worth looking at the businesses that consistently appear above you in local search results. They’re not always better businesses – sometimes they’ve simply described themselves more accurately.

Google also allows you to add secondary categories, which can be useful if you genuinely offer several distinct services (the key word here is “genuinely”). Adding categories for services you only occasionally provide, just because you think they’ll bring in more traffic, rarely works in your favour.

The frustrating part is that many businesses invest thousands in a new website or SEO (search engine optimisation) campaign while overlooking a setting that takes minutes to review.

Google regularly introduces new categories too, so the option you chose three years ago might not even be the best fit anymore.

If you haven’t looked at your Google Business Profile for a while, now’s a good time. You may find that a small change gives Google a much clearer picture of what your business actually does. Sometimes that’s all it takes to put you in front of more of the right customers.

If you need any help optimising your Google Business Profile, please get in touch with us at Engage Web.

About
Latest Posts

James Hussey

Digital Marketing Executive at Engage Web

Having once gone to school in the Burnage area of Manchester known for being the childhood home of Noel and Liam Gallagher, “Some Might Say” that James is a “Supersonic” presence within Engage Web, happily turning his hand to “Whatever” tasks his role throws at him.