Getting your business listed
Setting up your listings
The first thing to bear in mind when you set up your listing is that you always want information to be consistent, wherever the search results come from. Remember NAP:
- Name
- Address
- Phone
Keep your business details in the same format whenever you enter them.
Why Getting Listed Is Important
Claiming your business listings gives you control over how search engines index you. It can prevent spammers from hijacking your name or contact details. When you set up your business listing effectively you can improve your search engine rankings and bring more traffic to your site.
What you will need to List Your Business Correctly
Not every listing will ask for the same information. Before you begin entering your business details in a business listings directory it is a good idea to have all your information in one place. Can you provide the following for your business?
- Business name, address and phone
- Business e-mail
- Website URL
- Social network URLs
- Business description
- Services offered
- Specialties
- Products and Brands
- Categories
- Geographical area served
- Business hours
- Year founded
- Alternate business Name and phone number
- Professional Associations
- Credentials / Certifications
- Logo URL Address
- Images
- Videos
- Keywords
Category Help
It can be difficult to find a category for your business, depending on your specialty. There is an awesome resource created by Mike Blumenthal at https://blumenthals.com/google-lbc-categories/search.php?q=&val=hl-gl%3Den-US%26ottype%3D1. If your business isn’t on this list it’s hard to know where it would be.
Keyword Help
To find keywords you can use Google Keyword Checker https://www.googlekeywordtool.com. This will help you test the strength of your website for key terms, and suggest alternatives.
Where to start
The most important places to claim your business listing are on these predominant sites:
- Bing
- Yahoo
- Yelp
- Citysearch
- SuperPages
With consistent listings information on these key pages you can then establish a presence on social media (a whole other topic). With a Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or any other social media site profile that is branded the same throughout, you can be sure that your business has a better chance of reaching its target audience. Industry specific directories can also be of benefit, but remember to review information from time-to-time. And if you change something, like a phone number or e-mail address, then you need to change it everywhere.
Who can help?
GetListed.org will show you where your business is currently listed and where you still need to list. This is a free way to start. While you are there take a look at GetListed.org’s lists of best citations in your area and best citations in your category. This should help you decide what to concentrate on first.
Universal Business Listing, ubl.com is a paid service but for the money spent you will save a lot of time. Affiliate link : )
Further resources
A closer look at local search data providers by GetListed.org
If you have any successful listing tips please feel free to share with us below. Thank you!