Local Listings Management

Local Listings Management – Is It Really That Important?

Some believe that local listings management (LLM) is simply a matter of keeping their business name and website current on Google. They think, "update once and you're done." Not true! Local listing management is one of the most important processes a marketer or business owner can perform when trying to capture interest and leads from the Internet. It takes a concentrated effort that needs monitored, maintained and refined.

Why are Local Listings so important?

There are more people conducting online searches for local businesses than ever before. In fact, the Kelsey Group has identified 70% of US households now use the internet when shopping locally for products and services. It’s never been more important to ensure your business is accurately listed in as many online directories as possible. Supplying information about your business to these touch points, or local listings, is crucial to your business being found in an online search by a potential customer. 

Establishing and maintaining a strong local listing presence helps businesses rank higher in organic results when potential customers search for your business. Plus, local listings are more important to consumers than you might think. Research by comScore has identified online searchers find local and organic results to be 7 times more relevant and 8 times more trustworthy than paid results!

Why do businesses outsource the management of their Local Listings?

It takes a substantial commitment of time, manpower and dedication in order for a business to manage its own local listings. There are literally hundreds of digital touch points and online directories, but some companies like to manage the process internally. The basic steps of the process are outlined below:  

·         Claim listings at multiple local listing websites – such as Google, Yahoo Bing, Ask, CitySearch, etc.

·         Update listings with your business marketing information – and include text for web and mobile searches, as well as photos, coupons, videos, images, etc. 

·         Clean-up inconsistent data – Since local listing websites obtain data from multiple sources there could be multiple listings for a single business address. Delete or merge any duplicate listings to avoid confusion.

·         Monitor consumer reviews – on all local listing websites.
Monitoring, managing and responding to reviews is an important process and doing so will help you retain and acquire new customers. 

What should you do?

Local listings are far too valuable to be ignored, so don’t leave them to chance. Begin by deciding if you want to invest the time and resources to manage the process in-house or utilize an outside LLM service.  Remember, the goal is to accurately list your business, monitor your presence and enhance your online profile!