Build Trust and Visibility Through Local SEO and Listings Management

This article examines the benefits of optimizing your businesses local listings. Read on to learn more!

What is a local business listing?

Have you ever tried to Google your business? If you haven't, maybe you should. According to Yelp, 85% of consumers use online search engines to find local businesses; 76% of these consumers decide if they will visit a company's physical location based on its online presence. If your company has a weak online presence, you lose valuable customers daily! Improving your local business listings is imperative if you can't find your business within the first three search results.

What is local listing management?

Most consumers take advantage of local listings to decide which restaurant to dine at, which store to purchase flowers from, and which physician to visit for a check-up. Optimizing your local listings improves visibility on all search platforms and drives more customer engagement. Managing business listings requires consistently updating business data throughout multiple search directories, applications, and online navigation systems. It should also be noted that there are specialized search directories for specific industries. Data for a local listing includes:

• Business name
• Physical Address
• Contact Information
• Hours of Operation
• Photos

Local SEO and listings management can be highly time-consuming and require diligence to ensure success. Many companies look to listings management services to fully benefit from improved visibility and trust.

Brand visibility and Customer Experience

Investing in local SEO and listings management is a surefire way to increase your business's visibility. The more online directories and platforms your business is registered with, the more of your consumers you'll reach. According to Think With Google, 50% of consumers who researched services or products visited their preferred listing within a day.

Accuracy is vital for trust building and customer satisfaction. Business listings improve customer experience by building trust and reliability between a customer and a business. When a consumer googles a service or product and finds a business listing for a company that provides what they need, trust is built by reliable and easy-to-find information. An incorrect listing can damage the customer experience. For example, if a customer makes an appointment at a business, but the address they have listed is incorrect, they will be unhappy. They will likely write a bad review or never return as a customer.

Challenges of local listing management.

Listings management may sound simple, but ensuring data consistency throughout multiple sites is challenging. Companies often make errors, such as not completing all listings information on all platforms or having outdated data on the web. Individually managing listings can be extremely daunting, but never fear. Businesses can invest in listings management software or services to streamline the process!