Ok, first things first. When I say “online business listings,” do you know what I’m talking about? To clear up any confusion, I’m going to spell it out for you right at the beginning. I’m also going to tell you about the information you need to gather in order to create your online business listing, some examples of the directory websites you can add your online business listing to, why no digital marketing strategy is complete without a strategy for managing your online business listings, and a tip to make getting set up on all these sites MUCH easier and less time-consuming for you. Sound good? Let’s dive in!
What Is an Online Business Listing?
Through my experience of talking about online business listings with coworkers, family, friends, or potential clients, I’ve noticed that people often THINK they know what I’m talking about when I mention that term to them. They don’t always know the whole picture, though, and neither did I before I attended classes on them and did a whole bunch of research. Online business listings are websites that serve as directories for businesses – think of them as the digital version of the phonebooks we had in the past. Except with these online directories, there are a whole lot more bells and whistles that phonebooks never included. Basically, you sign up on one of these websites, fill in certain categories of information about your business, and then the website serves as a place that customers or potential customers can learn more about your business.
What are some examples of these directory websites where you can have a online business listing? Some you might already know of: Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Yelp, Facebook, MerchantCircle, Yellow Pages, White Pages, Manta, Mapquest, and Citysearch. But there are so many more that you might not even know about yet. There are dozens of online directories out there on the internet, with more being created everyday.
Looking for a list of online business directories and the order in which you should tackle them? You’re in luck – we’re giving you this for free below: