What Are the SEO Advantages of Local Business Listings
As the world of SEO has evolved, so too has how local businesses can take advantage of the benefits of being listed online.
In the past, optimising a website for search engines generally involved creating good content and ensuring that potential customers easily found the website.
Why Local Business Listing?
Connecting with local customers is a crucial part of any business, and effectively applying the benefits of local listings is an excellent way to do this. As increasing numbers of customers search for products, businesses, and information online when researching a purchase, it becomes increasingly important to focus on providing accurate information to the customers searching near you.
Luckily, several free local business listings can put you on the map and give your potential customers all the information they need to discover your business. Online directories have replaced regional newspapers and yellow pages, allowing customers to search within an area or industry. All major search engines pull data from trusted listings that businesses can access and fill out.
Google results feature several local options right at the top of its search results, and this information is pulled mainly from its local listings on Google My Business. You can boost your business by filling out your online profile and appearing among these results.
Local listings can include a variety of information, including:
- Name, address, and phone number (NAP)
- Website
- Hours of Operation
- Payment Methods Accepted
- Description of the Business
- Images
- Customer Reviews
In addition to providing your customers with information when they search locally, these local listings also provide significant SEO benefits for your website. The vast majority of local business listings will include an area for a link to your website, providing a valuable backlink. You can usually also include another link in the description text.
Ensuring that the information in your listings is consistent also provides search engines with trusted information about your business, improving your rankings.
Many businesses offer a local listing service to complete these profiles on your behalf, but proceed cautiously. Companies that use an automated system for this task often end up with incomplete, inconsistent, or missed listings as they cannot be completed without verification.
Personal attention to your listings is worth the time spent and is the only way to ensure that they are all offering the most benefit. Ensure that the company you’re considering will be giving every one of your listings personal attention.
SEO Advantages of Local Business Listings
Here are just a few of the SEO advantages of local business listings:
Increased Visibility
One of the most obvious SEO advantages of local business listings is the increased visibility that they can provide. By being listed on popular local business directories, businesses can ensure that their website is seen by more people, leading to increased traffic and improved search engine rankings.
Better Targeted Traffic
Another SEO advantage of local business listings is that they can help to target potential customers more effectively. When people search for businesses on local business directories, they usually do so because they are interested in what that business has to offer. This means that the traffic generated by local business listings is usually more targeted and more likely to convert into customers.
Improved Search Engine Rankings
One of the main goals of any SEO campaign is to improve the search engine rankings of a website. This can be achieved in many ways, but one of the most effective is through local business listings. By being listed on popular and well-respected local business directories, businesses can improve their search engine rankings and make it easier for potential customers to find them.
Greater Social Media Exposure
Another SEO advantage of local business listings is that they can provide greater social media exposure. As well as being listed on the directory website itself, businesses will often also be listed on the social media pages of the directory. This means that businesses can reach even more potential customers and promote their website to a wider audience.
Increased Trust and credibility
When potential customers see that a business is listed on a local business directory, they are more likely to trust and have confidence in that business. This is because local business listings are generally seen as a more credible source of information than a traditional website. As such, businesses that are listed on local business directories are usually seen as more trustworthy and credible, which can lead to increased sales and conversions.
