Whitespark analyzed 1.8 million Google Business Profiles across 4,209 categories to measure how category selection and Profile completeness influence local rankings. The dataset shows that specific primary categories, well-aligned additional categories, and fully completed Profiles all correlate with stronger visibility in Google Maps and local search.
Specific primary categories rank better than generic ones
Profiles with a specific primary category show a roughly 36 percent higher presence in the top 10 results than Profiles using a generic category, at 12.5 percent versus 9.2 percent. Average rank also improves, from 50.0 for generic categories to 45.8 for specific ones, across 55,091 generic and 1,664,733 specific Profiles in the study.
The pattern holds inside individual verticals:
- Attorneys: Criminal justice attorney averages rank 44.7 with 13.4 percent in the top 10; personal injury attorney averages 48.4 with 12.2 percent; the generic “Attorney” category averages 57.1 with 12.9 percent.
- Contractors: Electrician averages 48.6 with 11.2 percent in the top 10; roofing contractor averages 53.1 with 12.6 percent; plumber averages 53.2 with 10.4 percent; HVAC contractor averages 53.2 with 12.4 percent. The generic “Contractor” category averages 57.7 with only 8.0 percent in the top 10.
- Restaurants: Tapas averages rank 28.8 with 32.1 percent in the top 10; Hawaiian averages 28.4 with 27.1 percent; New American averages 30.4 with 28.9 percent. The generic “Restaurant” category averages 49.7 with only 10.1 percent in the top 10.
Specific categories tend to face less local competition, and Google tries to match the primary category to the query, so a Profile labeled “HVAC contractor” is more likely to surface for an HVAC search than one labeled “Contractor.”
A look at the “hair salons” search illustrates the same point at the category level. Profiles with the exact “Hair salon” category averaged rank 49.9 and appeared in the top 10 about 11.3 percent of the time. Adjacent categories trailed: Hairdresser averaged 56.9 with 6.0 percent, Beauty salon averaged 60.0 with 3.2 percent, Barber shop averaged 79.5 with 1.3 percent, and Nail salon averaged 81.3 with 0.0 percent.
Which primary plus additional category combinations rank highest?
After choosing a specific primary category, adding well-aligned additional categories correlates with stronger rankings. The strongest combinations in the dataset, compared to Profiles with no additional category and to Profiles that use “Service establishment” as the additional, include:
- Veterinarian plus Emergency veterinarian service: average rank 33.9, versus 51.2 with no additional and 75.6 with “Service establishment.”
- Electrician plus EV charging station contractor: average rank 38.2, versus 47.5 with no additional and 63.5 with “Service establishment.”
- Gym plus Athletic club: average rank 34.7, versus 43.3 with no additional.
- Plumber plus Drainage service: average rank 47.3, versus 54.0 with no additional and 62.3 with “Service establishment.”
- Roofing plus Gutter service: average rank 47.1, versus 52.1 with no additional and 70.3 with “Service establishment.”
- Personal injury attorney plus Business attorney: average rank 40.8, versus 51.4 with no additional.
- Dentist plus Cosmetic dentist: average rank 47.6, versus 57.6 with no additional and 53.7 with “Service establishment.”
Specific additional categories improve average rank by 6 to 17 positions compared to Profiles that only carry a primary category. The data also shows that broad, generic add-ons like “Service establishment” do not help. Profiles that used it ranked worse on average than Profiles with no additional category at all.
Whitespark notes this is a correlation, not proof of causation. Businesses that take the time to add additional categories also tend to invest more in local SEO overall, which is likely part of why their rankings are higher.
The GBP completeness index: how full is your Profile?
To measure Profile completeness, Whitespark built a 0-to-5 index, awarding one point each for the presence of a website, a business description, hours of operation, photos, and a claimed status. The study did not include other Profile fields like attributes, services, or products.
Completeness varies by industry
Industries where local SEO drives real revenue tend to fill out their Profiles more completely. Home services Profiles averaged 4.4 out of 5 with 55 percent fully complete; professional services averaged 4.3 with 52 percent; automotive averaged 4.2 with 48 percent; beauty and personal care averaged 4.1 with 45 percent; legal and financial averaged 4.1 with 46 percent; retail averaged 3.9 with 40 percent; real estate averaged 3.8 with 38 percent; travel and tourism averaged 3.6 with 33 percent. Community and organizations, a largely noncommercial segment, averaged just 3.0 with only 22 percent fully complete.
Completeness predicts rank
Profiles that score 5 out of 5 average rank 43 and appear in the top 10 about 13 percent of the time. Profiles that score 0 average rank 62 and appear in the top 10 only 4 percent of the time. Moving from the lowest to the highest completeness tier improves average rank by roughly 19 positions and triples the share of Profiles in the top 10.
- Score 5: average rank 43, 13 percent in top 10.
- Score 4: average rank 47, 11 percent in top 10.
- Score 3: average rank 50, 9 percent in top 10.
- Score 2: average rank 54, 7 percent in top 10.
- Score 1: average rank 58, 5 percent in top 10.
- Score 0: average rank 62, 4 percent in top 10.
Again, the relationship is a correlation. Profiles that are complete tend to belong to owners who also publish Google Posts, request reviews, and maintain their websites, so the ranking lift likely reflects a broader SEO effort, not Profile completeness alone.
A practical checklist based on the data
- Pick the most specific primary category that fits the business.
- Add specific additional categories that match real services, and skip “Service establishment.”
- Fill out every field on the Google Business Profile, including website, description, hours, photos, and claimed status.
- Keep the Profile active after launch: request reviews, upload photos and videos, and publish Google Posts.
- Layer in on-site SEO, citations, social presence, and AI search optimization, since GBP work alone is rarely enough in competitive markets.
The category findings above are part of a larger Whitespark report on GBP categories that is slated for full publication.
FAQ
Does choosing a specific Google Business Profile category improve rankings?
Yes. Across 1.8 million Profiles, those with a specific primary category appeared in the top 10 about 12.5 percent of the time, compared to 9.2 percent for generic categories like “Restaurant” or “Attorney,” a 36 percent relative lift.
How many additional categories should a Google Business Profile have?
The study found that adding specific, well-aligned additional categories improved average rank by 6 to 17 positions compared to using a single primary category. Generic add-ons like “Service establishment” did not help and were associated with worse rankings than having no additional category.
Does a complete Google Business Profile rank better?
Profiles that scored 5 out of 5 on Whitespark’s completeness index averaged rank 43 and appeared in the top 10 about 13 percent of the time, while Profiles scoring 0 averaged rank 62 with only 4 percent in the top 10. The relationship is a correlation, and complete Profiles tend to belong to owners who invest in broader local SEO as well.
This article summarizes reporting from searchengineland.com.