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4 Benefits of Directory Management

Benefits of Directory Management
Researching a business is a lot easier than it used to be. Whatever did we do before Google?! Gone are the days of looking up local businesses in a phone book. Everything is digitally driven and if you’re not actively managing your listings online, other businesses may be beating you to the punch, infringing on business that should be yours. But, before we dive into the benefits of directory management, let’s go over the essentials.

WHAT IS DIRECTORY MANAGEMENT?

Directory listings include searchable information about your business online. This information includes your business name, address, and phone number. It can also include other information such as your website. Common directory sites include Google My Business, Yelp, Citysearch, among many others. All these directories and how they are maintained often affect how your business ranks when searched. 

If you’re not sure how your business ranks, our free tool will check the health of your online business. Simply, click HERE to see how your information is represented on a number of listing websites. You may see areas that need improving or you may not be ranking at all on some sites. This leads us to the 4 benefits of directory management and why you should invest in directory management services

  • 1. BEING FIRST TO CREATE YOUR PROFILE

    Being the first to create your profile on a variety of directories will keep others from creating it for you. You want to be the one who’s in charge of your brand and your messaging as it impacts your business greatly. So, creating this first-hand allows you to be in control completely of how your brand is represented with photos, offers, and messaging so that it stays recognizable and consistent with your business. It’s also nice to add personal touches such as photos of your business from the inside, outside, and maybe even your staff.

  • 2. CONSISTENT INFORMATION

    Standardizing your name, address, and phone number across all listings will help streamline your customer experience. You’ll want to make sure the same information is being uploaded and maintained on all directories. Many businesses consider Google My Business as their primary directory listing. Google My Business allows you to store your contact information as well as make it easy to contact you with just a click.

    Depending on your industry, some directory management sites might make more sense over others, but research and consistency is key to driving inbound leads and brand awareness. It also provides your customer with the most up-to-date information when it comes to business hours, phone numbers, websites, and more so your customers are able to reach you.

  • 3. REVIEWS

    There’s nothing like receiving your first review from a happy customer. As your business grows, you may have more people that wish to express their feedback (good or bad) on a number of sites. Depending on your business, keeping up with reviews and responding to them in a timely manner can be a full-time job. It’s important to acknowledge reviews to build rapport with your audience. After all, the purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews is 270% greater than that of a product with no reviews.

  • 4. INCREASE YOUR RANKING

    The fact of the matter is that you can populate on Google’s search engine results page (SERP’s) multiple times. This helps increase your SEO ranking and allows people searching for a variety of topics to find you and your business. Search directories make it easy to filter out a customer to find a local business to fit their needs. Inaccurate descriptions or discrepancies will cause your business to rank lower than your competitors making it harder for your customers to find you.

Now that you know the many benefits of directory management and how it can help your business succeed, let’s chat about how we can help! At ARK Marketing, our team is ready and able to guide you. Contact us today!

Check back soon for more useful tips on how to leverage your small business in a big world of competition. If you need help managing certain aspects of your small business or you’d like to know more about the services ARK Marketing has to offer, email us or comment below! Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram for industry news, inspiration, and helpful tidbits for finding small business success.

Sincerely,

 

THE ARK CREW

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