What is a Local Business SEO Listing
Jan 29, 2018
Jan 29, 2018
10 min read
10 min read
Table of contents
- Why do local citations matter?
- 1. Impacts Search Engine Rankings
- 2. Impacts Customers
- What are the types of local citations?
- 1. Major Local Business Data Platforms
- 2. Industry Specific Platforms
- 3. World Wide Web
- How to submit your local business citation?
- 1. Manual Approach
- 2. Automatic Approach
- Benefits of listing your local business in directories
- 1. Helps your Local Visibility
- 2. Effective Link-Building
- 3. Increases Brand Awareness
As a brick and mortar business, what options do you have if you want to market yourself to the local people?..... Yellowpages? Placing an advert in the local newspaper? Printing brochures and coupons?
While these and some other traditional media marketing methods were popular some time ago. It was because they were the only options available for small business owners to market themselves locally.
But things are a lot different now! With 87% of mobile owners using a search engine to find something at least once in a day, 50% of these people are searching for a local business online. So, it only makes sense to market your local business online as well to not lose out on potential business and gain some much-needed exposure.
But how do you do it? Local listings or citations!
A citation is an online mention of a name, address and phone number of a local business on local business directories, websites, apps and social platforms irrespective of it containing a link of the local business. And when a local business citation is submitted to a local business directory, it’s known as a local business listing.
Why do local citations matter?
Investing your time in setting up your local business citations accurately can affect your business in two ways -
1. Impacts Search Engine Rankings
The number of citations a local business has under its belt, its accuracy and the quality of platform they exist on can negatively or positively affect search engine rankings of a local business.
Google and other search engines keep a constant check on these citations for their accuracy and consistency across the world wide web and if any inaccuracy or inconsistency is found in these citations, you may see your search engine rankings tumble down.
On the flip side, if your citations are consistent, accurate, are present on popular platforms and provide a handful of useful information about your local business, you may see a fair increase in your search engine rankings as you will build trust with Google for providing regular accurate information about your business.
2. Impacts Customers
Inaccurate or inconsistent business information in local citations upsets customers the same way it upsets search engines.
Citations help people get their hands on relevant contact information about a local business and an address which they can go to if need be. And if even that information is mentioned incorrectly in a citation, it may lead to loss of reputation, trust, and revenue for your business.
What are the types of local citations?
Depending on the various platforms local business citations are submitted on, it can be of 3 types -
1. Major Local Business Data Platforms
Marketers or local business owners can choose to submit their business citation on data platforms that strive to publish this kind of data.
Creating business listings on platforms like Google My Business, Facebook Business Pages and Yelp should be your top priority as they are really popular and can generate a nice flow of traffic coming to your local business.
2. Industry Specific Platforms
Apart from listing your local business on the major local business data platforms that cater to all the industries, you can opt for a more industry-specific approach by building local business listings on websites that are specific to an industry or geographic location.
3. World Wide Web
Various publications, blogs, news sites, maps, apps and government databases can serve as an important local business listing platforms. You can intentionally develop citations from these platforms or simply earn them by providing valuable information.
How to submit your local business citation?
Submitting your local business citation to business listing platforms is vital to make use of their advertising power on the web. And the best part is that it’s absolutely free! It just takes a considerable amount of time and efforts to first write down all your business details and providing them with it.
To submit your local business information to these listing platforms you need to decide if you want to do it manually or automatically.
But first, you need to know how to create a business listing and what information you need to provide in your local business citation while listing.
Here are the core components of a local business listing -
- Business name/title
- Address
- Phone number
- Website URL
- Categories
- Description
- Tagline
- Social profiles
- Images
- Additional media
- Alternate phone numbers
- Fax number
- Certifications
- Brands Carried
- Payment forms accepted
- Attributes
Google, being the market leader, has set the tone for the best practices to be followed on formatting this data and what/what-not to include in your business listing, you can view their guidelines here.
Now that you know how and what information to submit in your business listing, figuring out the way you’ll do it is what comes next -
1. Manual Approach
Creating a spreadsheet containing all the above-mentioned information about your business is fun but submitting the same information to 100 different business listing platforms is not, believe me!
If you go for this approach, you have the power to choose the platforms you want to list your local business in. While it goes without saying, always choose the market leaders first and then go down the ladder.
