Right this moment, prospective customers are searching online for your business. Will you be there to make the connection? Optimizing your local marketing listings is a great way to bring new customers right to your business’ website. How? Here are some tips that every Internet marketing firm knows, and now, you can harness for big business benefits.

Local SEO Services That Boost Site Traffic

When it comes to local marketing, one of the best ways to gain visibility is by using free web listings. With millions of users making the Internet a huge part of their lives, they’re a marketing must when learning how to promote your business. So, what exactly are they? A local business listing is essentially an online profile that features your business name, description and contact information. And the best part is many of the major websites and directories allow you to list your business for free—but a professional internet marketing firm with local SEO services can show you the upgrades that provide even bigger benefits.

Here are some things to keep in mind when creating your listing.

• Verification. In order to qualify for a local business listing, your must have each of the following criteria:

o    Business name or DBA

o    Dedicated physical street address

o    Local phone number that matches your city location

o    Face-to-face interaction with customers (no virtual businesses)

 

• Your business title. To rank high in the local search engines, your business title must remain consistent across all local marketing websites and directories. This helps to establish trust in the existence and location your business. If your business is called “Suzy’s Sweets” on one site and “Suzy’s Chocolates” on another site, the search engines may see this as two separate businesses. And in the local SEO services world, this is a big no-no.

• Categories. When creating your local marketing listing on search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing, you’ll be prompted to choose up to 10 categories that fit your business. Choose wisely! Ask any local Internet marketing firm, and they’ll cite proper category selection as the most important step of the listing process. That’s because search engines use category data to determine which businesses to list for particular searches.

• Links and Citations. When determining how to rank a business, the search engines place a lot of importance on links and citations (mentions of your business with contact info). All things being equal, the website with the most links and citations from other high-quality websites in your area, will rank highest. So when considering how to promote your business, get your business name and contact details listed everywhere you can.

• Patience. After verification, you may not see your listing online immediately. Depending on the search engine, it may go live in a matter of minutes or days, while others require lengthy review time taking up to a couple months. Resist the urge to change the details of your listing while you wait, as this can end up adding time to the process.

There are plenty of other tips and tidbits to take advantage of when it comes to local listings, and partnering with a local Internet marketing firm with local SEO services makes it easy. But start today with these simple steps, and you’ll be well on your way. And remember—the more places you’re listed, the more visible you are. So start spreading the word!