GMB Category Eliminated

[pontarae]

After several successful and productive years with a GMB Page, Google has changed the listing's primary category. It is now wildly incorrect on the client's GMB page, and worse, the correct category can no longer be used.

Specifically, the correct primary category was "foundation repair". Google removed that category on the client GMB page and changed it to "foundation" - a long shot wide of the mark. Predictably, rankings have begun to fall.

Anyone else experienced this loss of a primary category? Any thoughts about how to proceed?

 

[JoyHawkins]

I checked my category tracker and I'm not seeing "foundation repair" as a category (checked back 2 years). You definitely don't want "foundation" as it's completely unrelated as you mentioned. I'd go with concrete contractor as the primary.

 

[pontarae]

Thanks for your response Joy. "Concrete contractor" is certainly an option I could take even though it is somewhat misleading.

Having read Big G's advice on categories for GMB pages, I am also considering the primary category "Contractor" as being more general and more accurate. I am presuming that G will pick up its necessary cues from my secondary categories "foundation repair contractor" and "foundation drainage contractor".

Any thoughts are welcome.

 

[JoshuaMackens]

Check competitors and check big markets for your keywords.

Get a good base of data first but then choose based on the categories you see that are most common primaries for the people who rank the best. Take anyone with keywords in their business name out of the data since they aren't ranking well because they picked the right category, they're ranking well because of the keywords.

I've never heard of Google removing someone's primary category. But wouldn't surprise me it happens.

 

[aileronsit]

During Covid-19 Google has completely changed Google my business and google ads interface