There are different ways a potential client can find your business. They can ask a neighbor or coworker for a reference. They can see you in local ads, if you place them. They can see you pop up on pay-per-click ads when they’re researching a procedure your business specializes in and paid to advertise with Google or Bing.
Or they can find you in one of the many business directories out there on the Internet.
At MyAdvice, we have a tool we created especially for that. It’s called Local Power, and it’s your key to consistent, robust, online listings in directories across the web.
The place to be
It’s estimated that over 150 million people access local directories each month, searching for business information or options for services. And this isn’t just for painters or landscapers. A recent survey of online behavior found that 3 out of 4 people have looked online to find a doctor, dentist, or other medical provider. People also search for lawyers, therapists, med spa providers, and more.
So, how’s your listing?
OK, we have loads of potential leads out there looking for your business on directories. What are they finding? Inconsistencies abound. That’s because some directories are built with information from other sources online. Other directories are created but need to be “claimed” by the business. The end result is inconsistency, and this impacts your business in different ways.
It mainly impacts search. That’s because search engine algorithms (such as Google’s with over two billion lines of code) need consistency. They may seem incredibly smart in instantly returning accurate answers to myriad search queries (Google alone processes over 5.5 billion searches per day), but like Mr. Spock, they are completely logical. This is why these three listings confuse Google:
- Spock, 123 Elm Street, Suite 5, Peoria, Illinois
- Doctor Spock, 123 Elm ST, Ste 5, Peoria, Illinois
- Doctor Spock & Associates, 123 Elm, #5, Peoria, IL
In its own logical way, the algorithm assumes these are three different businesses, and that’s a problem. Inconsistency is punished in organic search, meaning your business will drop in the search engine results page (SERP). Also, it can seem sloppy and inattentive to potential clients.
Keeping track
But it’s almost impossible for a business to be able to manually manage all of these different listings. It’s probably not the way you want one or more of your employees spending most of their time, sorting through directory after directory and checking the information.
Local Power to the rescue
That’s why we developed Local Power. Local Power gives our MyAdvice businesses peace of mind knowing their directory listings are consistent, accurate, and up to date. This saves our users time, effort, and money.
These are the benefits that Local Power provides:
- Ensures all of the business listings are accurate and identical across all directories.
- Constantly monitors business listings to ensure accuracy.
- Enhances content by submitting descriptions, services, photos, videos, and other content.
- Increases online leads with no time investment from the business.
Your listings need a spring cleaning
It’s likely that after being in business for many years, your business has spontaneously generated a number of incorrect and duplicate listings. If you moved or added locations, there will be conflicting information. If you have summer hours that change from the rest of the year, you have misinformation here and there. If you’ve added a partner, there are potentially old and new business names floating about.
You may have done your best to manage your information, but automated bots weren’t so attentive. These bots are used to create directories, and they do so by scraping together information they find across the web. That means they can find old, outdated information just as easily as current information for your business.
Local Power cleans up this mess. Local Power software verifies that each listing is accurate, updated, and enhanced on a monthly basis. The software submits the same listing to all of the directory sites through one convenient portal, ensuring it is the same everywhere.
Plus, Local Power can take a straightforward information display and make it much more engaging. In addition to the business name, phone number, location, and website, we can include descriptions, procedures and treatments offered, staff bios, and photos of the business. Search engines like finding all of this information, and they reward the business by boosting it in organic search listings when applicable. This consistency provided by Local Power is deemed to give your business “greater authority and higher credibility” for search purposes.
Now you know — it’s good to be consistent and Local Power provides that for all of our Local Power users. What about your business? Do your listings need a little spring cleaning? Now’s the time to do it. Fill out the contact form or give us a call at (435) 575-7470, and let us show you how Local Power can make your life easier.
