LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORIES: WHICH ONES SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Get your business details right in only ten places and maximize the impact of your local business directories listings.

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LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORIESWith the plethora of options out there, how do you choose which local business directories to include as part of your internet marketing strategies?

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LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORIESAnd why should you go to the trouble?

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LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORIESIn a recent presentation we explained why it might be a good idea —no, why it is crucial — to list your business in some local business directories.

And we also told you what you should include in any directory listing to optimize your profile.

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CITATIONS ANYONE?You’ll hear a lot about “citations” as you look further into local search options.

A citation is simply another way to say business listing.

It’s any mention of your business on websites other than your own that also includes your address or phone number, or both. Even if there’s no link attached to the mention, it still counts as a citation.

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CITATIONS ANYONE?

And, yes, citations are an important part of your internet marketing strategies — especially if you’re a business with a physical location that’s visited by clients or customers.

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CITATIONS ANYONE?This heat map image from a recent blog post shows that eyes are attracted to the Google+ Local listings, even if they’re in the middle of the page.

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WHICH DIRECTORIES SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

There are so many places on the Internet where, without your knowledge or permission, your business shows up in a directory listing.

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WHICH DIRECTORIES SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

If you aren’t actively managing the sources of these citations, it’s quite likely that there will be incorrect and inconsistent information out there about your business.

And that’s bad for business.

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WHICH DIRECTORIES SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

How do you fix it? Click on each of the links that follow to review and revise or create a listing for your business that includes correct and relevant information.

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TOP LOCAL SEARCH ENGINESYou want your business listed — and listed correctly — on these six directories:

1. Google Local (Google Places)

2. Bing Places

3. Foursquare

4. Yahoo Local

5. Yelp

6. YellowPages

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THE TOP 4 DATA SOURCES YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

All the local search engines pull business information from sources other than their databases.

Enter data aggregators; that is, organizations that compile information on individuals and then sell that information to others.

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THE TOP 4 DATA SOURCES YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

If you’ve ever been surprised by incorrect information included in your listing on a local search directory, you can probably blame one of these data aggregators:

1. ExpressUpdate

2. Localeze

3. Acxiom

4. Factual

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JUST DO IT

So, get started now. Click on the ten links we just presented and begin to manage your local presence online.

Bonus: Use this tool to find the right categories for your local business directory listings.