Imagine this: a potential customer nearby searches for “best bakery near me”. They are hungry, they are ready to buy, and they want something fast.
But your business does not show up.
Why? Maybe your contact info is wrong. Maybe you are not listed on the right platforms. Or maybe your competitors just did a better job with their local listings.
This is where local business listings enter the picture and they may be the distinction between getting a customer or losing them to someone else.
At Exaalgia, we assist businesses of all shapes and sizes to ensure their online presence is consistent, visible, and optimized on every platform that counts Google, Yelp, Bing, Facebook, and more.
Here, you will discover:
- What local business listings are?
- Why are they important for local SEO and real-world foot traffic?
- How to make them the way they should be?
- Mistakes that will cost you
- How Exaalgia can make you shine?
If you own a small store or operate many of them, claiming and optimizing your local listings is one of the easiest ways to increase visibility and sales beginning today.
Let’s get started.
So, What Is a Local Business Listing, Exactly?
Imagine a local business listing as your online business card it informs people (and search engines) where you are, what you do, and how to reach you. These listings appear on various platforms, such as:
- Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
- Yelp
- Bing Places
- Apple Maps
- Yellow Pages
- TripAdvisor
- Foursquare
Most listings typically feature your business name, address, and phone number (NAP), along with other useful information such as your website, hours, photos, and reviews.
Briefly, local listings are what enable you to get discovered by local customers, particularly when they do searches like “coffee shop near me” or “best plumber in Phoenix”.
Why Should You Care About Local Listings?
Let’s consider this: someone around you types in “best pizza near me,” and your pizzeria doesn’t appear. Perhaps your Google listing isn’t claimed, or your phone number is incorrect on Yelp. That’s a lost sale and your competition just picked up your customer.
Here’s why local business listings are so important:
1. You Rank Higher in Local Search
Google cares about how precise and consistent your listings are. If your business information is everywhere and worse, not included at all it might negatively affect your search rankings.
2. You Get Found in More Places
Each listing is another chance to be discovered. The more precise listings you have on reputable platforms, the more visible your business is.
3. You Drive More Calls, Clicks, and Visits
A strong local listing can have call buttons, directions, booking links, and more. It makes it really easy for someone to do something whether it’s come to your store or call to make an appointment.
4. You Establish Trust with Prospects
Let’s be real, no one trusts a company with outdated hours or blank photos. A full, professional listing makes it easy for people to feel good about choosing you.
What Makes a Great Local Business Listing?
A minimum listing won’t do. You have to do more than just suffice. This is what that entails:
- Proper Business Name – Use your real business name, precisely as it is on your storefront or signage.
- Precise Address – This is important, particularly for map apps. Don’t use P.O. Boxes.
- Local Phone Number – Employ a number with a local area code. Steer clear of toll-free numbers where possible.
- Website URL – Always link to your website.
- Business Categories – Use the most applicable categories (e.g., “Italian Restaurant” rather than just “Restaurant”).
- Hours of Operation – Keep these current, particularly for holidays or special events.
- Photos & Videos – Folks love images. Include good photos of your premises, products, or personnel.
- Customer Reviews – Ask happy customers to post reviews and respond to them always, good or bad.
- Attributes – Add useful information such as “Free Wi-Fi” or “Wheelchair Accessible.”
How to Optimize Your Listings Like an Expert
At Exaalgia, we have a tested-and-proven method of ensuring that businesses maximize their listings. Here’s how we advise you to do it:
1. Begin with Google Business Profile
If you’re only going to optimize one listing (although we recommend more), begin with Google. Ensure that:
- Your NAP is 100% accurate
- You have included photos and videos
- You post regularly or make regular offers
- You are answering back to reviews
- You have selected the correct category
Pro Tip: Use Google Posts to post sales, events, or news, it drives engagement.
2. Audit What’s Already Out There
Before establishing new listings, it’s wise to tidy up the ones already out there on the web.
Tools such as SEMrush, BrightLocal, or Moz Local can assist in:
- Detecting duplicate or inaccurate listings
- Correcting inconsistent business information
- Deleting expired or irrelevant profiles
You’d be surprised how many old or broken listings can mess things up.
3. Keep Your NAP Consistent Everywhere
Consistency is key. “123 Main St.” vs “123 Main Street” might not seem like a big deal, but Google thinks differently. Even small variations can cause confusion and hurt your rankings.
Tip: Keep a master NAP format handy and use it exactly the same across all platforms.
4. List on Other Popular Directories
Google is not the lone ranger. Make sure to also claim your business in:
- Yelp
- Bing Places
- Apple Maps
- TripAdvisor (if you’re in the hospitality industry)
- YellowPages
- Local chambers or specialty directories
The more solid listings, the merrier.
5. Earn and Manage Reviews
Good reviews are strong. They assist in credibility, trust, and SEO value building.
Encourage customers (politely!) to write reviews
Respond to all reviews, positive or negative
Use reviews as social proof on your site and social media
Important: Never fake or pay for reviews. It can really backfire.
6. Add Local Schema to Your Website
Schema markup is a special code that informs search engines more about your business. Including LocalBusiness schema on your site helps improve local SEO even more.
Don’t worry, we can do the techy work for you.
What to Avoid (And Why It Matters)
Here are some frequent mistakes that can hurt your local search presence:
- Utilizing alternative phone numbers or addresses in different directories.
- Forgetting holiday or special hour updates.
- Creating duplicate entries for a single business location.
- Ignoring customer reviews.
- Allowing outdated photos to remain on your profile.
These problems confound search engines, and your customers.
Voice Search Is Revolutionizing the Game
“Hey Siri, find me a local nail salon”
Does. Voice search is taking off and draws from your local listings straight away. Voice search assistants won’t suggest you if your business information is incomplete or inaccurate.
Optimizing your listings today keeps you ahead of the curve as searcher behavior changes.
Why Choose Exaalgia?
If all that seems like a lot to keep up with, we understand. That’s why many hundreds of companies rely on Exaalgia to do it for them. We’re not another marketing firm. We are a bunch of people who are totally passionate about growing local businesses.
With our local business listing services, you receive:
- Total listing audit
- Duplication or obsolete info clean-up
- Consistent listings on 70+ platforms
- Google Business Profile optimization
- Review management strategy
- Ongoing support and reporting
We do the heavy lifting so you can focus on running your business.
Don’t Let Local Customers Slip Through the Cracks
Your customers are out there, searching for businesses like yours. The question is, will they find you? Local business listings help ensure that they do.
Whether you’re just launching or need to tidy up existing listings, we can assist. Let’s get your business in front of the right people, at the right time when they are ready to purchase.
Ready to Get Found by More Local Customers?
Contact the Exaalgia team and let’s review your listings. You will be amazed at how much local visibility we can unlock for your business.
FAQs: Local Business Listings
1. How do I find out where my business is listed online?
Tools such as BrightLocal, SEMrush, or Moz Local can search the web and tell you where your business is listed presently and where it’s not.
2. Is a Google Business Profile really that critical?
Yes! It is usually the first thing people notice when they search for your business or your industry. A good Google listing can lead directly to calls, clicks, and visits.
3. Can Local Listings improve my SEO?
Absolutely. They are an integral piece of any good local SEO strategy and assist search engines in trusting your business.
4. How much does it cost to keep track of all of this?
It varies on the number of locations and listings you have. Exaalgia customizes packages to meet your business and budget.
5. How do I update my listings?
We suggest checking them at least every quarter or whenever your hours, phone number, or services change.