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GBP services, categories and attributes setup

Use when setting up or reviewing the categories, services and attributes on a Google Business Profile.

gbp-services-and-attributes.md

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Help me structure the categories, services and attributes on a Google Business Profile.

Business: {{BUSINESS_NAME}}
What we actually do, in my own words: {{WHAT_WE_DO}}
What we do not do, so you do not over-claim: {{WHAT_WE_DONT_DO}}
Current primary category: {{CURRENT_PRIMARY_CATEGORY}}
Current secondary categories: {{CURRENT_SECONDARY_CATEGORIES}}
Competitors ranking above us and their categories, if known: {{COMPETITOR_CATEGORIES}}

Produce:

1. A primary category recommendation with reasoning in two sentences, plus two alternatives and the trade-off of each. Explain in one line what the primary category actually controls.

2. A secondary category table: Category, Keep or add or remove, Reason. Warn me about any category that would misrepresent what we do or trigger a different set of profile features.

3. A services list. For each: service name under 50 characters, description of 200 to 300 characters, and a flag for whether it maps to a page on our site. Only list services from my "what we actually do" input.

4. Attributes worth setting, split into ones I can confirm from what I told you and ones marked [CHECK] that I need to verify.

Rules:
- Never recommend a category or service we do not offer to chase visibility. Say so explicitly if a tempting category would be a misrepresentation.
- Category names vary by country and change over time. Mark any category name you are not certain still exists as [VERIFY IN DASHBOARD].
- No em dashes in service descriptions.

Fill in before running

Replace each placeholder with your own detail. The more specific you are, the less the model invents.

{{BUSINESS_NAME}}
{{WHAT_WE_DO}}
{{WHAT_WE_DONT_DO}}
{{CURRENT_PRIMARY_CATEGORY}}
{{CURRENT_SECONDARY_CATEGORIES}}
{{COMPETITOR_CATEGORIES}}

Getting a better result

Primary category has more effect on which searches you appear in than almost anything else on the profile.
Every service you list should have somewhere on your site to send people, or it is a dead end.
Check the exact category names in the dashboard rather than trusting a remembered list.

Questions about this prompt

When should I look at categories rather than at the description or posts?

When you are showing up for the wrong searches, or not at all, and nobody has examined the categories. Primary category affects which searches you appear in more than almost anything else on the profile, so it is worth settling before you spend a month on posts and photos.

What do I need before running it?

What you do in your own words, and just as importantly {{WHAT_WE_DONT_DO}}, which is what stops the output over claiming. Your current primary and secondary categories, and {{COMPETITOR_CATEGORIES}} where you can see them. Have the dashboard open, since category names vary by country and change over time.

What does it produce?

A primary recommendation with two alternatives and their trade offs, a secondary category keep, add or remove table, services with descriptions of 200 to 300 characters, and attributes split into confirmed and [CHECK]. The single line explaining what the primary category actually controls is worth reading before you change anything.

What is the mistake?

Adding a tempting category you do not really serve. The prompt names those as misrepresentation rather than listing them, and a category can also change which features your profile is given. Listing a service with nowhere on the site to send people is the smaller mistake, but it is the more common one.