Why local listings matter

Customers look you up before they call, book or visit. If your details are missing or wrong, the work goes to someone else.

Local listings put you everywhere your customers look, with the right information, all the time.

Listings are how you get found

Almost everyone checks a business online before visiting. If you don't appear in the results, you don't exist to them.

Being listed on Google Maps, Apple Maps, Facebook and Bing gives you more chances to be found when it matters.

More places, more customers

The more places you appear, the more ways new customers can find you. It's not just Google. People also search on Waze, TomTom, Here, Instagram, and even local news sites like the Liverpool Echo or The Scotsman.

According to Search Engine Journal, businesses listed in more places get more calls, clicks and visits than those relying on one or two listings.

The same details everywhere

If your phone number, address or hours don't match from one place to the next, customers start to doubt you. Matching details show you're professional and reliable.

Moz's local search ranking factors put a consistent name, address and phone number among the things that matter most for local rankings.

Right details, more confidence

Trust is easy to lose. Imagine a customer driving across town only to find you closed because your hours weren't updated. That's not just a lost sale, it's probably a lost customer.

Think with Google found that 76% of people who search for something nearby visit a business within 24 hours. If your details are wrong, they go somewhere else.

Listings get harder to keep up as you grow

Updating one or two listings isn't a big job. As the business grows, it gets messy:

• It takes time: updating dozens of profiles takes hours.
• Mistakes spread: one change can leave your details mismatched across sites.
• It's hard to keep track: customers use maps, apps and directories you may not know about.

Without one place to manage it all, it soon gets out of hand.

Keeping on top of your listings

You don't need to be everywhere, but you do need to be accurate everywhere you are. Start here:

• Search for yourself: see where your business shows up.
• Check the basics: make sure your name, address and phone number match everywhere.
• Start with the big ones: get Google Business Profile, Apple Maps and Facebook right, then add as many others as you can.
• Keep it fresh: update your hours, services and offers whenever they change.
• Update once: changing every listing by hand doesn't last.

For more, see HubSpot's guide to local SEO.

How Paydough helps

Paydough does the legwork. Instead of fixing one listing at a time, you can:

• Get listed on 50+ directories, including Google, Apple Maps, Facebook, Bing, Nextdoor and Waze, from one place.
• Change a detail once, and it updates everywhere.
• Collect and reply to reviews from one inbox.
• Get back to running the business.

See how listing sync keeps your details right everywhere, or follow the listings guide to set it up.

Start free and put your business on the map.