What is Local Listing Management?
Local Listing Management is the creation and support of your brand among several online directories such as Google My Business, Facebook, Apple Maps and Yelp. It is also referred to Local SEO.
A Local Listing is the online profile of a company and it’s location (whether you are a Storefront or a Service-Area Business) displaying the name, address, telephone number and other information such as hours of operation, website link and company email address.
In Local Listing Management, a Service-Area Business refers to a business without a physical store. A Service-area business (SAB) is a business that:
- Provides a service at the customer’s location (they come to you)
- An e-commerce with no store location
- Has no physical location which customers can visit
- Needs to ‘hide’ (i.e. not display its address in business listings)
There are many benefits to having Local Listing Management, but the two major advantages are:
1- Local Searches: ensuring that online users looking for products and services like yours will find your brand locations.
2- Branding: Ensuring that your brand is accurate and consistent across all online locations.
What is the objective of Local Listing Management?
It is to establish an online presence by making your location easier to find for those who are looking for them near your area. The goal is to maximize the frequency and ease with which customers can find you – and find the best content (products or services) about you.
Good listings + Better content = More traffic and sales
How does it work?
Most people think that the most important step is to be listed in as many online directories as possible. However, it is best to start by choosing the right directories first. Being listed in all directories is less critical than making sure you are listed accurately in the best directories in your industry.
Once you are listed, make sure that the most relevant content is associated with your profile. Some directories will only allow you to list your name, address and phone number, while others will accept more rich content such as website URLs, descriptions, photos or videos.
Being listed is a great way to be found, having accurate content is the way to be chosen.
What is the impact on SEO results (Google searches)?
The more accurate your online listings are and the more relevant content you have, the easier you are to be found by potential customers. Accurate local listings are one of the many factors that search engines, such as Google, consider when displaying results on the search engine results page. Consistency in a site’s online presence is a factor, as are accurate listing details, comments, social network posts, unique page content, keyword presence, social media compatibility, adaptability to multiple devices, design and metadata.
Local Listing Management is the starting point for any off-site SEO strategy. It allows you to create consistent and accurate location listings that strengthen your local SEO. If the local listing contains the website URL, you create links to your site that (if applicable) will give you greater authority in your domain.
How does the ranking process work and how does the ranking tracking work?
Rankings correspond to where your website appears in search results either fully or locally. This search term is a keyword that is used to search for a product or service associated with a geo-modifier that designates the city or location desired by the user. In all local searches, a geo-modifier is applied. For example, if I live in Montreal and I search for the keyword “pharmacy” in Google – the actual search results will display “pharmacy near Montreal”.
Since Montreal is quite a big city, would I search for “Pharmacy near me”, I would get local neighbourhood “near me” results.
Track your performance for local keywords on the 3 major search engines (Google, Yahoo! and Bing). The rankings correspond to your position on the search result, so the higher the ranking, the easier your website is to find in the search results for that keyword.
Our platform evaluates keyword results in 2 ways: local keywords on Google Map and full keywords in local searches.
What is a local search?
A local search has a product or service associated with a specific location, or in the case of a mobile search, “nearby”. The intention is clear in these searches – that the user is looking for a business in a particular location.
Why is a local search important?
Local search has become more important over the years as users become smarter and understand that specifying a location will yield more relevant results. The increase in smartphone use has also had an impact on local search. Google studies show that “nearby” searches have doubled since 2014.
What are the key directories for local search?
The key directories for local search are those that are the most popular with users and the most used by search engines. The most important directories to get your location found are Google My Business (includes Google Maps & Waze), Facebook, Bing Maps, Yelp and Foursquare.
The majority of users will recognize or use these directories & navigation maps, which means that search engines will showcase their data more because they contain a high level of user-generated content.
Why is it important to be listed in local search directories?
Not all local search directories are as “popular” as those listed above, however, they do have influence and value. Online directories are used by search engines to validate the existence, content accuracy and relevance of a business.
Make sure that your location information is accurate in all of the directories most used by search engines. Accurate and consistent data in all online directories sends a clear message to search engines: your business is open, your location (street, city, postal code) is confirmed, and you are actively online and ready to serve your potential customers.
Why is it important for the aggregators to have your business information?
Because Aggregators transmit your business data to multiple directories and navigation systems at the same time, it is essential that your information is accurate.
Why are comments part of the local search?
Feedback moves your business from “present” to “active”. Customer feedback is another sign that your business is thriving and consistently meeting customer needs.
It can be frustrating to think that comments about your business are online because you can’t control the message they contain, but there’s no reason to be afraid of them. Statistics show that 90% of dissatisfied customers return if a problem is not resolved quickly and efficiently. This means that it is essential to monitor the feedback your business receives to ensure that you resolve any problems that arise. Not only does this provide a positive experience for unsatisfied customers, but it demonstrates to potential customers the level of customer service your company provides.
In addition, according to a survey conducted by Dimensional Research, 90% of consumers consider online feedback before making a purchase. This means that companies should be proactive in the way they manage their online reputation and presence locally to attract more customers to their stores.
Misconceptions about Local Listings Management:
WHAT TO DO
- Include complete and accurate data
- Ensure that company information is corrected as soon as it changes
- Correct business hours (including special business hours and holidays)
- Monitor and respond to comments
- Add HD photos
- Use the right categories
- Make your search for the choice of keywords
- Create attractive descriptions
- Include links to social pages (such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Houzz)
DO NOT DO
- Do not include all information
- Keep listings with outdated or incorrect content
- Forget to display special business hours for Holidays
- Use Acronyms
- Ignore negative comments
- Use or keep old photos, logos, banners, etc.
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