Choosing your business categories

The Categories step is how customers find you. The subcategories you pick here drive who sees your listing in nearby searches and category browsing.

You pick subcategories, not top-level areas

You only ever choose subcategories (for example Sourdough & artisan bread rather than the broad Food & drink area). LocalFor.Me works out the top-level area automatically from each subcategory's parent — you never have to think about the headline categories separately.

Products and Services tabs

The picker has two tabs:

• Products — for things you sell.
• Services — for things you do.

Some categories sit under both tabs, so you'll find them whichever side you start from. On the left is a list of areas (Browse by area); click one and its subcategories appear on the right. A small counter on each area shows how many subcategories you've ticked within it, and a selected chip at the top keeps a running total.

How to pick

1. Choose the Products or Services tab.
2. Click an area in the left-hand rail.
3. Tick every subcategory that fits in the panel on the right.
4. Switch areas or tabs as needed — your selections are kept as you move around.
5. Click Continue → location.

How many should I choose?

Pick as many as genuinely apply — there's no cap. A hardware shop that sells tools, paint and cleaning supplies should tick all three, because each one is a separate way for a customer to find it. You must pick at least one to continue; the button stays disabled until you do.

Tip: be accurate rather than greedy. Choosing categories you don't really cover sends the wrong customers to your listing. Stick to what you actually offer.

Keywords are separate

Free-text search keywords (such as vegan, handmade, sourdough) live on the Basics step, not here. Categories place you in the right part of the directory; keywords help with specific word searches. Use both for the best reach.

You can change your categories any time after approval from your business settings.