Make sure your target audience finds you online.
A part of growing your online presence includes making sure the people who search for a product or service you provide find their way to your business online. If your organization has physical stores, you want consumers to see you.
With a directory optimization service, your business can:
There are virtually hundreds of different business directories online. While it may seem overwhelming to choose which listings are worth joining, you will want to feature your organization in as many directories as possible. With every listing, the probability of someone discovering your brand increases, and so too, the likelihood of them contacting you.
All of this is possible because of the widespread use of the Internet, and more specifically, social media and online directories. The way consumers learn about businesses that can deliver the products or services they need has changed with it.
People no longer entirely rely on recommendations from friends, loved ones, or acquaintances. Search engines like Google and Bing and business directories like Facebook and Foursquare serve as catalogs from which consumers can choose to use to find local businesses.
With the widespread use of online listings, it is no surprise that the intent behind 46% of all Google searches is to look for local information. Not to mention that 4 in 5 consumers use search engines to find local info, these local searches result in purchases 28% of the time.
As a business, this data brings in more opportunities for people to discover your business and more prospects to convert into paying customers. An additional advantage is that you are guaranteed to set your business apart from your direct competitors not featured in online directories.
If your business already features in the most popular directory listings, congratulations! 96% of companies listed on Google My Business are seen at least 25 times a month, and 49% of all listings receive over 1,000 views a month.
(Source: Mobile App Daily)
For those business listings not updated, most directory websites have put in place algorithms that automatically generate information. However, these algorithms don't always upload information accurately, which can lead to users seeing incorrect data and unable to contact the business of their choice.
For this reason, organizations should be investing in directory listing management.
Directory Optimization consists of inputting any information that a user may need to know about business or update it in an online business listingAn online index of business websites categorized based on geographical location or industry.. A business directory is essentially an online Yellow Pages that includes an index of companies usually organized by industry or geographical location. They're so popular that 97% of users learn more about a local business online than anywhere else.
In most directory results pagesA web page from an online directory listing that displays various business listing results within a specific category., organizations are found alongside their competitors, giving consumers many opportunities to compare them. For small and local businesses, this gives ample room to display the information consumers need to know what they offer and to contact them.
Therefore, local businesses are encouraged to submit their information to popular listings before focusing on location-specific and industry-specific directories. The idea behind this is that the average consumer is more likely to search for local businesses using the most popular lists than ones that target geographical location or industry.
Directory submissionThe process of submitting a business website's URL and business information to an online directory listing under a specific category. is a common practice that allows organizations to feature on various directory listings and their corresponding directory listings pagesA web page from an online directory listing that displays information on a business.. It helps optimize a website and is an off-page SEO factor that increases a website's backlinks and strengthen its link profile.
Businesses can submit their information to the directory listings of their choice. For guaranteed directory submissionThe process of submitting a business's information and URL within a specific category of a directory listing for approval., organizations need to ensure their data is presented in the appropriate categories for their business.
(Source: Yellow Pages)
Three types of directory submissions contribute to your business's overall SEO strategy.
They also provide value to your local business by doing the following:
Paid or featured web listing
A paid or featured web listing means the approval of a directory submission comes at a cost. Most sites offer an annual or a lifetime subscription.
Once your payment is received, it is approved within 24 hours. This type of web listing is the most helpful for acquiring quality backlinks.
Free or regular web listing
A free directory submission does not require payment. However, submissions may or may not be approved by the business listing's administrator.
Reciprocal regular web listing
In a reciprocal regular web listing, the directory's administrator sends a reciprocal link to the business seeking approval. Once the link is activated, the submission can be accepted.
The objective of all business directories is to provide an overview of local business and usually include some general information that a consumer would need to contact it.
Consistent information on any listing positively influences your online business reputation. Incorrect or inaccurate data online can cause small businesses to lose potential clients at an average cost of $10 billion per year.
Not only should business owners aim to present accurate information across the web to avoid losing clients, but accurate directory information also helps reduce confusion and frustration for customers those looking to purchase from businesses like yours.
Not all listings are alike, and they don't all request organizations to provide the same information. The following outlines an overview of the core components of business listings:
Every tidbit of data a business displays on its listing helps to build its brand awareness and gain consumers' trust. Once consumers are sure the information is accurate and legitimate, they can contact the business.
Online directories provide particular leverage to businesses that optimize their listings. When an organization updates its information across all platforms, they are ready to call dibs on consumers who are searching for a specific product or service and are prepared to make a purchase.
Other advantages to optimizing your listings include:
Online directory listings allow consumers to learn about your business. They serve as a direct route for interested parties to visit your website and discover what you offer. This translates into more clicks, creating the potential for higher lead conversion rates and more qualified leads.
