• Austin SEO
    • TastyPlacement in the Press
    • Meet the Team
  • Blog
  • Services
    • SEO Services
      • WordPress SEO Service
      • Magento SEO Services
      • Conversion Rate Optimization
      • Why Google Certification Matters
    • PPC & Adwords
      • Adwords & PPC Management
      • Remarketing Services
      • Display Ad Management
      • Facebook Ad Management
      • Pinterest Ad Management
      • Google Ad Grants Management for Non-Profits
      • Adwords App Install Ad Management
      • Product Listing Ad Management
    • Analytics & Data
      • Analytics and Monitoring
      • Google Tag Manager Experts
      • Data Studio Development & Consulting
    • Social Media & Local Marketing
      • Social Media Marketing
      • Local SEO
    • Web Development
      • Mobile Website Design
      • WordPress Development
  • Case Studies
    • SEO Case Studies
      • SEO Case Study: We Beat Lowes, Then We Beat Home Depot
      • SEO Case Study: Total Domination in Houston for Medical Provider
    • Analytics Case Studies
      • Case Study: Updated Design Yields 43% Increase in Conversion Rate
      • Case Study: PPC Optimization Yields Tripled Conversion Rate
    • Social Media Case Studies
      • Social Media Case Study: Hundreds of New Customers From Core Facebook Campaign
  • Portfolios
    • Display Ad Portfolio
    • Design Portfolio
    • Infographic Portfolio
    • SEO Testimonials
  • Contact
    • New Customers: Get to Know Us
    • Customer Service & Support
    • Referral Program
    • SEO Training Seminars
    • Job: Paid Search/PPC/Adwords Analyst
    • Job: Local Digital Marketing Specialist
    • Job: SEO/Marketing Junior Analyst
    • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Menu Menu

How to Write a Killer Local Business Entry

September 17, 2008/in Backlink Strategies, Internet Marketing/by Michael David

I love local business directories as an SEO tool. If your business has any form of brick and mortar operation, then you naturally draw on a local clientele. At TastyPlacement, we do a lot of SEO work for local small businesses. Local businesses can win big with local business postings.

Typically, local business posting will outrank just about any other page on the internet because of the tremendous pagerank power that a site like Yahoo Local or Hotfrog enjoys. And, Google Local’s reach and power is absolutely unparalled-Google puts local results *above* the natural results for thousands of business related search categories in local markets. And then, of course, is the pagerank value that your own site enjoys from the high-powered backlinks that large business directories enjoy.

We recently posted on our review of the 6 Best Free Local Business Directories for Backlinks, Customers & Hits.

In this article, we’ll point to some sure-fire tips and tricks to get every ounce of mileage from a local business directory posting.

Always Assign As Many Categories As Possible

This is paramount. Google local allows you up to 5 categories (and recently began allowing free-form categories). With most local business directories each business category under which you register will create an individual entry on an individual category page. Thus, your entry might appear in 5 different places in a directory. Each page is a backlink for traffic and for pagerank value, and your listing will quite simply be seen more often.

Get Reviews

Reviews from happy customers can help boost your rankings within the local directory. Google local is the greatest example. While their ranking system for local entries is a secret, it obviously favors entries that have received reviews. I’ll bet you’ve done a favor for a client at one time, right? Ask them for a review. Send them a clear and concise email with instructions and a link to write the review. Beside the ranking power within the directories, reviews will increase the conversion power of the local entry; readers are more likely to follow up on your ad if they see a positive review from a member of the community.

Also, positive reviews can offset a present or future negative review. If a negative review does happen, a positive review can soften the blow.

Upload Pictures

The larger local business directories are quite advanced, and most include the ability to upload pictures. Always upload the maximum number of pictures. A full and complete listing is always more likely to rank higher within the directory. And again, viewers are far more likely to act on a complete listing rather than a sparse one.

Complete All Optional Fields

When creating a local business entry, you may have noticed many optional fields such as business hours, payment types accepted, and languages spoken. These fields are optional and most folks just skip them.

You should always fill out every optional field possible. In some directories, the extra fields have the effect of enlarging the directory entry, while omitting it would just display nothing. So, your listing might be 5 or 6 inches tall on a results page, while your competitor-who skipped the optional fields-will have a simple 2 or 3 line entry.

Also, some directories allow (or will allow in the future) users to use the optional fields as search criteria (i.e., the ability to search for companies that accept Google Checkout, etc). Naturally, you’ll want to come up in any such search result.

Two Locations? Make Two Entries

If you have multiple business locations, make separate entries for each location. Then, each location will show up in searches separately (many folks search by zip code). And, each entry will represent a backlink. I have clients with Yahoo Local directory pages with a pagerank of 2 that link back directly to their website; That is a very valueable backlink.

Write a Compelling Business Description With Keywords

This goes without saying, but 75% of folks don’t bother. A compelling business description will convert viewers and draw them to your site. And, if you description is focused on your primary keywords, then your local business entry will likely rank for those keywords.

Good luck!

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter

Tutorials & Case Studies

  • Analytics
  • Backlink Strategies
  • Case Studies
  • Infographics
  • Internet Marketing
  • Local Maps and Local Listings
  • Magento
  • Mobile SEO
  • Our Book: SEO for Wordpress
  • PPC
  • Programming & PHP
  • SEO
  • SEO Power Tools
  • SEO Resources
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Updates & News
  • Web Design
  • WordPress

Our Most Recent Tutorials & Case Studies

  • Test Results: How to Stop Google Re-Writing Your Title Tags in the SERPs
  • Pro Tip: Track Your Website Goals in Google Analytics (and More)
  • How to Connect Google DataStudio to MySQL Database (cPanel Flavor)
  • UTM Codes/Tags: A Quick Guide to Tagging Ads Like a Pro
  • Social Media Case Study: Hundreds of New Customers From Core Facebook Campaign

Search

Archives & Tutorial Categories

  • Analytics
  • Backlink Strategies
  • Case Studies
  • Infographics
  • Internet Marketing
  • Local Maps and Local Listings
  • Magento
  • Mobile SEO
  • Our Book: SEO for Wordpress
  • PPC
  • Programming & PHP
  • SEO
  • SEO Power Tools
  • SEO Resources
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Updates & News
  • Web Design
  • WordPress

Austin SEO Company, TastyPlacement

TastyPlacement
4150 Freidrich Ln Ste C
Austin, TX 78744
Tel: (512) 535-2492

Google Maps: Get Directions or Read Our Awesome Reviews

Quick Navigation: Our Most Important Pages

  • Austin SEO [Home]
  • WordPress SEO Service
  • PPC Management
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Analytics and Monitoring
  • Remarketing Experts
  • Conversion Rate Optimization
© Copyright - TastyPlacement. Made in Austin, Texas
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
How to Know if Your SEO Firm Is Outsourcing Pubcon Austin 2013 MySQL String to Replace Postal Codes With State Names
Scroll to top