Create listings on third-party internet directories such as Yellow Pages, Superpages and City Search, and ask clients to review your services on those listings.
Google scours the web for information about your business, compiles it, and uses it to decide what your business is all about. It doesn’t even need links to your website anymore. It can also display some of this aggregated information directly on your listing.
You can make sure Google is correct in its decision regarding what your business is about by giving it a clean signal and many “citations.”
A clean signal means consistent use of NAP (business name, address and phone number) as well as keywords referring to your business, both in the external listings you create, and your website.
The listings you create in directories like Yellowpages or Superpages are called “structured citations.” “Unstructured citations” are also aggregated and used by Google. This would be mentions of your business on a blog, or on a news site that doesn’t necessarily have a link to your website or complete contact information. You can’t always control the content of unstructured citations, but consistent use of NAP and keywords in what you do have control of, can cut down the variation of terms used by those researching your business.
Reviews on third-party sites are increasingly important to not only your ranking in Google map packs, but also the conversion rate or those listings, because they can be displayed directly on your Google Local Business Listing.
* Bonus Tip: Don’t stop! Create listings on directories on an ongoing basis. Use your competitive intelligence (Tip 5) to find new directories to add your listing to.
This is Tip #7 in a series of 10 SEO Tips for Small Business.
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