🤓 The 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors are here!! Check out the report!
🤓 The 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors are here!! Check out the report!
Your primary category tells Google and its users what your business does (Law Firm, Dentist, Plumber, Hair Salon, etc). It is also the #1 most important local search ranking factor:
When someone searches for a specific business type, Google tries to return the businesses that have explicitly stated that they are that business type.
This is why it is critical that you select the primary category that most closely matches the term you want your business to rank for. For example, if you have a law firm, don’t make your primary category law firm. Instead, select a primary category that reflects the type of legal cases you specialize in (i.e. injury lawyer or divorce attorney).
🔥Pro tip: Change your primary category seasonally, especially if your business offers different products or services in the summer vs. winter.
For example: If you have an HVAC business, you can set your primary category to “Air conditioning contractor” in the summer, and “Heating contractor” in the winter. Another common example of this is lawn care in the summer and snow removal in the winter.
You can add up to 9 additional categories to further improve your GBP rankings. Additional categories are #8 in the 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey. Adding an additional category is like telling Google: “Please show my Profile for this search term, too”.
🔥Pro tip: If you are wondering what additional categories to add, use this awesome report in the Whitespark Local Rank Tracker which will give you a detailed breakdown of all the categories your competitors are using.
It’s good practice to check for new categories every 6 months, since Google updates them frequently. Our SEO Services team uses Pleper’s tool to monitor for new categories we can add to our clients’ GBPs.
✍️ Note: The categories you add will indicate the services you can list on your Profile. This is yet another reason to add as many additional categories as you can. You can use our $1/mo Local Platform software to track any new categories that Google adds to your Profile:
Whitespark provides powerful software and expert services to help businesses and agencies drive more leads through local search.
Founded in 2005 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, we initially offered web design and SEO services to local businesses. While we still work closely with many clients locally, we have successfully grown over the past 20 years to support over 100,000 enterprises, agencies, and small businesses globally with our cutting-edge software and services.