Why Do Business Listings Matter?

Listings are an online summary of essential information for your business that serve as a powerful tool to help customers find you online and in real life. Here’s what you need to know:

NAP+W

No, we didn’t fall asleep on the keyboard. NAP+W is the acronym that explains all the information that is required for a proper business listing.

Name
Address
Phone number
+
Website

These four pieces of information are the business listings starter-pack. They provide the basic information potential customers need to have in order to research, contact, and locate your business.

But basic information alone is not enough. These days, many customers search to confirm that business location still open for business, and the hours of operation.

Will my listings work?

The effectiveness of a business listing depends on the information’s presence and accuracy. Listings are available through a variety of sources, including search engines, online directories and maps, or social sites. When it comes to listings presence, more is definitely better. Availability on as many sources as possible will create multiple avenues for consumers to find your business. But (and this is a big but), presence only pays off if the listings are accurate. Listings are accurate if the information is correct and consistent across all potential sources. Seems easy enough, right?

Why are listings important?

Listings with good presence and accuracy will undoubtedly pay off for your business. Here’s how:

No more hide and seek.  Just as the brightly lit bat signal guides everyone’s favorite caped crusader, accurate and readily available listings will help guide consumers right to your business’s front door.

If a business’s listing is incorrect or missing, the majority of consumers will feel less confident about the brand, likely giving a competitor the edge. The availability of accurate listings ensures that customers are actually able to find brick and mortar locations while they’re open for business. This means more revenue now and possibly a loyal returning customer.  Plus if they can’t find you they can’t leave you a review.

“In my humble opinion…”
An ample review pipeline is an essential tool for developing a business’ online reputation and fostering brand loyalty. Reviews allow customers to communicate their experience with a business to other potential customers, but if people can’t find a business listed online, their opinion won’t be well-informed. Accurate listings create the opportunity for transparency between businesses and customers in the form of reviews, and the availability of this information will help to increase a business’s visibility.

All aboard the search engine
Consistent, accurate listings and the generation of reviews will directly benefit a business’s visibility by boosting its ranking in local search engine results. Search engine optimization is a complex process, so why not take advantage of it by simply ensuring your business is listed accurately and everywhere! Increased visibility means more customers, and what business owner doesn’t want that?

Now what?
The first step is an audit of where your listing appears and if it is accurate.  Our local business marketing Snapshot instantly sees how your business appears on Google, Yelp, Facebook, and dozens of more maps, apps, search engines, and directories.  The Snapshot aggregates data from over 70 business listings to show you the number and accuracy of listings as well as sites where your business is missing. more than 70 in all.   Next, you can take advantage of our Reputation Management tool to paint a broader picture of your current web presence and help to prioritize your efforts.  Contact us to discuss your current situation and digital marketing needs.