With local search results continuing to be prominent (if not dominant) in search engine results, it’s important to make sure that your business has a Google Places listing. This means your business can appear on Google Maps, and has a chance of coming up as a local search result in searches on Google.
Selecting Categories On Google Places
One of the requirements for creating a Google Places listing is the selection of various categories that apply to your business. While you can have custom categories, at least one of the categories you select needs to be a category that’s been predefined by Google.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to find the right category though, and this can prevent your listing from being accepted.
Category Tool
To help make your life a little easier, (it sure is making mine easier), here’s a link to a very handy tool, that makes finding the right Google categories as simple as can be.
Blumenthal’s Google Places Category Tool
All you need to do is put your category, or part thereof, into the tool, and it’ll give you a full list of potential Places categories that match yours. You can even leave it blank and search, to get a full list of all the categories Google Places uses.
In Conclusion
With the increasing importance of local search, Google Places is a must-have for any business. And this tool helps get around something that sometimes proves to be a bit difficult on Google Places…namely choosing the right categories.