A large-scale study of 1.8 million Google Business Profiles has put fresh numbers behind a familiar local-search lesson: the basics of a profile still matter. The analysis, reported by Search Engine Land, found that businesses using specific primary and additional categories, alongside more complete profile information, tended to have stronger local rankings.
That does not mean adding every category available will move a Bath business to the top of Google Maps. Correlation is not a guarantee of cause, and Google says local results are mainly shaped by relevance, distance and prominence. Even so, the findings are a useful reminder that a profile should accurately explain what a business is, where it operates and what customers can expect.
For businesses in Bath and across the South West, this is a practical housekeeping job rather than a new SEO trick.
Why categories deserve a careful review
A primary category is one of the clearest signals a business gives Google about its core activity. If a company selects a broad or inaccurate category, it may be less relevant for the searches that matter. A specialist business can also miss useful additional categories that describe genuine parts of its operation.
Google’s own guidelines say categories should complete the sentence “this business is a”, rather than listing everything the business has or sells. It recommends choosing as few categories as possible, making them specific and ensuring they represent the real business. Categories should not be used simply as keywords.
That distinction matters. A Bath hotel with a restaurant may have a legitimate reason to represent both activities, while a shop near a cash machine should not add “ATM” because the facility happens to be nearby. The aim is an accurate description, not the largest possible category list.
Completeness is about useful facts, not filling boxes
The study also supports the value of complete profiles. Google advises businesses to keep addresses, service areas, opening hours, attributes and contact information accurate and current. These details help the search engine understand relevance, but they also help a person decide whether to call, visit or continue searching.
A complete profile is especially important for local businesses where small practical details affect a visit. Parking, accessibility, seasonal hours and appointment requirements can all influence a customer’s next step. Incorrect opening hours can undo the benefit of appearing prominently if someone arrives to find the premises closed.
Consistency matters too. The business name should match its real-world branding, and the website and phone number should represent the actual location. Adding locations, services or marketing phrases to a business name may look tempting, but it breaches Google’s guidelines when those words are not part of the recognised name and can put the profile at risk.
What Bath and South West businesses should check
Start with the primary category. Ask whether it describes the main reason customers choose the business. Use the most specific accurate option available, rather than a broad category chosen because it appears to cover more searches.
Review additional categories. Add only genuine, substantial parts of the business. Remove categories connected to occasional services, nearby organisations or ambitions that are not reflected in the real operation.
Check the customer journey. Compare the profile with the website, signage and what staff tell customers. Confirm the address or service area, regular and special hours, local phone number, website link and relevant attributes. Service-area businesses should also make sure their address visibility follows Google’s rules.
Look at each location separately. A group with premises in Bath, Bristol and Wiltshire should not assume one category set fits every branch. Each profile should reflect the services genuinely available at that location, while keeping brand information consistent.
Measure meaningful outcomes. Track calls, website visits, direction requests and enquiries rather than treating ranking alone as success. Profile edits may take time to settle, and distance means different searchers can see different results.
Keep the wider local-search picture in view
Categories and completeness are only part of local visibility. Google explicitly identifies relevance, distance and prominence as its main local-ranking considerations. Reviews, links and wider references to a business can contribute to prominence, while useful website pages help Google and customers understand services in more depth.
That is why a Business Profile review should sit alongside broader local SEO work in Bath. The profile, website and real-world business information should reinforce one another. A precise category cannot compensate for a confusing website, and strong website content cannot fully help if the profile sends customers to the wrong page or displays old hours.
The useful takeaway from the new data is reassuringly straightforward: accuracy remains valuable. Review the profile as a customer would see it, correct what is wrong, add genuinely useful missing information and resist the urge to turn every field into a keyword opportunity. For most local organisations, careful maintenance is more durable than chasing a supposed shortcut.
Sources: Search Engine Land’s report on the 1.8 million-profile study; Google’s guidance on improving local ranking and representing a business accurately.
