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Your online presence is your business’s face to the world as well as your brand and your most essential digital marketing tool.

In Part 1 of our series about the essentials you need for a lucrative online presence, we explored how your website can educate visitors to convince them to contact you.

But in order for your website to entice readers to learn more about, they have to be able to find it! One of the most important ways of increasing your visibility on the Web is creating local business listings or directories.

Your Business Is Visible on Local Directories

A business listing or directory is a website that lists businesses within certain categories such as location, industry, activity or size. The listings are compiled by automatic online search software and can be modified manually. Think of local directories as online yellow pages!

Most listings contain basic information such as business name, logo, address, telephone number, website, hours of operation, description and practice reviews.

The more directories that your practice is listed on, the more visible you are!

So here’s the good news:Your practice is probably already listed on multiple directories because the major search services like Google, Yahoo and Bing pull the information together. Many independent online directories also compile information about a business from online sources. Yelp, Manta and Angie’s List are just a few examples of these.

The bad news:The directory information for your practice is probably incomplete and may even be inaccurate!

How To Make Local Directories Work for You

Local listings may have information that is out-of-date, incomplete or inaccurate. Your potential customers won’t be able to find your website or contact you if there is bad information out there.

To take advantage of local listings as a marketing tool – and most of the basic versions are free– it’s important to review and update the directories so they are true to your business. Here’s how:

  • Find your listing in each directory – here is a list of 50 compiled by HubSpot.com.
  • At the site, look for a link to “Claim this listing” or one that asks if you are the business owner.
  • Follow the steps to verify that you are the business owner.
  • Answer any questions.
  • Correct all information and enhance the listing by amplifying the description and adding images.

 

Be sure to keep track of each site’s login information and password so you can continue to update the information as needed.

Sounds overwhelming? It can be! Here’s an alternative: Blue Orchid Marketing offers local directory management services. Let our experts claim your listings and update and maintain them to increase your online visibility and improve local search rankings.

Stay tuned for the next Essential for a Lucrative Online Presence: Chat!

Ask Us About Our Comprehensive Digital Marketing Plan

Blue Orchid Marketing offers custom-written marketing elements designed to increase your bottom line.  We also focus on external marketing by placing your practice on more than 70 local online directories and writing weekly custom blogs and social media posts to ensure your practice is found on internet searches.  That’s more than 40 posts a month … it’s a service you need to stay competitive!

Need a web site?  Live chat?  Adwords? We have the solution!

To learn how our internal marketing solutions can put money in your pocket and our internet presence solutions and websites can help you to attract new patients and clients, please call us at 203-746-5901– ask for David- or send an email to DavidB@BlueOrchidMarketing.com. We’ll create a package that’s right for you!

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