What Is Business Listing in SEO? A Guide for Better Rankings

There are several ways to increase your business's chances of being found online, one of which is to have strong online visibility. Strong online visibility is not just about having a website but also about having a strong business listing. 

Having a business listing is one of the most effective ways of getting your business noticed by potential customers. However, you might not know the cornerstones of a good business listing.

Therefore, in this article, you will learn what is business listing in SEO, how it can help you in the long run, and how to optimize it for better results. Read the full explanation below to find out more.

What Is Business Listing in SEO?

A business listing is an online business directory that connects businesses with their target audience. It is a part of off-page SEO which helps in increasing the visibility of your business online. In simple terms, business listing is the process of creating a profile of your business on various platforms, such as Google Business Profile, Yelp, or Facebook Pages.

The information listed on these platforms mainly contains your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) along with other details like business hours, customer reviews, and more. The information is used to create a profile that is displayed in the search results.

Why business listing is important for SEO? Because, this ensures that when potential customers search for the products or services your business offers, they can find your business through the information provided in the listings. Therefore, local businesses need to have their business listing optimized for better search results.

How Business Listing Can Help Your Business

Business listing is an effective local marketing strategy for any business. There are several benefits you can get by doing Google business listing optimization, such as:

• Gaining backlinks. Setting up a business listing to improve SEO for Google My Business means that you create a backlink to your website from the listing page. It helps you gain authority on Google’s view and improves your local search ranking.
• Building citations. Citations are created when your business information is listed on other sites. It is beneficial for your business as Google uses full citations, which include your NAP data, to determine which business listings are geographically relevant for particular search queries. 
• NAP data alignment. Local SEO listing management will help you ensure that your NAP data is consistent across all listings. When Google sees consistent NAP data, it increases your local search rankings and makes it easier for potential customers to reach you through accurate contact details and addresses.
• Building trust. Listing sites provide customer reviews that can help increase your business’ reputation and build trust with potential customers. By showing positive reviews and even responding to them, you can demonstrate your business as a trustworthy and reliable option for your customers.

What Does Google Look for When Ranking Business Listings?

To fine-tune your business listings, you need to first understand the factors that Google uses to rank a business listing. These factors play a role in how high your listing will appear in the search results. Here are some of the most important things that Google takes into account:

• Relevance. It refers to how relevant your business listing is to the search query. Therefore, you need to complete your business profile to help Google better understand what your business is about and match it to the right audience.
• Distance. Google considers the proximity between the user and your business. When users search for a business without mentioning a specific location, Google will rely on available data, such as your business address and phone number, to determine where your business is located on the map.
• Prominence. This refers to how well-known your business is. Google favours business listings that are listed on more reputable directories and websites, which ultimately helps increase your rankings. It will be even more effective on directories with local review features.

Best Practices for Refining Your Business Listings

After understanding the importance of business listings and the factors that influence your ranking, it is time to optimise your business listings. Here are the top tips for refining your business listings to increase your online visibility.

1. Get the Most Suitable Business Listing Directories

First thing first, you need to understand which directories are suitable for your business. If you want your business to reach the right audience that can potentially convert into sales, you need to be listed on directories that are relevant to your business.

There are already several well-known business listing directories available on the internet that have a large pool of visitors, including Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing Places, and more. You can also add other directories that are relevant to your business niche.

For example, if you have a business that deals with clothing in Jurong West, you can list your online or offline business on local directories, such as Google Business Profile, Facebook, Carousell, Yellow Pages Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Listings, and more. 

2. Set Up Your Business Profile

After choosing the right directories, you can start your Google business listing optimization by setting up your business profile. You need to input your NAP data including your business name, address, and phone number. Besides, you can also add more details about your business as follows:

• Alternative phone numbers.
• Website.
• Business description.
• Email.
• Social profiles.
• Business hours.
• Pricing.
• Images and videos.
• Brand offers.
• Payment options.
• Other relevant details.

3. Ensure Accurate Business Information 

Once your business profile is set up and verified, you need to ensure that the information you provide is accurate across all directories. This includes making sure your NAP data and other information details are correct.

Additionally, you must keep your NAP data consistent in all citations. It is important to note that the NAP data must be identical across all directories to avoid confusing search engines and customers. Therefore, you must keep your data up-to-date as Google favours businesses that have accurate and consistent information.

4. Add A Decent Schema Markup

Schema markup is a code that can be used on your website to help search engines better understand your site’s content, including the information about your business. A good schema markup will aid the crawlers in displaying your business details, such as location, products, or reviews.

There are several types of schema markup that can help you with your business listings. For example, you can use product markup to display your product information in the search results. You can also use the review markup to display ratings and reviews of your business.

5. Employ Local Keywords 

To improve your local SEO, you need to focus on keywords that are relevant to your local area. Take time to do some research and find out what keywords are used by people when searching for businesses in your area. In the case of a clothing business, keywords could include phrases like "fashion boutique in Jurong West" or "affordable streetwear Singapore.”

Once you have identified the keywords, sprinkle them to your website and business listings in a way that is natural and not spammy. While you are at it, think about your homepage title and meta description. These are the two important places where you can incorporate the main keywords to help your page stand out to searchers.

6. Include High-Quality Documentation

There is a fun fact stating that nearly 60% of consumers base their purchasing decisions on the high-quality and good documentation that a company provides. This indicates that documentation is an important aspect of increasing conversion rate. 

You can include several types of documentation in your business listings, such as images and short videos of your business or behind-the-scenes of your product making. A clear and well-balanced documentation visual will help your business look more trustworthy and professional, which will attract more leads.

7. Engage with Online Reviews

Directories, such as Google Business Profile and Google Maps, usually provide a review section for customers to leave feedback about their experience with your business. They can also rate your business through this section.

Using online reviews to generate trust, engagement, and customer satisfaction is one of the best ways to increase conversion rates. To achieve that, you can respond to every review, both positive and negative, to show your customers that you care about their opinions.

If you receive positive reviews, thank the customers for using your business and encourage them to come back. However, if you receive a negative review, it is important that you address it right away by apologizing for their bad experience and assuring them that you will take the necessary steps to prevent such issues from happening again.

This will show potential customers that you take customer service seriously and that you are willing to make things right. It will also allow you to improve your business and provide your customers with a better experience next time. 

8. Perform Business Listing Audit

To ensure that all your business listings are accurate and consistent, you need to perform an audit. It is a process to evaluate your business information that is listed in all online directories in order to verify that they are correct.

For instance, you can perform a Google My Business audit by reviewing your business information that is listed on Google platforms and see if they are correct and up-to-date. If you spot any discrepancies, you can update them immediately. 

Also, you can check your Yellow Pages Singapore listing to see if your NAP data is listed correctly, find duplicate listings, and continuously update your local keywords to ensure your listing stays up-to-date and consistent. 

Conclusion

Those are the things you need to know about business listing. Understanding what is business listing in SEO means that you are one step closer to improving your SEO and gaining better visibility online. Thus, it is important to take note of the tips above and implement them accordingly.

However, listing your business on local directories may be time-consuming and tedious, especially if you have a lot of things on your plate. Therefore, the best thing to do is to let the professionals handle it for you. 

Consider teaming up with SEO Services by cmlabs to help you rank in local search and make your business stand out from the digital crowd. Our experts will help you get your business listed on the top business listing sites and make sure your information is accurate and consistent.

As a professional SEO service and consultant, cmlabs is committed to providing you with top-notch services and solutions. Contact our marketing team today and let us help you achieve a major milestone in your SEO journey!