2. Automatic Approach
Not many business owners or marketers have that much time in hand to manually go submitting their local business to each individual business directory. Which gave rise to a more automatic approach. Service like Moz Local have mastered this and distributes your one-time business citation submission to high-quality business listing platforms and constantly monitor its health.
Or you can choose us for your automatic local business SEO listing needs!
Benefits of listing your local business in directories
But why go through all this trouble? Because listing your local business in such business directories or listing platforms gives a serious SEO boost to your local business, resulting in a much stronger online presence, given if the information that you have provided is true and consistent.
Here are some other benefits of listing your business on local business directories -
1. Helps your Local Visibility
Listing your business in local directories gets your business in front of the local community searching for the services you provide. Local business directories have advanced filtering and tracking capabilities that connects your business with your target audience automatically.
2. Effective Link-Building
Submitting your local business citation in a business directory creates a single high-quality backlink for your website. The more authoritative business listing platforms you target, the stronger your backlink portfolio will get and vice versa. Eventually, the more high authority business directories link back to you, higher will be your ranking in search engine result pages and higher will be the traffic coming to your website from these directories.
3. Increases Brand Awareness
While searching through a directory, a prospective customer will see your brand even if he doesn’t click on it. Each and every encounter a person has with your business, whether favorable and unfavorable, increase their awareness and familiarity with your brand, warming them up for further engagement.
I don’t see why a local business should not invest their time and efforts in creating a well-drafted citation and submitting it to various online local business directories…. It builds backlinks, increases brand awareness, acquaints your business with local customers, increases your search engine rankings, builds trust with Google, strengthens your business as a whole and enables your local business to get discovered by nearby customers leveraging the power of web. So, get started today with claiming, updating and creating your listings online!
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If everything is fine, a good website will always notice an upsurge in clientele. In brief, off-page analysis is done to find out how other people will react by seeing your website. Researching the keywords and performing analysis: The next step is searching for the right keywords after thorough research. If talking regarding the SEO world, both modest analysis and keyword exploration are similar. Why is it so? The keywords are considered to be the slightest measurement used in SEO. During the time of analyzing, you are actually analyzing your competition as well. The selection of keywords is based on traffic and struggle. Difficulty refers to the level of struggle or stress-free ranking of the website by keeping track of traffic. The best keyword is always in the middle of difficulty and medium range. It is suggested to use the keywords of the average level if you want to beat the competition and boost up the traffic. 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The need for marketing automation has significantly increased in recent years. According to the Marketing Automation Report 2021 , companies that use marketing automation solutions experience an impressive 80% rise in lead generation. The statistics indicate that marketing automation is crucial for effectively implementing strategies and generating leads. Marketing automation enables companies to utilize customer data to launch targeted campaigns, create meaningful digital experiences, and guide customers through the conversion funnel. This blog will explore the advantages of marketing automation and detail how it can enhance business growth and efficiency. How Does Marketing Automation Work? Understanding the concept and functioning of marketing automation is crucial for businesses aiming to optimize their marketing strategies and boost customer interactions. This approach leverages technology to handle mundane tasks automatically, allowing marketers to concentrate on strategic elements that yield outcomes. Key Components for Understanding Benefits of Marketing Automation: Data Acquisition: The foundational step in marketing automation services involves systematically collecting critical customer information from various engagement points, including demographic profiles, behavioral patterns, and interaction histories. Customer Categorization: After data collection, analytical processes are employed to classify customers into distinct segments based on mutual characteristics, enabling precise and customized communication strategies. Campaign Formulation: Marketers employ insights from customer segmentation to construct tailored campaigns, which may comprise targeted email sequences, specialized social media content, or bespoke content aimed at specific demographic segments. Cross-Channel Automation: Marketing automation extends its reach across various channels, including but not limited to email, social media, and web platforms, deploying automated communications to engage customers via their preferred mediums. Lead Prioritization: Through an automated scoring mechanism, potential leads are evaluated and ranked based on their interaction frequency and engagement depth, facilitating the identification and prioritization of those with higher conversion potential. Personalized Content: The core of marketing automation strategy is