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Are you a little confused when it comes to getting your business listed with Google, Facebook or Yelp? Don’t panic—you’re not the only one.

In an ever-evolving digital age, keeping up with the changes as a business owner can be difficult, particularly when it comes to local marketing and business directories.

To reach a wider audience and help your business appear before local customers, adding your company to local online directories is essential.

Online directories like Google My Business and Yelp are powerful marketing tools and we’re going to explain why. Oh, we’re going to tell you how to add your business to them, too.

Let’s get started.

The power of online directories

Again, the key term here is ‘local’. While the World Wide Web knows no geographical bounds, many digital consumers search for local brands or businesses online—46%, to be precise.

“Near me” (people looking for goods or services ‘near them via search engines like Google) searches have risen by a head-spinning 500% in the past three years or so. And, 76% of consumers who perform local searches on smartphones visit a business within one day.

By adding your business to online directories, you will stand a far greater chance of your business appearing in local search engine results, which will boost traffic to your website and help your search engine optimization (SEO).

Here’s an example of a local business directory search engine result:

As you can see, local business directory results are neat, easy to read, and populated with the immediate information the searcher or shopper wants to determine which business or service they would like to use.

But, despite the business-boosting power of online directories, 56% of local retailers haven’t claimed their Google My Business listing. Add your business to a local directory and you’re likely to gain an all-important edge on the competition.

How do I set my business up on Google, Yelp, Nextdoor & Facebook?

Now you know the importance of online directories, we’re going to tell you how to use ALL OF THEM to your advantage—starting with Google My Business.

Google My Business

1. Visit google.com/business and follow the simple prompts to create your account.
2. With your online account set up, select ‘Get Started’ and fill out the form with your business name, address. and category. During the process, you’ll be asked whether you want to add your location to Google Maps—for maximum visibility, you should select ‘yes’:
3. Google will ask you if you intend to serve customers outside your locale. If you’re a service or business that has a strong online presence and also offers goods or services to people across the nation or globe, we advise selecting ‘yes’. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be asked to add the locations you serve to your listing with a simple dropdown and search bar feature. You can add as many areas or destinations as you’re able to serve.
4. At this point, your listing will be in place and you will reach a home screen with a range of features to help you manage, update, and edit any details or changes at your discretion, complete with helpful tutorials should you need them. DONE! …on to the next!

Yelp

Next, we look at the wildly popular online directory Yelp and how you can claim your business listing.

1. Head on over to Yelp for Business Owners and sign up for an account. Fill out your brand new business profile with your name, address, and phone number information and email address before pressing ‘submit’.

1. After submitting your core listings details, you will get an email requesting verification. Once you’ve verified your listing, you may have to wait up to a week for Yelp to activate it. While you wait, you can fill out your brand new business profile with your business details, your brand logo, and plenty of consumer-enticing, high-quality images (this will help your listing stand out from the crowd and encourage people to click through). Here’s an excellent example of a visually appealing Yelp listing from the Shawarma Guys in San Francisco:
2. When your Yelp account is up and running, you will receive a confirmation email. If you ever need to change or update your details, you can do so by simply logging into your account. For additional tips on getting the most from your Yelp listings, here’s a video for your viewing pleasure:

Nextdoor

1. To claim and set up your Nextdoor listing, visit their dedicated business directory page and click ‘sign up’. Next, you’ll be prompted to choose the general nature of your business (we recommend clicking on ‘professional business’) before being asked to create an account.
2. Once you’ve created your account, you’ll be asked to add you general location at the bottom of the dropdown list of existing businesses, find the ‘create a new business name’ prompt. Click it and follow the prompts to add your business details and credentials.
3. After signing up for your business listing, you will be visible in the area or neighborhood of your listing. To optimize your listing, you should double check that your details are 100% accurate, add eye-catching images, and a concise yet captivating description. This rundown of Nextdoor listings best practices will help you on your way:

Facebook Local & Places

While social media colossus Facebook doesn’t have a formal directories platform, there are two definitive ways you can create or optimize local listings for the platform:

A. Facebook Local

By downloading the Facebook Local app via your mobile phone and logging in with your credentials, a local map will appear. From there, if you have an upcoming event or launch coming up, you can select ‘Create an Event’ for app users to put your business on the map. Simply add your details as well as an enticing image on the event screen and local users will be able to engage with your business:

B. Facebook Places

If someone checks in to your business, it will create a Facebook Places entry which will make your business more visible on the platform.

To create a Places entry for your business, you can set up a Facebook post using the check-in function:

Once you’ve started to check-in, you will be able to add your business location by typing in your name in before dropping a pin in the map, and adding all your essential details:

To help you on your quest for Facebook Places success, here’s a handy video that will guide you through the process:

Other online directories to consider

Adding your business to online directories like Yelp and Google is fast, simple, and effective.

While these two online giants will help your business reach a wider and more engaged audience, you should also consider other notable local directories to expand your reach as much as possible.

These listings options are certainly worth exploring—our honorable mentions, if you will :-):

• Apple Maps Connect
• Bing Places
• Yahoo Business Listings

Take the time to add your business to these respected online directories and you will boost your business prospects, significantly. While each listings platform has its own set of features and functionality, there are some common rules of thumb that will steer your success:

• Choose minimal yet high-quality promotional images that best represent your business.
• Make sure you add your brand logo to all online directory listings, if possible.
• Write a description that is concise, relevant, and explains why your business is the best.
• Take the time to check and update your listings regularly to ensure they are accurate and optimized for success.

We hope our online business directory guide helps you on your quest for local marketing success and for more business-boosting pearls of wisdom, read about why you should create a website for your small business.