E19: GBP Eligibility, Optimizing for AI Citations, & Google Support Tips

Google considers the 2 things to determine rankings

February 03, 2026

This might be one of the most important local SEO articles of 2026.

Did you know that Google doesn’t just look at a GBP’s primary category to determine if a business is eligible to rank for a given search?

Up until now, local SEOs have thought about eligibility in terms of the primary category: If someone searches for a towing company, Google is not going to suggest a business with a “dentist” primary category (unless there’s a business that specializes in both towing and dentistry).

However, an article by Claudia Tomina on Search Engine Land proposes a new idea:

Google uses the combination of your category and business name to determine your eligibility.

She provides a great example:

When she searched for “kids’ dance lessons”, Google gave her a bunch of businesses with primary categories like “dance school” and “dance company”.

When she removed the word “kids” from her query, the businesses that had names relating to children (KemKids, Tippi Toes) disappeared from the results.

Claudia also adds that Google validates these ranking decisions by looking at behavioral signals.

So, keep this in mind when including keywords in your business name. You might accidentally niche down too much and miss out on rankings for broader terms in your category.

In today’s podcast episode, Claire and I discuss this article in detail, plus:

  • Ranking in Google's AI Results in 2026 with Mike King (SterlingSky)

  • Franchise Website Migration & Improved Local SEO For BTDT (Kick Point)

  • Analyzing 236 SEO, Content, Social, and Digital PR case studies (Rise at Seven)

  • Whitespark’s Ultimate Guide to Local Business Reputation Management (Miriam Ellis)

  • The Future of Brand Visibility: Optimizing for AI Citations with Dan Petrovic & Jes Scholz (Patrick Hathaway, Sitebulb)

  • How To Contact GBP Support (Stefan Somborac)

Watch the episode here 👇️

🎧 Or if you prefer listening, find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Darren