When searching for products, services or information online, have you ever come across review sites like Google Places, Yelp or CitySearch? These local directories invite people who have done business with companies in a specific geographic area to write comments and refuse about their experience. If you own and operate one of these businesses, claiming your local business listings is a wonderful way to attract new customers or clients.
If you think this sounds like a waste of time or can see the value but only pencil this marketing technique on to the bottom of a long to-do list, you should understand that your company probably already has a listing and a conversation begun. Ignoring it is a good way to allow consumer opinion to get out of control.
Move this task of claiming your local business listings to the top of the list. As far as the return on your time investment goes, this marketing method skyrockets past many others. Learn about the four main reasons why you should have control over your local listings as soon as possible.
Review Sites – Manage Your Brand Reputation
How to Advertise Your Business for Free? If you do not know what people are saying about your company, how can you control it? The first order of business is to make sure all the information about your company is accurate. Mistakes on the listing can lead interested customers in the wrong direction or give consumers the wrong impression of what you do or how well you do it.
Search Engine Optimization
These off-site links and mentions are a great way to improve your search engine rankings. After claiming the listing on various review sites and directories, you are able to control what keywords and information goes into the description. This leads the search engine crawlers to find it and associated with your company more easily and boosts your position in the SERPs.
Listen to Consumers, Customers and Clients
Claiming and keeping up with the reviews customers make about your business allows you to be a virtual fly on the wall and never miss any complaint or criticism that may be useful to making your business stronger. This feedback allows you to deliver precisely what your targeted consumer base wants.
Interact to Build Long-Term Relationships
Many review sites allow direct communication with the people who write their impressions of your company. More than ever before, people want to have a trusting relationship with the businesses they buy from. If you answer every question, thank them for compliments and use your best customer service skills to counteract complaints, you will go a long way toward convincing people yours is the type of company they can believe in.
Local Directories – The Easy Listing Claim Method
All of these benefits and more will take just a couple minutes of your time for your company listings. Advertise your business, begin with the most popular review sites – Google Places, Yelp and CitySearch – and then move on to others where your company is already listed. These should be found easily with a simple search for your company name. Wherever it is listed, click on a “Claim” or “Business Owner” link.
Fill out the simple form with basic contact information, click on the link in a confirmation email and the business listing is yours.
Claiming every business listing on the Internet allows you to improve website traffic through external SEO, enhance and grow your relationship with your targeted consumer base and existing customers and boost brand recognition and, ultimately, profits.
Any other good reasons to claim your Google local business listing you can think of?
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