How to Leverage Local Directories to Boost Your Business
If you run a small business, you no doubt know that advertising and marketing budgets are something to keep a keen eye on. The more mileage you can get out of a particular kind of advertising, the better, right? Local directory listing is an effective traffic-generating tool that is particularly effective for small, independent businesses that are focused on grabbing the attention of potential customers from a particular geographic area, and also for bricks-and-mortar stores. Whereas general directories are geared toward customers everywhere, local listings are geared toward increasing your company’s visibility within your region and in the eyes of your target local audience.
What do local directory submissions services mean to your business? It’s simple. When you submit your business to local directories, you are able to add important details about your business to the listing, including company name, the category in which you would like your business indexed, contact information, a description of the product or service, and more. In some cases, you will be allowed to submit pictures and other types of media to entice people to your site.
Many of the primary search engines, such as Google, place a high degree of importance on backlinks that come from these directories. What does that mean? It means that when your details are posted to those directories regularly, you’ll get the benefit of being highly ranked in the SERPs (search engine results pages). This is true even when a broader, non-specific search term is used. For example, even if a user doesn’t search for “ABC Chimney Sweeping Services,” but are searching for “chimney sweep” in a local area, their site will likely be returned in the results if they have submitted their business to a local directory.
A few tips and tricks:
Not all local directories are created equal. Be sure you are submitting to one that has a high Alexa ranking, for example. By far, the most respected and influential ones include Google+ Local, Yahoo! Local, and Yelp, but there are others.
Don’t inundate the directory with a deluge of submissions all at once; it’s much more effective to draw your submissions out over a longer period of time.
Be sure your business name and contact information remain consistent (and accurate!) across all of your listings. Missing, inconsistent, or inaccurate information will only serve to damage your company’s reputation. In addition, it’s always a good idea to include as much information as you can in your submissions.
As you can see, your local business has a lot to gain by submitting to local directories. This is a proven effective method of getting high-quality links to your website, which builds your reputation and credibility.
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