Don't Let Your Local Listings Go On Vacation

 

 
If you have seen the original "National Lampoon's Vacation" with Chevy Chase you will undoubtedly remember the moment the family arrives at Wally World only to find out the park is closed for maintenance.  Back in 1983, when the film was created, Clark Griswold did not have the luxury of looking up the park's information on their website, or he may have saved a trip across the country. As funny as the antics of the fictitious Griswold family are, there is nothing more damaging to an organization's reputation than to have someone arrive to a location that has closed, or recently moved. The vast majority of consumers rely on up-to-date information on web and mobile platforms, and if your business recently relocated it could be months before the right address shows up on web-based maps and GPS units. 
 
One of the services 360 PSG offers is a Local Listing Optimization service. Many business owners are aware of the most popular local business listings, like those found on Google, Bing, and Yelp. What many don't realize is that there are hundreds of other lesser known directories that may have information about your business.  With the multitude of online directories out there, it can be time consuming and maddening to try and update them all individually. Even if you're unfamiliar with many of these directories, it doesn't mean you can ignore them. Google has been consistently pushing local listings to the top of their results pages. A recent algorithm update has focused on giving smaller websites like OpenTable, TripAdvisor, Zagat, Kayak and many others higher rankings in Google. This algorithm especially values consistency across listings. Businesses that show the exact same information across all their listings are given more authority in the search engine results pages. If your business is showing different phone numbers, locations, or even slightly different names on different directories - your search engine rankings are undoubtedly suffering. 
 
We recently had a pair of local attorneys approach us to build their website and online presence, and after analyzing their needs we quickly came to the conclusion that if someone did a search for their names, they would be listed under their old law firm. If this was not quickly addressed then people looking for their specialization would be lead astray, and may even wind up doing business with the old law firm. In the case of an attorney, something as simple as a delay in updating an address can cost tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. 
 
Separating from an existing business is only one of many actions that can cause your listings to display incorrect information. If your business has recently changed names, relocated, or just opened, your local listings will probably show incorrect or missing information. In fact, having correct, consistent, and complete information across all local listings is something every business should strive to do. 
 
There is an old adage that says an unhappy customer will tell ten people about their negative experience. Today those unhappy customers who find out that they could only find incorrect information about your business will tell all their friends via social media, making it even more vital to get those business listings updated quickly! 
 
If you're ready to start improving your local listings, contact us today. We can discuss the most efficient way to update your business information across the web before the Griswolds arrive.
 
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