Business directories provide the public with an informative overview of a business. Providing information that is both reliable and accurate about your organization sends a positive message, increasing the odds of a user contacting you.
In contrast, 80% of consumers lose trust in local businesses if they see incorrect or inconsistent contact details or business names online. With so many enterprises in direct competition with each other, someone's loss is another's gain.
Placing a link on multiple websites improves its SEO ranking because using legitimate backlinks boosts a site's domain authority.
By posting on multiple listings and linking back to your company site, search engines have more sources from where to retrieve your website. Because search engines tap into directory listings when ranking a web page, the higher your site ranks, the more clicks it will likely receive.
Every directory listing with accurate company information is a potential gateway to new customers. The investment you make to optimize your listings will pay off, facilitating consumers to purchase from you. Consumers who search for a local business on their smartphone, 88% of them visit or call a store within the same day.
Optimizing your directory presence is crucial to your business growth. If a local company is not featured in any popular directory or there is not accurate contact information on it online, then it is missing out on countless opportunities to gain new clientele.
For a clear idea of how directory optimization works, there are three factors to consider: directory citations, local SEO, and data management tools.
Knowing about citations is an essential component of learning how to optimize your business information on directory listings.
A citation is any place your business's general information appears together. It can include but is not limited to:
For greater brand awareness, it is crucial to place your business citation everywhere your target audience is likely to be, which includes social media, specialty websites, and local city listings.
There are two types of citations every business should have:
Appears in directory websites and is created once a business claims their listing and completes various form fields such as business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and reviews.
Appears on a business's social media profile or in press releases; typically includes basic business information such as name, address, and phone number.
(Source: Whitespark)
While these types of citations differ in the amount of information they provide on a business, they still need to be accurate. Claiming your business listing will ensure that anyone looking to contact your business can.
There are hundreds of business directories scattered across the Internet. While many consumers are likely unfamiliar with a vast majority of them, there are few considered household names (Google My Business, Facebook, Yellow Page, among others).
Therefore, if your business listings are within the most regarded online directories and your information is accurate, you are among the 7% of businesses likely to see an influx of new customers. The reason is simple: customers can show up at your locale or can call for more information.
While most businesses could create, optimize, and update their listings manually, it is challenging to maintain them. The truth is that many directories have their own data management and data compiling methods that can alter your information or upload new - and sometimes inaccurate data - without notice.
Local Listing management tools help to avoid inconsistencies in information across various platforms. Local listing management is the process of continuously updating and maintain a business's location information across online directories, websites, social media, and review sites.
Tools like YEXT and TribeLocal work to sync all relevant business information on 60+ sites and apps across the web. They also help to organize and distribute your data across major online directories and search engines.
For local businesses, this can be huge. They can forget about fears of customers unaware they have moved to another location or opened at a new one. They can also rest assured that clientele will know of a new product they offer.
By simply searching for a business, the public will have access to everything they need to know.
Local listing management gives businesses a breather by ensuring they will not lose out on new customers due to inaccurate information online.
A significant benefit of optimizing your directory listings is an improvement of your business's local SEO ranking.
Local SEO, a subcategory of search engine optimization (SEO), is a marketing strategy that helps local consumers discover local businesses in their area based on their needs and desires.
It is a useful tool for local organizations for marketing themselves online. Mainly, search engines promote top search results. Here lies the importance of Local SEO.
Much like SEO, search engines use factors such as local content, social media profiles, links, and directory listings to provide relevant results.
Google has revealed that distance, relevance, and prominence (the information that it has about a business across the web) all play significant roles in determining its local search rankings. Therefore, it is in a business's best interest to invest resources in ensuring that their information is accurate on online directories.
Improving your Local SEO ranking should be a focal point for any local business: 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information. Besides, search keywords like "near me" and "close by" have grown more than 900% over the last two years. Additionally, consider that 76% of users who search on their mobile phones are looking for something to buy and visit a business within a day.
Using keywords in your web page, blog posts, and business listings in direct relation to your industry, niche, product, and location also increase the odds your organization will rank higher on local search results.
For example, a computer repair service in San Diego may fare better on search engines like Google by using local keywords such as San Diego computer repair service, computer technician in San Diego, or computer repair shop San Diego.
For better results, business citations should aim to rank in the top local 3-pack for a location-based query. The local 3-pack refers to the top three business listings that appear on a SERP (search results page).
Businesses featured in the local 3-pack are 12x more likely to be considered by consumers than the rest. More specifically, the first local search result receives an average of 24.46% of all clicks. The second gets an average of 13.38% of all clicks, and the third search result typically gets 10.12% of clicks. All local listings after the sixth result get less than 2% of all clicks.
