Stand Out In Your Target Demographics With Local Marketing

In today’s day and age, consumers rely on information and data they find on the Internet more now than ever before when making a buying decision. For consumers, having access to multiple sources of information about a company can be the deciding factor in which company they choose to conduct business.

Help Your Customers Find You

Local listings offer businesses and organizations of all sizes the opportunity to more easily connect with clients and potential customers in your regional area. For this reason, it is essential that your company takes advantage of listing locally with Google Maps and other business directory providers.

When you want to be ‘on the map,’ there is no better map to be on than Google Maps. Google Maps offers extensive coverage of cities and the businesses you can find there.

By having top rankings for your desired keyword in local listings on Google Maps, people who are looking for exactly what you have to offer are more likely to make an inquiry, shop, and buy from you.

Further, by taking care of these trivial technological details, you are getting a competitive advantage over rivals who haven’t taken the time and made an effort to get their company listed on Google Maps.

Local Search Marketing Matters

In the world of search, not having high-rankings in your desired local keyword category is leaving proverbial ‘money on the table.’ It should come as no surprise that if clients and potential customers aren’t able to easily find your company online, they will turn to another provider or vendor to satisfy their requirements, whatever they are.

In other words, all you need to do is take steps to assure that your company listing is accurate and appears above others who are in the same keyword division to attract more customers and clients.

Further, as a native app installed on all Android handsets, people who are ‘on the move’ and using Google Maps along get exposed to your company if they are in the area or planning a trip there.

Information To Include On Business Listings

Getting listed in local and general business directories, in addition to Google Maps listings, is an effective way to boost your online business presence. Generally, the more valid citations and links you have back to your website, the better your chances of getting high rankings in popular search engines.

For this reason, you’ll want to be sure that all of the information you submit to Google Maps and other business directories is up-to-date and accurate.

The information you should be prepared to provide for these professional listings include:

• Your Legal Business Name and/or DBA’s – The chances are good that a percentage of your website visitors will look for your business by name. To make things easier for everyone, be sure to use your legal business name or your DBA (Doing Business As) when completing listings. By doing so, you are taking steps to assure that your company name comes up first when visitors search.

• Your Business Address – Google maps wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for business addresses! To make sure that your potential customers can find you, adding your physical address is always a best business practice to follow when adding listings. Don’t forget that when people are using Google Maps on their phone, the native application will even provide directions to your location, which is helpful for increasing foot traffic for traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ local businesses.

• A Link To Your Website – Your website is a hub for boosting your online business presence. By getting links back to your site from related and relevant maps and directory sources, you are building credibility with all the references. Additionally, having links from these sites are helpful for increasing the volume of website traffic. Depending on the listing type, you may get the option to add links to other key online assets including your social media profiles.

To maximize the effectiveness of your website and increase customer conversions, it is always a smart idea to provide a pleasant user experience and offer additional information the visitor might find helpful. For instance, restaurant owners are well-served to publish a copy of their menu to their website so that potential customers can view the food offerings beforehand. Even if you don’t publish prices on the Internet, people enjoy having the convenience of knowing what food options are available.

• A Comprehensive Business Description – Having a well-written business description, complete with information including what products or services you sell, your business hours, and additional contact information, such as your phone number, links to your social media profiles, and your Email address are helpful for opening up conversations with new clients and customers. To avoid issues with duplicate content, it’s worth writing a couple of different descriptions that can get used for listing directories including Yellow Pages, Manta, Angie’s List, the Better Business Bureau, and local Chamber of Commerce websites.

Been In Business For A While? Review Your Information!

If you’ve been in business for a while, the chances are good that some aspects of your business may have changed over the years. Perhaps you changed business addresses or phone numbers. Maybe you’ve added more product or service offerings. Whatever the case may be, it is always worth taking the time to review any and all of your existing business listings to make sure they are accurate.

Inaccuracies and outdated information never help drive new business to your doors!

If you haven’t reviewed your listing information in a while, now is a great time to put this task on your list of ‘things to do.’ While doing this task can be somewhat tedious and time-consuming, your potential clients will thank you for your efforts.

No one wants to waste precious time driving somewhere only to find the store is relocated or has different hours that are published on the internet. And nothing destroys consumer confidence more than calling a phone number that is disconnected or no longer in service. A quick refresh of your business information helps you avoid missed opportunities with potential customers. Which always makes good business sense.

Need A Hand To Boost Online Business Presence?

When you want to make sure that your Google Maps and other listings are optimized and managed for success, Conversion City is here to help. We will make your business rank for most searchable phrases of your business industry quickly and effectively. To find out more about our Local Business Marketing, be sure to contact us today!