By Jamie Pitman

Promoting a local business can be challenging these days. Whether it’s because of oversaturation or complicated search engine algorithms, it’s all too easy to feel like no one will find your business in the local search results.

It’s even more frustrating when you offer great products and services, but customers just can’t seem to find you online.

Online local business directories and listing sites can change your situation and put your business front and center where your potential customers are already looking. As a local SEO specialist at my previous company, I know the ins and outs of how to get in front of your local target audience.

In this post, I’ll go over everything you need to know about creating business listings and why they’re so valuable, even in the age of social media and other marketing tactics.

Table of Contents

• What is a business directory?
• What is a business listing?
• Free Business Listings
• How I Chose the Best Online Directories
• Best Online Directories for Local Businesses
• Best Business Listing Sites
• Benefits of Listing Your Business in Local Directories
• Before You List Your Site

When you list your business in these directories, you build citations, a critical part of a local marketing strategy.

Today, Google is inserting itself between consumer and local business websites more often than ever before.

For proof, you need to look no further than Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), featured snippets, and, most importantly, local packs.

Local packs are the top or featured results Google displays when users make a location-based query.

The result typically shows three business listings with details such as the business name, customer reviews and ratings, physical location, opening and closing times, and phone number.

You can improve visibility in local packs by listing your local business’ NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) on directories, online business listing sites, and citation sites. Aside from improving your local SEO, these can also improve your rankings on search engines because the listings usually link back to your site.

But what is a business listing, and what does it look like?

When I was a local SEO specialist, I spent much of my time finding new business listing opportunities to build citations and generate backlinks for our local websites. These links allowed us to rank not only in the local packs but also in the main SERPs.

I have a few tips to help you make the most of your listing. Make sure your company listing has the following information once you add it to a directory:

• Consistent NAP. If you add or update your business on multiple business listing sites, ensure you provide the same company information across each directory. For instance, don’t use HubSpot in one listing and HubSpot Marketing in …read more

  Source:: HubSpot Blog

        

  

  Author: Aaron