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Google Business Profile category finder
Search the full Google Business Profile category list, see the exact wording Google uses and the category ID behind it, and build a shortlist you can take straight into your profile. Filter by country, because not every category exists everywhere.
Search the category list
Loading the listMatches anywhere in the name, so "repair" finds every repair category. Case does not matter.
A category Google has not released in your country cannot be set on your profile, even if it shows up in a list elsewhere.
| Category name | Category ID | Actions |
|---|
Your shortlist
0 pickedThe first one you add is treated as your primary category, marked in orange. Everything after it is a secondary. Google allows one primary and up to nine secondaries. Drop one and the next in line becomes primary.
Your primary category decides most of what you rank for
Of everything on a Google Business Profile, the primary category does the most work. It is the strongest signal Google has about what your business is, and it sets which searches you are eligible for at all. Get it wrong and the rest of your local SEO is pushing against a locked door.
A profile set to Plumber can appear for emergency plumber, blocked drain, boiler repair and the long tail around them. The same business set to Contractor sits in a vaguer pool and struggles on the searches that bring in calls. Both descriptions are true. Only one earns you anything.
Specific beats broad, as long as it is honest. If you fit bathrooms, Bathroom remodeler works harder than Home improvement store.
How to pick it: copy what is already ranking
You do not need to guess. Search the term you want to win, in the town you want to win it in, and open the three listings in the map pack. The grey text next to the star rating is that listing's primary category. Do it for your top five target searches and a pattern turns up fast. If all three businesses beating you say Roofing contractor and your profile says Construction company, you have found the problem and the fix in five minutes.
Two cautions. Check the category exists in your country with the filter above, because a few are released in some markets and not others. And after you change the primary, leave it six to eight weeks before judging. Rankings move around after an edit, so switching again in a fortnight tells you nothing.
Secondary categories, and when they start to hurt
You get up to nine extra categories. Use them for things you genuinely do and that someone might search for separately. A garage with Auto repair shop as its primary might add Vehicle inspection service, Tire shop and Car battery store on top.
The failure mode is stuffing. Categories for work you barely do muddy what Google thinks you are and water down the primary. They also bring in enquiries you have to turn away, which costs you time and sometimes a poor review. Three or four accurate secondaries usually beat nine loose ones. If you could not do the job tomorrow, do not list it.
Google changes this list, so check back
Categories get added, renamed and removed through the year. When Google retires one, profiles using it get no warning: they end up with something outdated, or get quietly moved to a nearer match. Worth a look twice a year across every listing you manage, and worth checking after any drop in map pack visibility.
This is why the category ID matters. The ID, for example gcid:plumber, stays put when Google rewords the display name, so record it alongside the name in whatever you keep your listing notes in.
Where this list comes from
These come from Google's Business Information API, pulled into one set by Jepto's public category list, refreshed at the end of October 2026. Names are in English. If something looks missing, check the country filter first.
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