If you are a local business owner, chances are you could use more leads to keep your business growing and thriving.
If you could get 10 or more additional calls or visits each week from people who are actively shopping for your products and services, would that make a positive difference in your bottom line?
How to Generate More Leads With Less Work With Local Search Marketing
One of the best and fastest ways to attract more highly-targeted and qualified leads for your business is to make sure your complete business profile is listed in Google, Bing, Yahoo and as many other local business directories and review sites as possible.
As you can see from the pie chart on the left (click the chart for a larger view), you need to include at least 17 different elements for a complete local business directory listing.
Know the Top Local Search Ranking Factors Before You Start
While you can create and submit your local business listings yourself, this task is not as simple or straightforward as you might imagine. Before getting started, you should read and understand how to apply these local search ranking factors.
How Much Time Does It Take to Create and Submit an Effective Lead-Generating Local Business Listing?
An effective lead-generating local business listing starts with keyword research. You will want to spend some time researching which business categories are the best choices for your business. Here for example, is Google’s list of official business categories.
Whenever possible, you should list your business using at least one of the “official” business categories used by each directory. If your business does not fit neatly into any of the listed categories, choose the category that best fits your business.
Every directory has its own set of business categories. Unfortunately, there is no standard list of business categories that is used by every local business directory, so you must use your best judgment in each instance to decide where your business best fits within that directory.
Next, you will need to craft a concise, well-written business description that incorporates highly-searched keywords and keyword phrases. You can use Google’s Keyword Research Tool to research and identify keywords and keyword phrases that are most likely to generate search traffic for your website.
Your business description should include a call-to-action that will motivate online visitors to call or email you right away to get something valuable, such as a time-limited coupon or special offer.
Realistically, you should budget 10-20 hours to do the preliminary keyword research and then create and submit a properly constructed lead-generating local business listing to the top local business directories.
This Sounds Awfully Complicated: Is It Really Worthwhile?
Once your complete, well-crafted business information is listed everywhere it needs to be online, you can expect a high return on your investment. Local online business listings can get found by hundreds — even thousands — of people every month who are searching for businesses just like yours. When you make it easy for them to find and contact you online, you can expect to generate many more highly-targeted leads, with little or no additional effort.
I Don’t Want To Do This Myself: Can You Do It For Me?
If you do not want to take the time to learn how to create and submit effective local business listings yourself, Herbst Marketing can do it for you.
Get Started: Call 540-937-7234 Today
Or Send Us an Email
We can get your business listed everywhere it needs to be listed online. Pricing depends on the number of directories in which you are listed. We will need to talk with you first and get a better understanding of your business in order to identify the best business directory listings for you.
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