delivering content personalized to meet customers' specific needs or interests at the most opportune moments, including tailored product suggestions, exclusive offers, or educational materials. Performance Analysis and Refinement: An integral component of marketing automation is the ongoing analysis of campaign effectiveness, utilizing key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rates and conversion metrics to continuously refine and optimize marketing strategies for enhanced outcomes. Want to reduce your CAC to half? Book a strategy call 6 Powerful Benefits of Marketing Automation 1. Generate Better Leads Effective lead generation is crucial for business growth. Marketing automation enhances lead generation by automating the capture and qualification of leads. Advanced tools track user behavior on your website, analyze interactions, and identify potential leads who show genuine interest. Imagine you’re using HubSpot Marketing Automation ; if a visitor frequently views specific product pages or downloads white papers, marketing automation systems can assign these individuals a higher lead score based on their engagement and readiness to purchase. Key Benefits: Increased Lead Volume: Marketing automation tools efficiently handle large volumes of data, capturing more leads than manual methods. Improved Lead Quality: Automated systems analyze behavioral data to prioritize high-quality leads, increasing the likelihood of conversion. 2. Nurturing Leads Lead nurturing is vital to converting prospects into customers. Many leads require continuous engagement before they are ready to make a purchase. Marketing automation simplifies this process by automating follow-ups and nurturing campaigns. A marketing automation specialist ensures that a lead who shows initial interest but isn’t ready to buy immediately can receive targeted emails and content to keep them engaged until they decide. Key Benefits: Efficient Follow-Ups: Automation helps follow up with timely leads, decreasing the chance of losing potential customers because of late responses. Improved Conversion Rates: Nurturing leads with customized content can enhance conversion chances and boost business sales. 3. Personalizing the Customer Journey According to research, 77% of buyers expect personalized content tailored to their interests and needs. Marketing automation tools can be used by businesses to send relevant content to a large number of people. These tools can create customized marketing messages that resonate with each customer by analyzing data from various touchpoints, such as website visits, social media interactions, and email engagements. Key Benefits: Targeted Content Delivery: Automation tools let the right content reach the right audience at the right time, enhancing engagement and conversion rates. Enhanced Customer Experience: Personalized interactions improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to better long-term relationships. 4. Better Data for Smarter Decisions Data-driven decision-making is essential for optimizing marketing strategies. Marketing automation platforms provide valuable insights by aggregating data from multiple sources into one platform. This comprehensive view allows businesses to analyze campaign performance, measure ROI, and predict future consumer behavior. Thus, using these insights, companies can make better decisions and improve their marketing strategies for the best outcomes. Key Benefits: Detailed Analytics: Automation platforms offer detailed reports and dashboards, enabling businesses to track performance and identify areas for improvement. Data-Driven Strategies: Access to accurate data enables companies to devise better marketing strategies and manage their resources well. 5. Get Sales and Marketing on the Same Page The sales and marketing functions must be well coordinated to meet the business's set goals. However, these departments work with different tools and processes in many organizations, leading to misalignment and inefficiencies. Marketing automation can bridge this gap by providing a unified platform for both teams to collaborate. Automated lead scoring and routing ensure high-quality leads are passed to sales promptly, improving lead quality and increasing revenue. Key Benefits: Improved Collaboration: Automation tools facilitate better communication and collaboration between sales and marketing teams. Streamlined Processes: Automated lead management and follow-up reduce manual effort and enhance overall efficiency. 6. Build a 360-degree View of Your Customers Businesses need a comprehensive view of customers' interactions and preferences to understand and engage with them. Integrating marketing automation with a CRM system provides a 360-degree view of each customer. This integration enables organizations to monitor customer interactions, understand the level of interaction, and then market to the customers. With detailed insights into customer preferences and buying behavior, businesses can create highly targeted campaigns and improve overall marketing effectiveness. Key Benefits: Enhanced Customer Insights: Integrated customer insights help businesses better understand their target audience and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly. Personalized Marketing: Detailed insights allow for more precise targeting and personalized marketing campaigns, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. Conclusion The advantages of marketing automation are clear, from generating better leads and nurturing prospects to personalizing the customer journey and making data-driven decisions. By leveraging automation tools, businesses can improve efficiency, increase ROI, and build stronger customer relationships. Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Contact Saffron Edge today to explore how our marketing automation solutions can help your business achieve its goals. ...
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