Note: This post is part two of a series. To read part one, please click here.
Step 2: Visit Get Listed.org and claim your listings.
(www.getlisted.org)
Claiming your listing gives you control over how the search engines index you and prevents spammers from hijacking it. It may also improve your search engine rankings and bring you more traffic.
Get Listed.org is free, simple and easy to use. Visit their page, enter your business name and ZIP code, and it will help you out.
Get Listed is your one-stop shop for improving your listing rating on Google, Yahoo, and other search engines.
After you have entered your business name and Zip, it will tell you how you are doing on the big daddy search engines. Since it’s important to be present at the various touch points across the internet where potential customers may find you, we want to be sure to list our business on each of these websites and ensure that the information listed is clear and accurate.
On the Listing Snapshot page, you will see the five major listings and whether you have claimed them or not: Google, Yelp, Bing, Yahoo!, and Best of the Web. You must visit each of these sites, fill in as much business info as you can (it will pay off in the end!), and then sign up. You will receive a verification code and a verification call instantly at your listed telephone number. When your information has been reviewed and processed, you will be registered for these powerful search engines and review
sites! Some directories take a couple of weeks to verify your listing.
Once youʼre verified on these sites, you can enhance the relevance of your listing by adding citations. A citation is any reference to your local business, which may include details like your contact info and address. Having numerous citations from directory sites is a HUGE help in letting the search engines know that youʼre a real, legitimate company, and they will index your business higher!
Listed below are major sources of citations for Local search engines:
• infoUSA
• Acxiom – unfortunately, you cannot submit your business to Acxiom online
• InsiderPages
• SuperPages
• Yelp
• Localeze
Other prominent sources for citations include:
• iBegin
• Citysearch
Be sure to create profiles on these sites as well, as it will generate more citations and leads for your business. Not all of them are free to sign up, however.
Step 3: Get your business listed in ALL of the local directories.
This is the next step, and if you haven’t yet seen a result in Google or anywhere else, this is a BIG reason why. This can make the difference between your site being listed 20th or 2nd.
What if I told you…. you had to register your business in 140 local business directories?
Don’t fret. There is a service out there that automates this entire process for you. It’s called Universal Business Listing (ubl.org):
Universal Business Listing provides a single entry point where you can create enhanced business profiles and for $30 a year that gets distributed to all major outlets including:
- Search Engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing
- Online Yellow Pages (Superpages, Yellowpages, YellowBook)
- Social Networks such as MySpace
- Portals and Guides such as AOL MapQuest, CitySearch
- Cell Phones and Mobile (BlackBerry and iPhone)
- 411 Directory Assistance
- In-Car GPS Navigation and Telematics such as OnStar
This will put your internet marketing on steroids once you sign up, because you can be found almost anywhere people search for your products and services.
And recent data shows that over 50% of Google searches are performed from a mobile device. Be out everywhere where people can find you – especially in the less crowded, less competitive spaces.
Danny Flood is the co-founder of LavaLink, and the brainchild behind this website. He has been an online marketing consultant for hundreds of small businesses and entrepreneurs, and is a frequent speaker on wordpress design and web marketing topics.
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