The great Bard once said that a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. So in other words, no matter what you call it, it’s still a rose. Now some business owners that I’ve talked to seem to believe the same holds true with how they describe or categorize their business. No matter what they say, it’s still what they do that’s most important, right? Wrong.

How you describe your business on your website, in your marketing materials and most importantly on your Google My Business listing is of paramount importance, because that’s how people discover you, learn about you and frame their opinions of you. And although it may seem deceptively simple, the business category that you choose in Google My Business may be the most critical thing of all.

I’ve come across energy consultants categorized as gas stations, massage therapists listed as health spas and printers listed as advertising agencies amongst other mayhem.  And the worst part of it is that these wounds are mostly self-inflicted.

If you don’t actively manage your listing Google is going to choose a category for you, often based on inaccurate information pulled from their business databases. In other instances, businesses pick a category that they think sounds more enticing, or is something that they aspire to. But if the category doesn’t reflect the services you supply now, people are not going to find you and engage with you for what you actually do.

So it’s simple, choose the business category that most accurately relates to what you provide (it used to be that Google would allow you to add custom secondary categories, but those days are long gone). Then add more detail in your business description and the other input fields that Google now makes available for greater clarity and visibility.

If you need help with any of this you can always give us a call at 904-744-8877.