Google Maps categories

Also called: Google Business Profile categories, GBP categories, Business categories.

Businesses pick categories from a list Google maintains; they can't invent their own. Each profile has a primary category and can add up to 9 additional ones. Google's guidance is to choose the most specific categories that describe the core business and not to use them as keywords.

Categories are the most reliable way to filter a lead list by trade. A Maps search for "plumber" returns plumbers, but also hardware stores, bathroom showrooms and water-heater retailers. Filtering on the listing's category, rather than on the keyword that found it, removes the off-trade rows.

They also drive coverage. People search with many words, and businesses file themselves under many categories, so one keyword misses part of the market. Searching with the exact category names ("Plumber," "Drainage service," "Water heater installation service") alongside everyday synonyms finds more of the businesses in an area.

Category names vary by country and language, and they change over time as Google adds and renames them. Re-check your category list per market.

Example

A search for "dentist" in Chicago is filtered to listings whose primary category is Dentist, Dental clinic, Cosmetic dentist or Pediatric dentist. A dental supply store found by the same search is dropped.

In Leadraft

Leadraft checks each result's Google category for relevance. Wrong-trade results are kept for you to see, never charged or exported. 11 keyword packs and AI keyword suggestions cover each trade's category names and synonyms.