10 Tips to Improving Your Local Listing

Local search is here and is not letting up. Even Facebook is leaving clues that they are about to get involved in local search in a major way.

Fact: Studies have shown that 25% of searched keyword phrases have local intent? (a keyword phrase is a group of words typed into a search engine search bar. i.e. Plumbers, Denver)

Fact: 80% of all purchases are made within a 15 mile radius of where people live.

Fact: 97% of all US consumers use the internet to shop locally. Stat Provided by the prestigious BIS/Kelsey Group

It is important that you get your business listed on the top 4 giants - Google Places, Yahoo Local, Bing Local and Yelp.

Here are 10 tips to help improve your local listings

1. Claim/Add your business listing.
2. Add Company/Organization - Include your location in your title. This helps encourage the viewer to choose your listing over others by drawing their eyes with the location they are searching for. It is also a good practice to include your city as well. Example: "John Smith's Plumbing - Denver Plumbers".
3. Add Address - First check to see if your address is listed. If so, make sure you are using exactly matches. These is called citations, mentions or a web reference and can help improve rankings.
4. Add Phone Number - Don't use a 800 number as a primary number, use your local phone number. This is one of Google's main ways of identifying that you are where you are claiming.
5. Add a Description - Use relevant keywords. Building a great profile includes using keywords that people would use to find you. This helps with SEO and also helps the viewer have a clear understanding who you are and what you have to provide. Make sure your keywords fit naturally. Using the keyword out of context or too many times is spam and not recommended.
6. Add Website address - Include your website address, if you have one.
7. Select Categories - Make sure you include all relevant categories that pertain to your business. For Google you can add up to 5.
8. Add Media - Make sure you include your logo. In Google you can add other images of your business and also videos. I highly recommend adding extra images and a couple of videos.
9. Get Reviews - Getting people to submit reviews for your business can help build trust for other viewers. It can also help with your rankings as well. Reach out to 20 to 30 of your best customers and friends and ask them to write a review for you. If you notice that your best customers or friends are not taking part, offer them a coupon or something for free. That will motivate them!
10. Update Often! I recommend updating your listings once or twice a month. Keep your content fresh by adding coupons, adding images, videos etc. this shows the search engines that you mean business and care about keeping information fresh and relevant for viewers.

While not guaranteed, following these steps will greatly increase your chances of getting noticed in Local Search.

Do you have any tips or recommendations? Share them with us in the comments section.