How-to · Updated October 11, 2026
Change your Business Profile category
Updated October 11, 2026
10 minutes, then Google's review time
Open Edit profile, select Edit next to Business category, and choose the most specific primary category that completes the sentence: this business is a. Add only the few additional categories that describe the business, not one per service. Expect Google to review the edit, possibly reject a major change, and sometimes ask you to verify again.
Before you start
- The Google Account that manages the profile. Google says you must sign in to the account linked to the profile to edit it.
- No verification code on its way. Google says editing the category while a postcard code is in the mail stops that code working.
- A short list of what the business is, ranked by what most customers come for, rather than everything it sells.
Pick the categories
The primary category says what the business is, and Google says the categories you select affect your local ranking.
- Choose a primary category that completes "This business IS a", not "this business HAS a". Pick the most specific one on Google's list that describes the main business; if none fits, pick a more general one. You can't create your own.
- Skip general categories that a specific one already covers. Google says a specific category implicitly includes the more general ones behind it.
- Add an additional category only for a real part of the business customers look for, such as a department. Google says to use as few categories as possible, not one per product or service, and allows up to 9 beyond the primary.
- Leave out categories for a separately owned business inside your location, or for a business your location sits inside. A separately owned business inside your location should have its own profile.
- Never add a category only as a keyword; Google's guidelines rule it out.
- Change the primary category only when it was wrong or the business really changed. Google may reject edits that significantly change a business's category.
Make the change
Categories are edited in the profile editor on Search or in the Maps app, and Google reviews every change before it shows.
- Go to your Business Profile and select Edit profile. In the Google Maps app, tap Business, then Edit profile.
- Next to Business category, select Edit.
- In Primary category, type the category and select it from the list that shows up.
- To add one, select Add another category, type it and select it from the list. To drop one, select Remove next to it.
- Select Save.
Google says adding or editing a category might prompt you to verify the business again. If it does, finish the verification before making other edits.
Check it worked
Reopen Edit profile and read the category's status. Pending usually clears within 10 minutes and sometimes takes up to 30 days. Not approved means Google did not accept the change, for example because it could not confirm the change is accurate or the change was too large. You may be able to appeal.
The effect on searches shows later. Searches on the profile's Performance page updates at the start of each month and can take up to 5 days to show, so compare the month after the change with the month before.
Features tied to a category
Google says some profile features depend on the category, such as booking buttons, menu links or service lists. After changing the primary category, check that the features the business relies on are still offered. That check is a judgment; Google does not list what each change removes.
When Google changes the category itself
Google may update a profile from reports by other sources. In the profile editor, a field shown in blue was changed by Google, and a notification appears at the top of the page. Correct it in Edit profile and answer suggested-edit notices within their 4 days.
Several locations
Google says locations of a business that offer the same service must share a primary category. If the business has different kinds of locations, such as sub-brands, departments, or a store and an office, the rule applies within each kind. Change the primary category on every location of the same kind, not only one.