Did you know that 73% of consumers lost trust in a brand when an online listing shows incorrect information?

Online business listings have a snowball effect. The more accurate and consistent the information about your business, the more search engines will trust the authority of the business. The higher the trust, the higher your business will rank in search results. The higher you rank, the more likely potential customers will find you and purchase your products and/or services.

So, what should you include in an online business listing? While listings can vary depending on industries and directories, there are three must-have  pieces of information in all of them:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Phone Number

If your listing is missing any of these components, there’s a good chance that users will not find you, especially if they’re using geo-targeted searches.

To be successful, listings should also include a website link and hours of operation, where applicable.

Visiting a website link is an essential part of the customer experience. Consumers will often go from Google search into a business website to get a feel for the company and see what else they’re offering. The better the website, the more positive experience for the potential customer, the higher chance they’ll make a buying decision.

Including hours of operation also increases positive engagement. In general, people who are searching, have a high purchase intent and are looking to fill an immediate need. If they must go out of their way to find out whether you’re open or closed, chances are they will not be happy campers.

Many listings have a customer review component too. Reviews are important to customers. By making sure your listing is correct, you’ll decrease the chance of negative feedback, which can directly impact your sales.

A general rule of thumb: the more information you can include in your business listings, the better.

Managing listings

While most searches are done on Google, it is important to have your business listed in as many places possible. Just having your information on a few sites is no longer enough, especially if you are in a highly competitive market – there are close to 50 listing sites on which you may need to list your business.

Having accurate and consistent information and a link to your website from dozens of listings sites can be a simple and impactful way to improve your SEO and ranking. But having your business listed on all possible sites is only the first step.

To keep the information accurate and updated, you need a way to manage these listings. From unapproved customer edits to spammers and scammers creating fake reviews, there’s no shortage of things that can undo your hard work. If you’re not on top of the situation, this incorrect information can seep its way into other business listing sites, leading to missed sales opportunities, frustrated customers and lower search rankings.

This is where a listings management tool comes in handy. It allows any business to create, manage and update all its listings across the internet. In short, this tool can help you:

  1. Share info everywhere
  2. Save time
  3. Deliver seamless updates
  4. Access Google Insights
  5. View executive reports

Feeling a little overwhelmed? Consider hiring a professional.

The experts at the Mike Agency have helped numerous clients over the years with their online presence. Contact us today to learn more about our online reputation management platform, Reputation and Marketing Platform (RAMP), so you can focus on what matters – running your business.