Master Local Search With Business Listings
If you’re considering taking the plunge into local business listings, it might be a good idea to prepare yourself a little ahead of time. There are a lot of directories out there. The problem is that some are more valuable to you than others. Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to identify the valuable listings at first glance. These tips will help you master your local SEO with business listings adding more value to your business and ROI for your time.
Begin at the Beginning – With Directories Where Your Business is Already Listed
These will be quick and easy and you’re already ranked for them. The first step is to type in the name of your business on Google and see where you show up. Most of these places will have an incomplete listing regarding your business and all you need to do is claim the business as your own. Plug in the relevant business information and voila! You’re done.
You can take similar action for better rankings in several different categories, including:
• Competitor Sites
• Keywords
• Directories by Name
Never lose sight of the goal of directory listings, more traffic for your local business. This means you want to capitalize on listings and directories that will provide a positive return for the amount of time, and in some cases money, you put into creating the listings. This means that traffic and visibility are important. You can check out sites like Alexa to determine if a directory is worth your interest at this time.
You can also use online tools like Moz local to find out the current state of your listings. Although you can do all of this yourself if you really want to make the most of your local SEO with local business citations we recommend using a company that is familiar with this process.
Don’t Overlook the Importance of Directories that Rank Well in Mobile Searches
In fact, high mobile search rankings may be more important than you realize. Especially considering that according to Google’s research on local consumer behavior, “50 percent of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphones visited a store within a day.” This is compared to only 34 percent of those who conducted the same searches on computers or tablets. PRO TIP: By googling your business or competitors on your mobile phone you will be able to see what local business directories show up. Make sure your business is listed with those directories and you will see a boost in your local SEO.
Directories You MUST Be Listed on
Google, Yahoo, and Bing all offer local business directories. These listings will show up above all other listings for the most part and therefore make it incredibly important for you to be present and optimized. Consistently updating those listings helps with local SEO and can help you increase your local SEO rankings.
True mastery of local business listings means you’re working smarter and not harder to achieve your goals. The small steps listed can get you pretty far but if you want to get the best bang for your buck, consider hiring a company that specializes in local SEO like Colling Media.
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