Google is now becoming an essential component of how users discover services and products in their area since it allows them to quickly get answers to their most pressing questions in just one click. You might not be aware of it, but Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses to manage their online visibility across Google.
As a business owner, there are various advantages to using Google My Business to improve your online presence, and therefore, selecting the appropriate Google My Business (GMB) categories can boost your business’s online identity, particularly within your locality. These categories group organizations with similar characteristics together, enabling a search engine to offer more accurate search results depending on a user’s search.
There are several options for selecting the ideal GMB category for your business, and today we will explore them.
#1. Determine Relevant Search Phrases for Your Business
It is important to note that comprehensive research is always necessary before deciding on the ideal categories for your business. As a business owner, you must be familiar with the terms and phrases that are applicable to your intended audience. To start the process, you will need to make a list of the relevant keywords that characterize your business, and then, you will be able to attach multiple precise keywords within the relevant GMB business categories.
For example, if you work in retail, you can specify the categories of retail you work in, such as clothing, technology, housewares, medical stores, and so on. After this step, you may broaden your search by checking amenities, distinctive features, and items to begin your list of secondary categories.
After finishing your list, input it into a keyword search engine such as Google Keyword Planner to see which keywords have the most search volume. Doing so will assist you in choosing the ideal categories for your business by utilizing the most frequently used search keywords.
#2. Focus on Your Objectives
When creating your primary business category, you should use extreme caution as this is the most crucial element in Google’s local search algorithm. It indicates that the primary category has a significant value, and you are more likely to appear when a customer searches locally for your business.
Aside from that, we highly recommend that when selecting a category, you always look over all of them and pick the ones that best describe your business or your organization. After choosing your ideal primary category, we also advise adding three to four more secondary categories to help you maximize your online exposure.
#3. Analyze the Categories of Your Competitors
If you need some help in coming up with a list of your Google My Business categories, you can always refer to your competitors for some inspiration. Since you are competing in the same local market, it is wise to examine the categories your competitors use.
To begin looking for relevant terms, you must first identify the radius of your local market. Your local market can be as big as a city or as small as a neighborhood, therefore, you must first determine how far out you intend to search. Once you have a broad concept of the radius, make a list of all the businesses in the nearby area that qualify as competitors.
#4. Reduce The Number of Categories that You Add
It may be tempting to choose as many categories as possible, but you should resist the urge, as ultimately, this will negatively impact the local ranking of your business. Instead, focus on selecting the categories that are relevant to your organization and avoid adding categories that appear to be redundant. Again, concentrate on integrating the categories that are most useful to your organization, and Google will handle the rest.
#5. Keep Your Categories Up to Date
It’s an excellent approach to continuously keep track of your Google My Business categories. Depending on any new changes, you may find that your existing categories perhaps aren’t as vital as they once were. Furthermore, Google is continually upgrading and deleting categories, and therefore, regularly reviewing your categories will ensure that your GMB profile is always up-to-date.
In addition, if you sense that your categories are not performing well for you, you can always try changing them around. Testing multiple categories to see which ones generate the best outcomes is the quickest way to find out if you have the appropriate categories.
How to Check If You’ve Selected the Right Categories
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to selecting the best Google My Business categories. At the end of the day, each business is unique and they will need various items from various categories. Adding to that, you can edit your categories at any time, so why not mix things up slightly? Then, you may inspect how it ranks in search results and how it impacts your profile. Each organization’s strategy will be different but at some time, you will find a winning formula that works best for you.
Set Up Your GMB Profile With KangoMedia
Picking categories using the simple approach may be fast and easy. However, investing some time and effort into researching the proper categories for your GMB listing will pay off in the long run with increased positioning in local search results, which will subsequently improve your business’ marketing opportunities. At KangoMedia, we can assist you with category selection or the overall setup of your GMB profile.
Clients that work with us often see dramatic results in the form of an increase in website leads, requests for quotes, service calls, and sales. Businesses choose to work with KangoMedia because of our focus on growing their business. We are more than a service provider, we are your partner in growth.
Give us a shout, and let’s talk about your business.