Questions
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Moz Local doesn't have Categories for my clients business
Hi Katherine, Thanks so much for writing in about this. Moz Local draws our categories directly from Google, so you are right to notice a correlation. Unfortunately, you are right that Google's categories are not all-inclusive, but whether you sign up for Moz Local or not, participation in Google's local product is a must for pretty much every local business. Because of this, rule of thumb here is to find the closest match you can for your broadest category and then use the business description to explain the nuances of the business. So, per Ryan's example, you could choose Shipping Company or Shipping Services for the main category for one of your businesses, and in the business description, describe the packing and crating services you provide. Not perfect - I know - but there is know known way to influence Google's categories. It's totally up to them. You're not alone in your frustration with this. Mike Blumenthal, himself, can be quoted as stating,"Google’s category system is woefully inadequate at its job of indicating what a business actually does." And, the Google forum is full of tickets like this one: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!searchin/business/no$20category/business/ymdjxTXmDxI/g5OTvVGwqcoJ For many common business models, the category system works just fine, but when there are facets of the business that the category system doesn't cover, going with the closest possible match is the only option. And, of course, be sure that your citations descriptions and website are highly descriptive of your services.
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