How to improve your SEO with business listings
Updated: Apr 21
Creating and maintaining consistent and up-to-date business listings across the web is a critical ranking factor of an effective online findability or SEO strategy. The more places your business is listed, the more search engines trust the accuracy of your company data, which, in turn, boosts your chances of ranking well on search engine result pages (SERPs).
“81% of people say their #1 source for selecting a business is online research – you’ve got to get it right AND, as things change, keep it current.”
But, how do you optimize your business listings to increase online discoverability and reach more customers?
What is an online business listing?
An online business listing is a quick profile of your business with its name, address, phone number, and more. Online listings help interested customers easily find your business through an online search. Think of online business listings as a modern replacement for the yellow pages directories to help your business be found.
Components of online business listings
Regardless of the type of website, your online business listing is primarily comprised of your contact information – name, address, and phone number (NAP). In addition to NAP, your business listings can also include:
Website address or URL
Hours of operation (including holiday closures)
A short description of your business
Your business category (The category your business falls into should complete the statement, “This business is a…”. For example, if you were a local coffee shop, your category would be: coffee shop. If you own a garage where you repair cars, your category would be: auto repair shop.)
Pictures or videos of your business
Accepted methods of payment
These core components help customers easily connect with your business once they find you through an online search.
How to improve SEO with business listings
Without automated tools designed to manage the process, keeping your data up-to-date and consistent across hundreds of sites, search engines and directories can be a manual and time-consuming job. That’s why many companies choose to work with a digital marketing agency that will manage their online presence for them and help to improve SEO with business listings.
Praqtical Marketing Works’ Listing Management service has API integrations with the major data suppliers, including Data Axle, Neustar/Localeze, and Foursquare, to automatically push your business information to hundreds of other online sources including search engines, review sites, social media platforms, GPS/navigation devices, and online directories. Your online listings are continuously monitored and synced up to make sure they show up properly on the most popular sources that potential customers use to find and engage with your website.