Get your business listed on the local search directories.
ByHow to list your business on local search directories and maps. Google, Yahoo and MSN Live Search
Getting listed on local directories is not complicated and only takes about 45 minutes. It’s well worth the time and effort and best of all, its Free. Learn how to submit your business to Yahoo, Google and MSN.
I am amazed at the shear number of people that sign up for services to list them on the local search engines. I understand why they do it though. It goes something like this. A sales person calls their business with a pretty powerful pitch. It usually starts with something like this.
We can get your business to the top of the search engines or local directories and thats were people go to find what they are looking for locally”
Or the less honest sales people will start with a variation of this
Can you use more business? There are hundreds of people looking for your product or service and we would like to send them to you”
Both pitches have a small degree of truth to them so its easy to get lured in. The sales person may offer you a low risk way of signing up such as a refund policy or guarantee and a low cost ($99.00) start up fee.
Some sales people will tell you they have a special relation with Google or Yahoo.
Some may say that they use a secret algorithm, backend access or some other secret method of getting your local placement listed and in the top results. That’s a Fib as well.
All of that aside, the main reason the sales pitch works is that they know how to submit your business to the local directories and you don’t. Even if you did know where to go online you would never figure it out because its very complex and requires constant tweaking, updating, auditing and optimizing to show up in the top of the local directories.
They will get you listed. You give them your company info, some keywords for your service or product and a set up fee of around one hundred bucks. After that it gonna cost you$100, $150, $200 a month or so.
They will get your business in the results and your phone will ring off the hook, your email box will overfill and you will never again lack for business.
Reality Check Time!
Here’s the truth of Local Search Directories.
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On the popular local directories, the basic listing is free! That includes Google, Yahoo and MSN. These are the ones you must be on. You can also list on others for free or sometimes a small monthly fee.
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You don’t need any special skills to get your business listed you just visit the directory’s website, sign up and add your business listing. You may have to verify your listing with a post card or phone call but that’s not rocket science.
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Local directories want to list your business and details. It makes the directory more valuable. That is why they offer the basic listing for free. Yahoo has an upgrade listing option, Google sales Local Adwords (pay per click), MSN is working on an upgrade package and Yellow Pages, Super Pages, etc… will contact you to sale you on a more prominent listing. These upgrades may result in better placement but they are not required.
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You can add tons of details to your listing yourself. You can and should add descriptions, products and services, categories, pictures, and videos.
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Local directories like Google and Yahoo would prefer that you (the business owner) create, modify and update your listing. User placed listings tend to be more accurate, relevant and up to date.
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There are no secret methods or super algorithms to boost you to the top. There are some strategies you can use along with common sense to help surfers find you. That is precisely what the directories want. They want to deliver the best results to a search. That is their life blood. Directories live and die by relevance.
70 percent of online searchers will use local search to find offline businesses.
The TMPDM-comScore study shows 86 percent of online users will be searching for a local business at some point in time.
Research by Kelsey Group
So how do you get your business listed on the directories? I will tell you for only $300! No I am just kidding. Here are the details and instructions.
Arguably the most popular local search and even more useful with Google 411 ( 1- 800-466-4411) that provides results from Google Local/Maps to callers who use this free 411 like information service.
How to get listed: Visit the Local Business Center of Google
Notes:
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You may want to create a gmail account if you don’t already have one.
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You will need to verify your listing by either a phone call or postcard. The phone call is the better and much faster option. You will receive an automated call to the number associated with your business and will enter a 4 digit pin number to verify.
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Google also allows you to create, modify and post coupons.
Yahoo
Great directory and the basic listing is very complete. Yahoo offers affordable enhanced and featured listing options that will include photos, premium placement and broader exposure.
How to get listed: Visit the Local Listing Center of Yahoo
Notes:
- You can also hook up a free basic website with your listing.
MSN Live Search (Bing)
What can you say. It’s Microsoft so its free of course but a little more complicated than the others and not quite as popular.
How to get listed: Visit the Local Listing Center of Live Search
Notes:
- You will receive a postcard at your business address to verify your listing.
Strategies
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When you list your keywords or categories make sure to use terms that a searcher would use and avoid using modifiers or adjectives. For instance, use the term “plumbing service” instead of “best plumbing service”
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Dont try to fool the directories with multiple listings. That tactic can cause you to lose placement or even get banned.
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If you are listing on Google be sure to take advantage of the list coupon option. You can pause or delete these coupons anytime.
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Provide as much information about your business, products and or services as you can in your listing.
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Don’t forget to include your email address under contact information. If you don’t have an email account create one with Google for free.
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Update your listing and the keywords categories associated with it about once a month.
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Add pictures and videos to your listing.
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Encourage your current clients to leave you a testimonial or review.
Yellow Pages is a great place to get listed as well. Here is a quick video detailing the process of creating your listing.
Check your listing status.
Interesting Statistics on Local Search
73% of activity online is in one way or another “related to local content”
(Google 5/07)
For every one dollar U.S. consumers spend online, another five or six are going to offline purchases that are influenced by online research
(MIT Technology Review, April 2005, “E-Commerce Gets Smarter“)
97% of Internet users in the U.S. gather shopping information online, and of those consumers 51% explicitly characterize their behavior as “Shop Online, Purchase Offline”
(NPD Group)
New Research by The Kelsey Group and ConStat Indicates 70% of U.S. Households Now Use the Internet When Shopping Locally for Products and Services
Findings also suggest the Internet is poised to surpass newspapers as a local shopping information resource.
70 percent of online searchers will use local search to find offline businesses.
The TMPDM-comScore study shows 86 percent of online users will be searching for a local business at some point in time.
Research by Kelsey Group
43% of search engine users are seeking a local merchant to buy something offline.
54% of search users have substituted Internet/search for the phone book
Source: comScore Networks
The Kelsey Group reports that 74 percent of Internet users perform local searches.
There are approximately 300 million searches per day for information on the Internet
(Nielsen/NetRatings 2005)
60% of activity online is one way or another “related to local content” (Google 5/03)- For every one dollar U.S. consumers spend online, another five or six are going to offline purchases that are influenced by online research
(MIT Technology Review, April 2005, “E-Commerce Gets Smarter“)
97% of Internet users in the U.S. gather shopping information online, and of those consumers 51% explicitly characterize their behavior as “Shop Online, Purchase Offline”
(NPD Group)
117 million Internet users accounted for over 3.7 billion searches conducted on the Internet in the month of August 2004
(comscore qsearch, 01/2004-4/2004)
25% of ALL commercial Internet searches are conducted by users looking for local merchants
(Kelsey-Bizrate 2004)
35% of ALL searches are “local”
(DM News)
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