Are you worried that you’re not making an impact on your local market?
Concerned that no one even seems to know that your business has opened its doors?
If so, then it’s likely time for you to take online local business advertising more seriously.
One of the best ways to do just that?
Submit your website to business directories.
In this post, we’ll tell you everything that you need to know about how to submit your website to some of the most important business search engines operating today.
Read on to learn more about how submitting to free business listings can help you to connect with your target market and get more conversions than ever before.
1. Claim your Google My Business Page
One of the most important business search engines that you need to take the time to submit your website to?
First of all, it’s one of the best free business listings out there. Many people think of Google My Business as a kind of one-stop-shopping place to learn more about a company.
Your potential customers can read online reviews about your business. They can also have directions to your business sent to their mobile devices, meaning that you’ll quickly see people in your brick and mortar stores as a result.
They’ll be able to see your opening hours, read a brief summary of your business, and even take a look at any photos of your products that you choose to upload.
The good news is that claiming your listing is likely far easier than you might be thinking.
First of all, you need to start by creating a Google account and email address. Then, you can use the easy drag and drop template to fill in the information you want to include.
In some cases, you may need to wait to be approved by Google.
Keep in mind that once you submit your website and company to Google My Business, you’ll also have an automatic listing created on Google Maps.
This will seriously help your website to rise in the search engine rankings. Just make sure that you always take the time to update your contact information as soon as it changes.
Look for consistency in all your business listings, and you won’t run into any problems.
2. Don’t Neglect Local Directories
Additionally, when you’re in the process of submitting to free business listings, you want to make sure that you don’t miss out on one of the best places to advertise online — local directories.
These often include smaller, third party websites like Yelp, Angie’s List, or even the Better Business Bureau’s website.
In some cases, you may even be able to advertise your business for free in the online Yellow Pages.
To make it happen, just head to the local directory of your choice and click the button or icon that says “Claim your Business Page.”
Then, you can fill out your listing accordingly.
Make sure that you include your contact information, your hours, your accepted payment methods, and even photos of your storefront.
3. Create a Social Media Listing
You should also make sure that you consider social media — especially Facebook — as some of the business search engines you plan on submitting to.
To claim your Facebook business page, click here to get started.
This will allow you not only to create a page with your contact information and reviews. It will also let you create ads that can show up in the news feeds of potentially interested users.
Facebook business listings are especially valuable for those who are interested in making use of retargeting campaigns.
Best of all, people can actually interact with your brand directly. They can message to ask you questions, like and share your posts, and much more. You’ll also receive incredibly valuable insights about who is looking at your Facebook business listing.
Make sure that you also claim your listing on Facebook places. All you need to do is type your business’s name into the Facebook search bar, and then you can claim your actual address as well as the business page.
4. Get Professional Assistance
As you can see from this post, it’s possible to claim these free business listings on your own.
The only downside to this?
It can sometimes take a ton of time.
You have to find your pages, enter the same information in over and over again, and wait to be approved. You also need to act quickly.
After all, the last thing in the world you want to have happen is for one of your competitors to end up claiming your accounts!
In some cases, you may need to work with a professional company to help get you listed.
To learn more about how to make that happen, as well as how to claim your business in general, check out this website.
Which of These Business Search Engines will you Use?
We hope that this post has helped you to take the guesswork out of submitting to some of the most important business search engines.
No matter the industry you operate within or the current size of your company, it’s key that you embrace local business advertising as soon as possible.
Of course, this is far from the only steps that you need to take to improve your digital marketing strategy and increase your company’s brand recognition.
So, after you’ve submitted to these online business directories, what should you do next?
We can help you to figure it out.
Spend some time on our website and blog to create a marketing plan that dominates the competition.
