What is it?
All Vendasta customers have access to a new and improved category system based off of Google's 4000+ categories.
Existing accounts will see a different but equivalent new category. The name of the category may slightly differ as it's based on Google's category naming conventions. This mapping system was designed with your clients' SEO in mind, as any major category changes can negatively affect SEO.
The most noticeable difference in the platform will be significantly more categories to choose from when changing the business category. We encourage you to take advantage of these new categories and select a more accurate and SEO-friendly category for you and your clients.
Why is it important?
Choosing the correct business category can significantly boost a local business' Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and search engine results page (SERP) ranking. This is especially true for Google Business Profile, as there are over 4000 categories to choose from that can either make it easier or harder for potential customers to find that business.
For example, a local Pizza Restaurant can set its primary category as "Pizza Restaurant" and may appear in search results for Restaurants, Italian Restaurants, or Pizza. It's important to choose a more specific category rather than a vague one whenever possible. Choosing a category like "Nail Salon" rather than just "Salon" is more likely to grab the attention of those looking for nail care rather than a haircut. If there is no suitable specific category, we advise you to choose a more general primary category.
How will it work?
These new categories will be available to set in Partner Center → Businesses → Accounts → Edit Account → Location → Categories.
These categories will also be accessible to change through the soon-to-be-released Business Profile tab in Listing Builder.
The new category system has been appropriately mapped to all our syndicators through Listing Builder, Listing Sync Pro, and Listing Distribution. With category syncing to Google Business Profile currently turned off, we will ensure that you and your clients will have ample time to select the correct business category in our platform before category syncing is turned on.