Free tool
GBP Category Picker
Pick your trade, get the exact primary + secondary categories to set — curated for 33 local service industries with strategist notes on the judgment calls. Copy, paste, done.
Primary category — pick exactly one, this one
Secondary categories — add only what you genuinely offer
Strategist note: If summer emergencies are your bread and butter, 'Air conditioning repair service' as a secondary matters as much as the primary.
Type each into your profile’s category field — Google’s autocomplete resolves the official match (names can vary slightly by region). Full playbook: AEO for HVAC →
Why the primary category is the highest-leverage field you'll ever set
Google treats your primary category as the strongest statement of what your business IS — it shapes which searches you can appear in at all, which attributes and features your profile unlocks, and how the map pack and AI answers classify you. A plumber set to 'Contractor' is invisible for the searches that matter; the fix takes thirty seconds.
Secondaries extend your reach to genuinely-offered services without diluting the primary. The classic mistakes: stacking every plausible category (dilution), choosing the aspirational one over the money one, and forgetting the category exists after setup while competitors tune theirs.
How this picker was built
We curated the primary + secondary sets for all 33 trades we serve, from Google's own taxonomy and what we set for clients — including the judgment calls (route pool companies keep 'Pool cleaning service' primary; builders flip it). The strategist notes flag exactly those calls.
Category names can vary slightly by region and Google renames occasionally — type each into your dashboard and pick what autocompletes. If your trade splits between two primaries, choose the one matching the jobs you want more of; that's the whole art.
Frequently asked questions
How many secondary categories should I add?
Only ones you genuinely offer — usually 3 to 6. Every category is a claim Google cross-checks against your services, reviews, and site; padding with aspirational ones dilutes the profile and can suppress the features tied to your real work.
Can changing my primary category hurt?
A correct change helps quickly; expect some short-term reshuffling as Google re-evaluates. What hurts is churning categories weekly or choosing one that mismatches your reviews and services. Set it right once, then leave it alone.
My exact category doesn't exist — what do I pick?
The closest honest parent (our sets already make that call for thin-taxonomy trades like garage doors), then let your services list, description, and photos carry the specificity. Never pick a wrong-but-popular category for reach — the mismatch costs more than it gains.
Do categories affect AI recommendations too?
Heavily. Engines lean on Google's classification when deciding who fits a request — the right category is one of the corroboration signals that lets ChatGPT or Siri safely name you for exactly your kind of job.
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