According to Chatmeter, 76% of consumers who search for a business online, and find it, visit that business within the next 24 hours. For this reason and others, it’s crucial that your business listing is created, updated, and maintained. For many consumers, if a business does not have a business listing, it essentially does not exist. They will search no further. And for those same people, if a business listing is incorrect (address, phone number, etc.), they will search for another alternative or never find you in the first place, since business listings have a direct impact on local SEO.
Local SEO is the operation of optimizing your online pages for local searches. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps your online pages to be ranked higher in search engine results. Your local business might not appear on the first page of Google; however, it should appear at the top (or near the top) when a local search is conducted. This is especially important when your primary competitors, and your potential customers, are local to you.
Your business listing, when updated and correct, will contain your business name, address, and phone number. This will boost your search engine ranking when someone from your city conducts a search for something you provide, especially if you have positive business reviews. This is essential because 46% of all searches on Google are for local businesses. When you claim your business listing on websites that have the most impact on local SEO, like Google My Business, Yelp. Foursquare, BBB, Superpages, and dozens more, you’re more likely to be found.
Business listings should be claimed on the four main data aggregators, Factual, Infogroup, Foursquare, and Localeze/Factual. You also need to claim your business listing on local business listing sites, like Yelp, Google My Business, TripAdvisor, and dozens more. This is no small undertaking. In fact, many businesses turn to a business listing management company like Reputation Rhino to conduct an audit of their online presence, update existing business listings, remove duplicates, create listings on the most important websites, and improve their local SEO.