I get asked this regularly:
👉 Does the order of secondary categories affect rankings?
For example, does category #2 carry more weight than #5?
Here’s my honest answer
✅ The only category order that truly matters is your PRIMARY category.
❌ I’ve never seen credible evidence that the order of secondary categories has any impact on rankings.
❌ Adding more secondary categories doesn’t magically improve visibility either.
Where categories can hurt you is when they’re inaccurate.
If you add categories that don’t genuinely describe your business, you risk:
- Confusing users
- Increasing poor engagement signals
- Creating trust issues with Google
And that’s where rankings can slide
My rule of thumb:
➡️ Be precise➡️ Be honest➡️ Be customer-first
Quality always beats quantity.
How many secondary categories are you currently using on your GBP?