Google Business Profile categories for carpet cleaners

How do primary and additional categories work?

A Google Business Profile (GBP) is the listing that puts your company on Google Maps and in the map pack, the short list of local businesses shown with a map. Every profile has one primary category, and you can add additional categories. Google tells you to select a primary category that best describes your business. Additional categories are there, in Google's words, "to inform your customers about special departments or services."

This post goes one level deeper than our complete guide to Google Business Profile for carpet cleaners, which covers the whole setup. Here we stay on categories and the services list. Google is direct about why categories matter: "The categories you select affect your local ranking on Google."

On its local ranking tips page, Google defines relevance as "how well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for." Your categories are one of the clearest ways to tell Google what your company matches. That is why a wrong or padded category list can work against you.

You also can't type in any label you like. Google says "You can't create your own category." You pick from the list that shows up as you type. If the specific category you want isn't there, Google says to select a general category that describes your business.

Use Google's "IS a" test before you add a category

Google's guidelines for representing your business give a simple test. You should select categories that complete the statement "This business IS a" rather than "this business HAS a." Google says the goal is to describe your business holistically rather than list all the services it offers.

Google's own example is a fast food chain. For Wendy's, the guidelines list fast food restaurant and hamburger restaurant as correct categories and dessert restaurant as incorrect, even though desserts are on the menu. The same logic applies to a carpet cleaning company. Run each line of your work through the test before it goes anywhere near your categories.

We are not quoting exact category labels here on purpose. Google picks from a fixed list, and the wording in your dropdown is the wording that counts. Type a word like "carpet," "rug" or "upholstery" into the category box and read the options Google shows you.

Which categories should a carpet cleaning company consider?

Start with the primary category. If most of your calls are for carpet cleaning, choose the carpet cleaning option from Google's list as your primary category. Leave it there through the seasons. Google says that if you add or edit a category, you might be asked to verify your business again, so don't switch it to a restoration category for a wet spring.

Candidates for additional categories

• Rug cleaning, if rugs are a real part of your business, especially if you clean them in-plant. See our page on area rug cleaning.
• Upholstery cleaning, if homeowners call you for furniture on its own and not only as an add-on. See upholstery cleaning.
• Tile and grout or floor cleaning, if it is a regular part of your week and you want more of it. See tile and grout cleaning.
• Water damage restoration, only if you have the equipment and crew to take those calls.
• Commercial work, only if a category in Google's list describes what you do without implying janitorial service you don't sell.

Google's guidelines say to "use as few categories as possible to describe your overall core business from the provided list." For a one- or two-truck company that cleans carpet and upholstery, that may mean a primary category and one or two additional ones. Some companies are best served by the primary category alone.

Google also says to "focus primarily on adding the most specific categories for your business; we'll do the rest behind the scenes." It adds that you can skip any category that seems redundant with a more specific one you already picked. A short, specific list is the goal.

Categories vs. the services list

Categories say what your company is. The services list says what you sell. Google's help page on managing services says "When adding services, you can choose from suggested options tailored to your business type." You can also create your own service names and add details such as price and description.

Custom services still have rules. Google warns that "Custom services that violate policy will be automatically rejected." Keep service names plain and accurate, the way you would say them to a customer on the phone.

What a useful services list looks like

• Pet urine odor treatment: UV detection, enzyme treatment and extraction for urine spots in carpet.
• Upholstery cleaning: sofas, sectionals, recliners and dining chairs, with the fabric checked before cleaning.
• Area rug cleaning: in-home, or picked up for in-plant cleaning if you offer it.
• Move-out carpet cleaning: for tenants, landlords and property managers.
• Stair cleaning: priced per step or as part of a whole-house job.
• Carpet protector: applied after cleaning on request.

Write each entry in your customer's words, not industry shorthand. Then make sure each service on the list has a matching page or section on your website, so the customer and Google see the same story. Our carpet cleaning website guide covers how to build those pages.

Category mistakes that cost carpet cleaners calls

These are common category mistakes, along with the Google guideline each one runs into.

1. Adding categories for work you don't do. A water damage category invites water damage calls. If you don't run drying equipment, those calls waste your office's time and frustrate the customer.
2. Using categories as keywords. Google's guidelines say: "Do not use categories solely as keywords or to describe attributes of your business." A category added only because it sounds like a search term breaks that rule.
3. Adding a category for every service. Google's category help page says: "Do not select a category for every product or service." Stairs, protector and pet treatment are services.
4. Borrowing a related business's category. Google's guidelines say: "Do not use categories that pertain to other businesses that are nearby or related." If a flooring store sells your cleaning, its category belongs on its profile, not yours.
5. Changing categories often. Google says that if you add or edit a category, you might be asked to verify your business again. Plan your category edits instead of flipping them back and forth with the season.

How to check and change your categories

Google's category help page lays out the steps.

1. Go to your Business Profile and select Edit profile.
2. Next to "Business category," select Edit.
3. In the "Primary category" box, enter a category, then select one from the list that shows up.
4. To add more, select Add another category, enter a category and select it from the list. To remove one, select Remove next to it.
5. Select Save.

A quick category audit

• Write down your primary category and every additional category exactly as they appear today.
• Run each one through the "This business IS a" test.
• Remove any category for work you don't do or don't want calls for.
• Move anything you removed into the services list if you still offer it as an occasional job.
• Make all the edits in one sitting, then leave them alone.

After the edit, watch the calls and website clicks in your profile's performance report over the next few months, not the next few days. Calls rise and fall with the season, so compare each month with the same month last year. Categories are one part of local search, and our carpet cleaning SEO guide shows how the profile and your website work together. Category, services and profile work for carpet cleaners is part of our Local Search service.