Online Business Listings: The Key to Boosting SEO and Creating Leads for Your Business

Here’s a List of 70+ Online Business Directories To Tackle:

What Information Is Included in Online Business Listings?

Depending on the layout and functionality of each site, they’re going to require slightly different information. I was able to compile a list of the most commonly required information that you’ll need to enter into the directory websites for your online business listing that will hopefully give you a better idea of the value these sites can provide to your customers.

Your average online business listing will require you to gather and enter the following information:

• An administrative email (to be used as your username and for verification of the account)
• Credit card information (for billing)
• The name of your business
• Your business category (i.e. restaurant, retail, etc.)
• Business address
• A featured message (usually a call-to-action for your customers)
• Your business’s messaging (similar to what you’d find on your business website’s home page – introduce your customers to what you do)
• Hours of operation
• Payment methods accepted
• A contact email address/phone number
• Your website URL
• A JPEG of your logo
• Photos of your business (usually it’s good to include some of the interior, exterior, and any signage if you have a physical location)
• Usernames (and log-ins) for your social media accounts
• Lists of your products/services
• A calendar of events
• Staff bios
• (For restaurants only) your menu

Why Does Your Business NEED Online Business Listings?

All of the information I mentioned above is relevant to a customer who is searching for your business or a potential customer who is looking to learn more about your business before buying your products or services. Online business listings help you to answer questions these customers might have. Having correct business information, contact information, and maps can help you bring in more leads and turn mobile searchers into customers. Not to mention that the engaging imagery you have included helps your listings to look their best. By including your messaging, logo, and other key attributes of your business in your online business listings, you build brand awareness and online visibility for your business.

Not only is it important for you to have complete information about your business on your online business listing, but it’s also very important to have correct, consistent information across all the listings – incorrect listings can confuse the people that are searching for your business information AND could even get your listing flagged as spam by the directory website.

Since online business listings are housed on websites such as Yelp or White Pages, they become search engine results for your business online. Not only that, but many of these websites are seen as very legitimate sites to Google, so they often show up in the top results when people search your business. If you know anything about search engine optimization (SEO), you know that the goal is to have your business showing up when people search it (or for the products and services you offer, etc., even if they don’t search for your business by name). By setting up your online business listings, you increase the number of times your business is mentioned on the internet on websites OTHER than your own – proving to Google that your business and your website are legitimate. Once Google knows that your business is trustworthy, you’re going to have better SEO for your website, increasing the chances that customers can find you.

Setting Up and Managing Online Business Listings

One thing I hear from small business owners when educating them about online business listings is that while they know they need online business listings, they have really struggled with the process of setting them up on sometimes as many as 70+ directory websites (and keeping track of all those log-ins and passwords), noting when each listing goes live after it is created, and making sure to update all listings when their business information changes (i.e. business hours or a call-to-action). They tell me that what seemed like a simple task of “typing in their business information” to a series of websites becomes a daunting task they can’t seem to find the time for in their busy schedules.

This reaction is exactly what prompted us at Keystone Resources to learn so much about online business listings in the first place. Our goal is to offer small businesses the ability to pass this task off to us. I’ll set up a call that will take at most an hour to gather any information from the list I posted above that I am not able to find and verify on my own – the only time investment that you need to make in the process. I’ll then manage the rest of the process, ensuring your business’s information is correct and consistent across 50+ of the most commonly used directories. I’m also able to manage your listings for you, making sure they’re up-to-date across all the directory websites. We’ll even provide you with quarterly reports giving you an overview of the traffic you’re getting on your listings so adjustments can be made as needed.

If this service sounds like something you’re interested in, I’d love to talk with you to learn more about your business and explain this process to you in much greater detail. Feel free to email me or give me a call at 713.874.0162.

I hope this post helped to clarify what online business listings are and why you need to have them for your business. Do you have any specific questions about online business listings – maybe how often to update them or recommendations on which ones you should focus your time and energy on first? Feel free to comment below, and I’ll be sure to get back to you with my best answer.

Happy Tuesday!