FreeBusinessListing.com FAQ: local seo

Local SEO works by developing a digital marketing strategy to help Google better understand where your business is located and what it offers. A comprehensive local SEO strategy will also help Google perceive your business as more popular and trustworthy.

When ranking businesses in Google Maps and the local pack, Google considers the following criteria:

Relevance: How well your business matches what the user is looking for.

Distance: How far the likely search location is from the business location.

Prominence: How well-established and reviewed the business is in the local area.

When Google crawls your website, it’s algorithm considers factors like how helpful and trustworthy your content is and the performance of your webpages (based on speed and mobile-friendliness).

All these factors contribute to how well your Google Business Profile ranks in relevant local search queries.

Every month, there are over 1.5 billion “near me” searches on Google, and that number will continue to grow. Google displays local results when it believes searchers are looking for local businesses or services nearby or in a specific location.

Businesses with the best local SEO tend to rank highest for their desired local keywords. And if you appear prominently for relevant seach queries, you’re more likely to attract new customers.

Google My Business optimization and local SEO can generate more website traffic, phone calls, and customer engagement. Optimizing your website and business listings for localized terms means you can attract more targeted traffic and better leads.

Local SEO is a search engine optimization strategy focused on improving your organic rankings in local search results such as the Local Pack of Google Maps listings (Google Business Profile). Any business that has a physical location or serves a local area can benefit from local SEO.

Local ranking factors primarily focus on how Google Maps listings appear on the local search engine results page (SERP). There are potentially hundreds of individual factors influencing results and search engine algorithms are continually being updated.

The Local Search Ranking Factors annual report is considered to be a go-to resource for understanding how to rank in Google’s local search results.

According to the latest report, local ranking factors are organized into the following groups:

Google Business Profile signals

Location proximity, categories, keywords in business name, etc.​

Reviews

First and third-party reviews, quantity of reviews, recency of reviews, star ratings, etc.

Citations

Location information, NAP consistency, quantity of citations, etc.

On-page SEO

Presence of NAP, keywords in title tags, domain authority, etc.

Off-page SEO

Inbound anchor text, domain authority of links, quantity of inbound links, etc.​

Behavioural signals

Click-through rate, mobile clicks to call, Google Business Profile interactions, etc.

Personalization

User search history, search location, mobile device location, etc.​

Schema markup is a structured data format that helps search engines like Google better understand the content of web pages.

By adding local schema markup to certain content of your website, search engines can more accurately determine information about your business to enhance the search engine results page. This information includes: your business name, location (address and GeoCoordinates), phone number, business category, hours of operation, answers to FAQs, photos, and more (see: Schema.org).

By utilizing schema markup, businesses can provide search engines with more relevant and accurate information to users searching for local businesses, ultimately increasing visibility and website engagement in local search results.

As long as you update your business information (business name, address, phone, website url) everywhere on the web, you should be okay. Your local phone number is probably the most important element of your business profile to keep consistent. If update your business name, address, or phone number (NAP), make sure you also do so on your website, your Google profile, and other directory listings. Failing to do so will result in inconsistencies in your local SEO.

Google pulls information from a variety of sources across the web. Local business listing citations should be consistent across the internet, as multiple different NAPs will give Google the impression of multiple businesses and potentially result in duplicate profiles.

To avoid all these issues when you change information or relocate, be proactive, and take control of all your local listings.

Maintaining accurate and up-to-date business listings is crucial for local SEO and building trust with potential customers. But how often should you revisit and update these listings? The simple answer is: regularly. Here's why keeping your business listings updated matters and how frequently you should make adjustments.

Why Keeping Listings Updated is Important

Your business listings serve as digital billboards across the internet. They tell potential customers where to find you, how to contact you, and what services or products you offer. If your information is outdated or inconsistent, it can harm your credibility and local search rankings. Search engines, such as Google, rely on this information to deliver accurate search results. When your business details (like your Name, Address, Phone number, or NAP) don’t match across different platforms, it can confuse search engines and customers alike.

When Should You Update Your Listings?

Generally, core business details don't change too often. It is important to make sure if anything major changes, it gets updated online. Here are the key instances when you should make sure your business listings are up to date:

1. When You Make Business Changes:

• Move to a New Location
• Change Contact Information
• Modify Business Hours
• Introduce New Products or Services

2. Quarterly for Routine Maintenance:

• Quarterly Review: It’s a good habit to review your business listings every three months to ensure accuracy and make any necessary updates. This ensures that even minor details, such as descriptions, images, or business categories, remain fresh and relevant.
• Add Details: Add any additional content where you can to all of your listings. Add coupons, services, seasonal or holiday hours, recent work performed. Actively adding content to your listings allows potential customers to see things that relate to what they are looking for.

How to Ensure Consistency Across Listings

Consistency is key when it comes to updating your business listings. Here are some tips for managing them effectively:

• Use a Listing Management Tool: Consider using tools like EZlocal, Moz Local, or Yext, which can help sync your business information across multiple platforms in one go. These tools ensure that your NAP and other business information remain consistent across dozens of directories.
• Maintain a Master File: Keep a document with your official business details (NAP, website, social media links, business hours, etc.). This way, you have one source of truth to reference when updating your listings.
• Automate Reminders: Set reminders on your calendar for quarterly and annual reviews of your business listings, or schedule updates when you know major changes will occur.

A citation is any mention of your business's name, address, and phone number (NAP) on the internet. Citations typically appear in online directories, websites, and social media platforms. They don't always include a link to your website, but they still play a crucial role in your local SEO strategy.

Citations help search engines verify the legitimacy and accuracy of your business information. When search engines like Google see consistent citations across multiple platforms, they are more likely to trust the information and rank your business higher in local search results. Citations also make it easier for potential customers to find your business, as they appear in directory listings and local searches.

Listing your business on free online directories is one of the easiest ways to build citations. By creating and maintaining accurate listings on platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, and other directories, you can improve your business's local SEO and increase its visibility. The more consistent and widespread your citations are, the better chance your business has of appearing in top local search results.

Keeping your NAP information consistent across all directories is key to ensuring that your citations positively impact your SEO.

But are citations really, actually important?

While citations alone won’t guarantee your business top rankings, they are considered a foundational element in local SEO. Google uses various factors (including links, reviews, and content) in its ranking algorithm, but citations provide the basic building blocks by verifying that your business exists at a certain location and serves a particular area.

Supported Evidence:

• Google My Business Support Page: Google itself emphasizes the importance of having consistent business information across the web to help with visibility in local search results.
• Local SEO Studies: Various studies by SEO research groups (such as Moz's and now Whitespark's annual Local Search Ranking Factors report) consistently rank citations, particularly NAP consistency, as one of the key factors influencing local search rankings.

Listing your business on online directories helps improve your visibility, making it easier for potential customers to find you. Accurate and consistent listings can also boost your local SEO, driving more traffic to your website and increasing your chances of appearing in local search results.