Google released official industry-specific GBP Playbooks in early 2026. These aren't general tips, they're Google's own guidance on how businesses in specific industries should manage their profiles. Here's what they say and what to do with them.
In early 2026, Google released a series of Google Business Profile Playbooks, official, industry-specific guides that tell businesses in particular categories exactly how to optimize their GBP listing. This is significant: for the first time, Google has given category-specific optimization guidance that goes beyond its general business profile help pages.
If you haven't read the playbook for your industry, you're missing direct guidance from Google on how to rank better in your category.
The GBP Playbooks are official Google publications that provide category-specific best practices for Google Business Profile optimization. They cover:
Google released playbooks for several major categories including restaurants, retail, health and wellness, automotive, and professional services.
📊 Flento Data: Businesses that align their GBP profiles with category-specific best practices see an average 23% improvement in profile views within 90 days compared to businesses using generic optimization approaches.
Google's ranking algorithm treats different business categories differently. A restaurant profile is evaluated on different signals than a law firm profile, different attributes are available, different features appear on the listing, and customers interact with different profile elements.
Generic GBP optimization advice (add photos, get reviews, fill out your description) applies universally but leaves significant ranking opportunity on the table. The playbooks tell you which signals matter most in your specific category, which is where the real competitive advantage comes from.
Restaurants:
Retail:
Health and Wellness (Doctors, Dentists, Spas, Gyms):
Automotive (Dealers, Repair Shops):
Professional Services (Lawyers, Accountants, Consultants):
Regardless of your industry, the playbooks point to several universal actions that most businesses haven't taken:
Audit your attributes Go to your GBP profile → Edit profile → More → Attributes. Review every available attribute for your category. Most businesses have 40–60% of applicable attributes left blank, each blank attribute is a missed relevance signal.
Complete your service/product catalog Every service with a name, description, and price range (where applicable). Every product linked to inventory where available. Incomplete service lists mean Google can't understand the full scope of what you offer.
Use category-specific features Some GBP features are only visible to certain business types, booking integrations, health attributes, menu tools, inventory feeds. If you're not using the features Google built for your category, you're leaving category-specific ranking signals unused.
The GBP Playbooks are available through Google's Business Profile Help Center and through the Google Search Central documentation. Search for "Google Business Profile [your category] playbook", or ask your Google Business Profile representative if you have a managed account.
💡 Pro Tip: The playbooks are updated periodically. Bookmark the relevant one for your industry and check it quarterly, Google adds new feature guidance as GBP capabilities expand.
Most local businesses haven't read the GBP Playbooks. Most local SEO agencies haven't fully implemented their recommendations either. This is a temporary advantage window, the businesses that align their profiles with category-specific guidance now will build a ranking lead that becomes harder to close as adoption spreads.
Action Step: Read the playbook for your industry this week. Compare it against your current GBP profile using Flento's GBP audit tool. Address every gap you find.
