Tools for Google Maps
Google Business Profile categories finder
See which categories the businesses at the top of Google Maps use for your trade in your city, which one to make your main category, and which to leave alone.
Check in a minute, no sign-upHow the finder works
- 01
Start from you
Pick your business on Google, or describe what you do and where. Picking your business also shows the categories you have today, next to the ones that lead.
- 02
We read the leaders
We search your trade in your area and read the categories of the businesses that show up on top. A category most of them share is one Google clearly links with that search.
- 03
You get a short list
One main category, a few others worth adding, each with how many of the leaders use it, and the ones to avoid, with the reason.
What a result looks like
A dental clinic in London, read from the top 10 results for its trade.
From the top 10 results for “dentist” in London.
Main category
- Dentistused by 9 of the top 10
Other categories worth adding
- Cosmetic dentistYou have itused by 6 of the top 10
- Emergency dental serviceused by 4 of the top 10
- Dental implants providerused by 3 of the top 10
Leave these out
- Medical clinic
Too broad: it puts you up against GPs and walk-in centres.
- Beauty salon
Whitening alone does not make a clinic a salon, and it does not fit the business.
Google may suspend a profile for categories that do not fit the business. Pick only what you really do.
Your categories now
Main: Medical clinic
Other: Cosmetic dentist
Why the main category matters most
Your main category tells Google what you are. It weighs more than anything else you can edit when Google decides which searches to show you for. A dental practice listed as “Medical clinic” competes for the wrong searches and loses the right ones.
Other categories add the services you really offer: “Cosmetic dentist” or “Emergency dental service” for a practice that does both. Add the ones that are true and stop there; more is not better.
Categories that do not describe the business are a common reason for a suspended profile. If a category only fits a service you plan to offer one day, leave it out until you do.
For the rest of the profile, step by step, read the Google Business Profile optimization guide.
Straight answers
Questions owners ask
How many categories can I have?
One main category and up to nine others. Most strong profiles use fewer than that: the main one and a handful that describe real services.
Can I change my main category?
Yes, from your Google profile, at any time. Changes can take a few days to settle in results, and a big change may trigger a re-check of the profile.
Why not add every category a competitor has?
Because a category has to describe your business. Copying ones that do not fit can get the profile suspended, and it sends you after searches you cannot serve.
What if my exact service is not a category?
Pick the nearest category that is true, and name the service in your services list and description. Google reads those too.
Which countries can I check?
The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Ukraine.