Local business listings, also known as local citations, are online profiles that provide essential details about your business, including your name, address, phone number (NAP), website, and hours of operation. These listings appear on directory sites, social media platforms, blogs, and mobile apps, making them a key part of your online presence.
Having consistent and accurate listings across multiple platforms helps potential customers find you more easily, whether they are searching on Google, browsing social media, or using a maps app. It also signals to search engines that your business is legitimate and trustworthy, which can improve your local rankings. Inaccurate or inconsistent listings, on the other hand, can create confusion and make it harder for customers to reach you.
Keeping track of multiple listings can be time-consuming, but that’s where Salem Surround comes in. We help businesses manage their local listings, ensuring that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and optimized for search engines. With our expertise, your business stays visible in local searches, attracts more customers, and builds trust with both search engines and your audience.
Getting your company listed on a variety of networks is simple, and most are free. Here's a brief rundown:
Google Business Profile: Go to Google Business Profile online and establish an account. Once you've entered your company information, you'll need to confirm your listing via mail, phone, or email. This is essential for showing up in local search results and on Google Maps.
Yelp: Go to Yelp for Business and claim your listing if it already exists, or create a new one. Fill out your information and wait for Yelp to validate your listing. Once authorized, you may begin responding to reviews and modifying your profile.
Bing: Similar to Google, go to Bing Places for Business, join up, and enter your business information. To go live, you'll also need to authenticate your listing via mail or phone.
Foursquare: Sign up for Foursquare for Business to claim or add your business. This platform is more specialized, but still useful for location-based searches.
Angi (previously Angie's List): If your business provides services such as home repair or professional services, create an Angi profile. There is a verification procedure here as well, but it's an excellent platform for service-oriented enterprises.
Manta: Manta is another business directory website. To get listed, simply go to Manta, sign up, and provide your company information.
Apple Maps/Apps: To have your business appear on Apple Maps, you'll need to use Apple Business Connect. Sign up, provide your information, and authenticate so that Apple users can quickly discover you.
These listings require some effort to set up, but the benefits of increased exposure and reaching more local consumers make the extra effort worthwhile.
Local business listings are classified into three types: directories, platforms, and tools. Each performs a distinct function in directing customers to your business.
Directories are classic listing sites such as Yelp, Angi, and Manta. These are websites that showcase companies by category, allowing visitors to easily search for services or products in their region.
Platforms are larger, multi-functional systems such as Google, Bing, or Apple Maps that allow users to discover companies while also receiving directions, ratings, and contact information. These platforms are important because they interact with search engines and navigation tools, making it extremely simple for clients to locate you.
Tools are services that allow you to maintain and update your listings across several directories and platforms at once. Instead of navigating to each site manually, technologies like Yext or Moz Local allow you to maintain all of your business information keeping it consistent across the board with a few clicks. By combining all three categories, you can ensure that your company is visible, simple to discover, and trustworthy to potential clients.
Here are a few strategies for having your business listed online so it stands out and is easy for clients to find:
Local listings are important for SEO because they help drive high authority backlinks to your site and increase the visibility of your company in search engine results pages (SERP's).
Don't let outdated or inconsistent listings send your customers on a wild goose chase! With Salem Surround, we’ll keep your business information accurate, up-to-date, and easy to find across all major platforms. Let us handle the details so you can focus on what you do best, running your business!