{"id":27046,"date":"2026-03-02T16:08:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T21:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jasminedirectory.com\/blog\/?p=27046"},"modified":"2026-03-02T16:13:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T21:13:56","slug":"study-do-additional-business-directory-categories-boost-local-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jasminedirectory.com\/blog\/study-do-additional-business-directory-categories-boost-local-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"Study: Do Additional Business Directory Categories Boost Local Rankings?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever wonder if piling on extra categories in your business directory listings actually moves the needle on your local search rankings? You’re not alone. Thousands of business owners wrestle with this question every time they fill out a directory<\/a> profile. Most of us either overthink it or don’t think about it at all. This study looks at the data to find out whether selecting multiple categories in business directories genuinely affects your visibility in local search results, or if it’s just another SEO myth we’ve been chasing.<\/p>\n

You’ll learn whether category selection strategies actually matter, how different directory<\/a> platforms handle multiple categories, and what the data reveals about ranking correlations. I’ll walk you through the study methodology, share the findings, and give you practical takeaways you can use today. Just evidence-based conclusions to help you make smarter decisions about your directory listings.<\/p>\n

Multi-category selection methodology<\/h2>\n

Let’s talk about how we approached this study. You can’t just throw darts at a board and call it research. Examining category selection impact required careful planning, controlled variables, and a sample size large enough to draw meaningful conclusions. We analysed 847 business listings across 23 different directory<\/a> platforms over a six-month period, tracking their local ranking performance in Google’s local pack results.<\/p>\n

The study focused on businesses in three sectors: restaurants, professional services, and retail. Why these three? They make up the bulk of local search queries and offer enough variety in category options to test our hypotheses properly. Each business was tracked for specific keyword rankings related to their primary service offerings, with searches conducted from consistent geographic<\/a> locations to eliminate proximity bias.<\/p>\n

Category assignment protocol<\/h3>\n

Here’s where it gets interesting. We built a systematic approach to category assignment that mirrored real business scenarios. Each participating business was assigned categories based on their actual service offerings, no gaming the system with irrelevant categories just to test the waters. The protocol included three groups: single-category listings (control), dual-category listings (test group A), and multi-category listings with three or more categories (test group B).<\/p>\n

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Did you know?<\/strong> According to research on directory benefits<\/a>, directories can improve local visibility, but the specific impact of category selection has gone largely unstudied until now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The assignment process wasn’t random, though. We matched businesses with similar characteristics: similar review counts, similar website authority, similar citation consistency, so we weren’t comparing apples to oranges. A boutique hotel with 500 reviews shouldn’t be compared to a startup bed-and-breakfast with three reviews, right? That would skew everything.<\/p>\n

We also documented the category hierarchy within each directory platform. Some directories treat all categories equally, while others clearly prioritise the first category selected. This distinction proved important later in our analysis. The protocol required businesses to maintain consistent categories across all directory<\/a> platforms where they were listed, creating a controlled environment for comparison.<\/p>\n

Primary vs. secondary category definitions<\/h3>\n

Let me explain something that trips up most business owners: not all categories are equal. Google Business Profile, for instance, distinguishes between primary and secondary categories<\/a> in ways that deeply affect visibility. Your primary category determines which searches trigger your business listing, while secondary categories act more like modifiers or additional signals.<\/p>\n

Think of it this way: if you’re a pizza restaurant that also serves pasta, “Pizza Restaurant” as your primary category puts you in the running for “pizza near me” searches. Adding “Italian Restaurant” as a secondary category might help you appear for broader Italian food queries, but it won’t override your primary designation. The hierarchy matters.<\/p>\n

For this study, we defined primary categories as the first category selected in any directory listing, the one that appears most prominently and typically carries the most weight algorithmically. Secondary categories were any additional selections, ranked by the order they were added. We tracked whether the position of secondary categories (second, third, fourth) had any measurable effect on rankings.<\/p>\n

Different directories handle this distinction quite differently. Some platforms like Yelp allow multiple categories but don’t explicitly label one as “primary.” Others, like Google Business<\/a> Profile, make the distinction crystal clear. This variation became a key variable in our analysis, since we needed to account for platform-specific category handling when drawing conclusions.<\/p>\n

Control group establishment<\/h3>\n

You can’t measure impact without a baseline. Our control group was 283 businesses that kept single-category listings throughout the study period. These businesses were chosen to represent a cross-section of industries, geographic locations, and competitive environments. They gave us a measure of “normal” ranking behaviour without the variable of additional categories.<\/p>\n

The control group businesses weren’t randomly chosen stragglers. We specifically picked established businesses with consistent citation profiles, active Google<\/a> Business Profiles and regular customer engagement. Why? Because we needed to isolate category selection as the main variable, not confuse the results with other ranking factors like sudden review surges or NAP inconsistencies.<\/p>\n

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Key Insight:<\/strong> Control groups in local SEO<\/a> studies must account for temporal factors like seasonality, algorithm updates, and competitive shifts that could affect all businesses regardless of category selection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We monitored the control group for any major ranking changes that might signal broader algorithm shifts or seasonal trends. When Google rolled out a core update during month three of our study, we paused data collection for two weeks to let the dust settle. This precaution kept our findings tied to category impact rather than algorithmic turbulence.<\/p>\n

Each control group business was paired with at least two test group businesses in similar industries and locations. This pairing allowed direct comparison and helped us tell whether ranking changes were category-related or just reflected broader market movements. The control group kept their single-category status even when it meant potentially sacrificing some visibility, which speaks to their commitment to the study’s integrity.<\/p>\n

Data collection parameters<\/h3>\n

So what did we actually measure? The parameters included daily ranking checks for primary keywords, weekly citation<\/a> consistency audits, monthly review count updates, and quarterly website traffic analysis. We used a mix of automated tracking tools and manual verification to keep the data accurate.<\/p>\n

For ranking measurements, we tracked positions in Google’s local pack (the map<\/a> results that appear for local queries), organic rankings on the first page, and visibility in Google Maps app results. Each of these is a different aspect of local search visibility, and we wanted to know whether category selection affected them differently.<\/p>\n

Here’s what our tracking dashboard monitored:<\/p>\n