Business Listings Management: The complete guide to managing your local business listings

Business listing management helps your business stand out online and get discovered by potential customers. Learn all about local listings and how your business can take advantage of them.

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Imagine opening a new business location without an address or changing your hours without telling your customers.

You wouldn’t – because as a business owner, you know incorrect information can drive potential customers towards your competitors and hurt your bottom line.

Today, most people turn to search engines to learn more about a business – and that’s why it’s more important than ever to make sure information about your business is correct all across the internet.

When your local business listings are current and consistent, you’ll rank higher on local search, attract more customers, and increase revenue.

Welcome to Birdeye’s guide to managing your local business listings. Let’s dive in.

First, what is a local business listing?

Think of local business listings as online directories that can help customers find your business.

Local listings always include the same information: the name, address, and phone number of your business. Your business listings could also include your:
- Website URL
- Store hours
- Pictures or videos
- A short description
- Payment methods
- And your business category

When a customer is looking for a new business, Google is often their first stop. Having consistent listings across several different sites helps Google know your business information is trustworthy.

Now, let’s talk about the benefits of local business listings. First, your local business listings boost SEO. When you have a consistent name, address, and phone number data across the web, you’ll give your business’s search engine ranking a boost. The more accurate and detailed your listings are, the higher you will rank in relevant searches.

Local listings provide a better customer experience. When your business information is consistent across the internet, it’s easier for your customers to find you – and you’ll start their customer experience off on the right foot.

Your local business listings can improve your online reputation. Most business listing sites also offer reviews. Collecting online reviews helps build trust with your customers and helps your business learn what they love.

Let’s explore how you can use them to your business’s advantage. First, Claim all your local business listings. You might be wondering how websites have information about your business if you didn’t provide it yourself. Google creates profiles for existing businesses – so if you see an existing Google Business Profile for your business, all you’ll have to do is claim it. If you see a listing on another site, chances are it was collected by a data aggregator or added by someone else.

We recommend doing a quick search to see where your business is and is not listed. Make sure you claim the new business listings you find. Once you have ownership of your business listings, you can control your name, address, and phone details.

If there’s inaccurate information about your business online, data aggregators can spread it like a virus. Incorrect, inconsistent, or outdated listings can lead to missed opportunities – and they’re just not a good look for your business. And when there’s conflicting data about your NAP, Google has no way of knowing which data is correct. Your NAP has to be consistent across all of your business listings so Google knows which information to promote.

Don’t let out-of-date information drive customers towards your competitors.
Take control of your online presence by following these three steps:
Step 1: Periodically audit your business information online. You’ll know where and how your NAP data is listed so you can make sure it’s correct.
Step 2: Fix any incorrect NAP data.
Step 3: Track your listings and make sure they’re current, complete, and consistent.

There are a number of local listing management tools available to help keep your business information up-to-date and accurate across the web.

These tools can save you time and money. You won’t have to sign into multiple accounts or hire employees to manage all of your listings. Many of these tools also come with features like tracking and reporting, so you can monitor your listings and make sure they’re performing well.