5 Reasons Why Local Listing Management Should Be Your Top Priority

Did you know that the Yellow Pages officially ceased production in 2019? That year ushered in the end of an era, as the publication has been in rotation for more than 50 years.

Now more than ever, businesses need a way to get their information in front of local customers. Even before 2019, print directories were on the way out, with the Digital Era firmly in place. Today, prospects hop online and perform a quick Google search to learn more about a business before deciding to patronize it.

Local listing management is the process of fine-tuning what they see. It means staying on top of what your online profiles look like to ensure they’re always up-to-date. Today, we’re sharing five reasons why this should be top of mind for any savvy business owner.

What Is Local Listing Management?

To understand business listing management, start by looking at your digital business profiles. When you type your company name into the Google search bar, what do you see?

If you’ve established a web presence, you should find your Google Business Profile at the top of the page. While this is the largest and most prominent directory, there are others you can join, such as:

• Spoke
• Facebook
• Bing Places
• Yelp

You can find a more comprehensive list of the top web directories to join in this guide. When you first set yours up, you likely took the time to polish everything and make sure it looked right. You double-checked the address listed, as well as the hours, website URL, and phone numbers.

Then, you got busy with work.

Time passed, and things might have changed. You might have moved your business to a new location, or changed your number. You may have even added a new website or joined more social media platforms.

If you don’t update your local listing, your target audience might never know about those changes. They might be stuck trying the old website or driving to your former brick-and-mortar location. They might keep trying for a while, but they’ll eventually give up and go to a competitor.

Thus, it’s critical to keep your content fresh and accurate. Next, let’s take a look at five important reasons why this matters.

1. Amplify Business Visibility

Decades ago, word-of-mouth was a fine advertising strategy. While it still has its place today, you can’t depend on others to spread the word about your business for you. You have to take the reins and make sure your products or services get noticed.

By neglecting local listing management, you could miss out on a valuable opportunity to reach new customers and keep current ones in the loop. Studies show that more than 75% of buyers check out a company online before physically visiting their business.

If they can’t find you, they can’t buy from you. It’s as simple as that. Competition is fierce across every niche and if you fade into the background, it’s easy for your customers to jump to a competitor’s site.

To make this step an easy one, try to join as many business directories as your time and budget will allow. You want to make it easy for someone to find your company online. Putting all of your eggs in the Google basket could limit your reach, so diversify as much as possible.

2. Update Everything Easily

While it’s smart business sense to join a slew of business directories, what happens when you change something about your company and you need to update all of them?

Chances are, you don’t have the time or bandwidth to find all of your profiles and make the necessary edits. This is where an online listing management service can come in handy.

When you use these services, you only have to update your profile one time and the changes will apply across the internet, updating all of your other profiles simultaneously.

These systems consolidate all of your information in one central location, saving you valuable time when you need to get the word out to your local customers. You can even hire a third-party listings manager to take care of all of the legwork for you!

While Yext is one of the most popular listing management services, it isn’t the only one. Check out this alternative to Yext to learn more!

3. Increase Web Traffic

Web traffic refers to the number of unique visitors who find and click on your website. When traffic is high, visibility is up, and vice versa.

You can include your website URL in each business profile, so users know exactly where to go when they want to learn more about your company. By employing listing management services, you can also make sure they see your profile when they use localized search terms, such as “HVAC repair near me” or “contractor in Raleigh, NC”.

All of these tactics ultimately drive more people to your website, where they can click around and learn more about what you do. While not every visit will end in a sale, it’s a smart first step.

4. Boost Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website as search-friendly as possible. It includes adding content with targeted keywords, image tags, links, and more, to help search bots like Google quickly scan your information and share it with your target customers.

When your SEO strategy is successful, Google will reward you by showcasing your business near the top of the local search engine results pages (SERPs). If your business is already active in multiple online directories, you’ll boost your odds of landing on the coveted first page.

5. Edge Out Competitors

No matter your niche, it’s unlikely that you’re the only person in your local region providing the type of products or services that you do. For instance, you may be one of about 10 local plumbers who are all actively involved in the community.

By prioritizing local listing management, you can edge out any competitor who isn’t taking the time to do the same. While some might take a similar approach, there will always be businesses that think they can thrive without a robust digital presence. If you can showcase your tech-savviness, you’ll put your services one step ahead.

Optimize Listing Management Today

In 2022, online business directories have fully replaced the old-fashioned Yellow Pages. If you want to stand out and get noticed, it’s critical to ensure that your details are accurate on each profile.

A listing management service can help you stay on top of those profiles, so edits are easy to make as necessary. This way, you can make sure everyone who needs to see your site is able to do so.

Looking to stand out in the corporate space? Check out our Business section for more helpful guides!