Top 10 online listings where your shop must be found

Monitor your online listings regularly for the best results

“Let me google that.” How many times have you heard that said or even said it yourself? Gone are the days of dragging a frayed phone book out of the desk drawer. Nowadays, you’ve got to be found online. With 7 out of 10 shoppers saying they check online before making a purchase, you need to be on as many online listings as possible. In doing some research, I found several articles that listed a variety of sites. I’m giving my suggestions for the top 10 online listings where I believe your shop absolutely needs to be found.

 Create your listing here:  Google My Business

Because Google has over a 75% share of  the US search market, Google needs to be your top online listing. The statistics are staggering when you consider there are over 100 billion monthly searches. Some sources I looked at said there were almost 6 billion searches each day! Yup, I’d say this is an important one.

Benefits

• Registering your shop is free
• Add your shop’s exact address so it will also appear on Google Maps
• Customers (hopefully only the happy ones) need to leave reviews

Create your listing here:  bing places for business

With 1 in 3 Americans using bing to search for local businesses, this isn’t an online listing you want to miss.

Benefits

• Easy and free to claim your listing
• 3 ways to enter your listing…Local or small business with a storefront, Chain business with multiple locations and Businesses offering services
• You can add photos and additional services you offer, hours of operation and the various ways shoppers can get in touch with you

Create your listing here: yelp

Yelp is particularly strong among the 18-34 age bracket with over 41% saying they’ve used it.  Yelp has the reputation of being the best place for business recommendations.

Benefits

• The perfect place to gather reviews about your shop
• It’s free!
• You can upload photos and even create special deals just for yelp users

Create your listing here: merchantcircle

MerchantCircle claims to be the largest online network of local business owners in the nation. Whether that’s true or not, it’s still a great place to be found locally. The downside to this online list is some of the features are free, but you may have to pay for others. Make sure you understand what you’re signing up for.

Benefits

• Add reviews, photos, blog posts, coupons and more
• Link to your Facebook page
• Users can ask questions and build relationships with you online

Create your listing here: citysearch

Although not as widely used as others, Citysearch is a great way to get some local visibility. List your store under “Shopping” and then any categories that may apply. Citysearch has not been updated in awhile and often looks a bit outdated, but it still offers the local coverage you’re wanting.

Benefits

• Your listing is free
• Includes a map and directions, plus an area to leave a personal greeting
• Feedback such as questions and answers, plus customers reviews are the perfect way to get the word out

Create your listing here: foursquare

With a claim that more than 50 million people use Foursquare and Swarm every month, this is another perfect place to list your shop. Recently, they’ve simplified the Foursquare app making it more streamlined with a faster loading time on shopper’s phones.

Benefits

• Add photos, links to your website and social media, plus your shop’s business hours for free
• A separate shopping category lists you on a numbered sidebar plus a corresponding citywide map
• You can also add awards and reviews to your listing too

Create your listing here: manta

Inc. magazine listed Manta as one of the fastest growing business sites. Manta claims that 1,000 businesses join every day.

Benefits

• You can list your shop for free
• Take advantage of The Academy that offer courses and webinars educating small businesses
• They also offer an online listing manager that lets you view your other local listings

Create your listing here: yellow pages

YP is the online version of the traditional Yellow Pages phone book. Not only can you list your business for free, but YP offers a variety of paid marketing opportunities too. In addition, take advantage of the free Presence Scan that will let you know where else you need to be listed.

Benefits

• YP offers a variety of free “Word-of-Mouth” marketing tools, plus the free Presence Scan
• You can list your business for free
• The Yellow Pages has been a trusted source for business information for over 100 years

Create your listing here: MapQuest

Mapquest is still one of the most important online mapping sites in spite of the success of Google Maps and a smartphone’s GPS. In addition to generating maps and directions, Mapquest also offers the user a unique “street” view of your shop and location.

Benefits

• Although the minimum monthly fee for you is $3, it is free for your shopper’s to use
• It provides potential customers detailed directions to your shop from their location
• For a higher fee, you can integrate the MapQuest map with all of your other online listings

Create your listing here: YAHOO!

I’ve got to be honest with you, this has to be one of the most confusing online listings sites I’ve ever seen. Between the name YAHOO!, Yext and AAbaco Small Business, I was confused about where I was going. The bottom line…YAHOO! (whoever they are) is still important.

Benefits

• YAHOO! has partnered with Yext to offer you a free local business scan
• You can add a free listing or upgrade to enhance your listing
• Your listing includes your shop’s address, phone, website, hours and a list of merchandise

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