Business Listings (Online)

A business listing is a public profile that contains a business’ vital information such as name, address, number, website, hours of operation, and more. They act as a “virtual doorway” to local businesses, and can (and should) be found across hundreds of online listings and directory sites across the web. Some directories are vertical-specific, though many (like Google+, Yelp, Yellow Pages, and so on) are generic catch-alls for all businesses.

Local businesses need listings in order to be found, and consumers need listings to find products and services they’re looking for! If you want to rank well in local search, your business needs consistent NAP data (name, address, phone number), website, hours, and more across all major listing directories. This is essential for search engines to validate them as a credible local business. The more accurate and consistent data there is about the business across the web, the more search engines will trust the validity of the business. And the more the search engines trust the business, the higher they will rank in local SERPs (Search Engine Results Page).

The most crucial data held in a business listing is the NAP data—name, address, and phone number information. However: 86% of businesses have either missing or incorrect company name information listed across all listings sources! Another vital piece of information to include is hours of operation. 76% of consumers report that they expected hours of operation information when conducting a search!

Also, including your website link will get more traffic to your website, and could help improve your ranking on Google. 93% of businesses have either missing or incorrect website information listed across all listings sources Get all the data, and know what to list and why to list it by checking out our in-depth blog on business listings.