One of the things that I find important to set up and even crucial to your business’s performance across the internet is local listings. These include listings like your Google Business Profile, Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages, and more. I have found that ensuring the information is accurate and your business is listed can impact search rankings, perceived business authenticity, and increases in website traffic from referral sources.
I’ve put together this guide to help home service businesses across the United States build and optimize their listings. This guide covers the tools you can use, and the benefits of maintaining accurate and up-to-date business information across the web.
Tools to Build and Manage Local Listings
Over the years I have had the opportunity to test out several tools that publish your business on listings across the web. These tools, also known as business listing aggregators, are available to help you create, update, and optimize your local listings. Here are some of the most effective ones I’ve used and recommend:
- SEMrush Listing Management Tool: SEMrush offers a robust local listing management tool that integrates with Yext’s Knowledge Network. This tool allows you to manage your business listings across multiple directories, including Google, Facebook, Siri, and more. It helps ensure that your business information is accurate and consistent across all platforms, which is crucial for local SEO.
- Yext: Yext is a powerful tool that helps businesses manage their local listings by syncing information across hundreds of directories, including Google Maps, Apple Maps, and social media platforms. Yext also offers features like duplicate listing prevention, data cleansing, and review management, making it easier to maintain an accurate online presence.
- Moz Local: Moz Local is another popular tool that automates the process of managing local listings. It allows you to create a listing once and have it automatically updated across major search engines and directories. Moz Local also provides insights into your local search performance, helping you track and optimize your online visibility.
What Should Be Included in Your Business Listings & How to Set Them Up
I’ve found that in order to maximize the effectiveness of your local listings, it’s important to include accurate information and to keep it up to date if anything changes. Here’s what you should include and how to set them up:
- Business Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP): Ensure that your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across all listings. This consistency helps search engines verify your business and improves your chances of ranking higher in local search results.
- Business Categories: Choose the most relevant categories for your business. This helps search engines understand what services you offer and matches your listing with relevant search queries.
- Hours of Operation: Keep your business hours updated, including any seasonal changes. Accurate hours help potential customers know when they can reach you and avoid frustration.
- Photos and Videos: Include high-quality images of your business, services, and team. Visual content not only makes your listing more attractive but also helps build trust with potential customers.
- Business Description: Write a clear and concise description of your business, including your services and any unique selling points. Incorporate relevant keywords but keep the text natural and informative.
- Links to Website and Social Media: Include direct links to your website and social media profiles. This drives traffic to your site and allows potential customers to learn more about your business.
- Customer Reviews and Ratings: Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews. Positive reviews not only enhance your reputation but also play a significant role in local search rankings.
Benefits of Building Local Listings
Many of my customers have asked me why building business listings is important. I’ve found that especially for home service businesses building and maintaining accurate local listings offers several benefits:
- Improved Online Visibility: Consistent and optimized local listings increase your chances of appearing in local search results, making it easier for potential customers to find you.
- Enhanced Reputation: Listings with positive reviews and accurate information build trust with potential customers, increasing the likelihood that they will choose your business over competitors.
- Increased Traffic and Leads: Well-managed local listings can drive more traffic to your website and physical location, resulting in more inquiries and service requests.
- Better Control Over Business Information: Tools like Yext and SEMrush allow you to manage your business information across multiple platforms from a single dashboard, ensuring that your details are always up-to-date and accurate.
Key Takeaways: Building Business Listings For Home Service Companies
In my experience, building and optimizing local listings is an essential part of your digital marketing strategy; in fact, it’s part of our standard operating procedure any time we work with clients. With the right tools and consistent management, your business can get increased visibility, better customer engagement, and ultimately, more leads and sales. If you have any questions about how or when you should be updating your business listings contact our team. We offer business listing management as well as a variety of other digital marketing services backed by years of experience working with home service companies.