Tag Archives: directory listings

About Those Phone Calls

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Businesses are bombarded with phones calls with urgent messages your Google map is in “danger”.

1-The message varies from you’ll never show up to it desperately needs help.  These calls have become cloned.  We’re led to believe Google is calling, but as often as not it is a third party company with a sales pitch.  You can claim your Google + business listing and fill out your content.  (If you have ever used a company like Yext you might be locked out.)

What About Those Phone Calls

2-“I’m from Windows calling regarding your computer…” Hang up.  If you stayed on you would hear your computer has been infected and they can fix it.  Microsoft doesn’t call people to fix their computers.

3-The recorded messages, “Hi, I’m Sharon from Google…”  Unless you are ready for Pay per Click/Google AdWords, hang up.  Should you be interested in Google AdWords initiate the phone call yourself. Call 855-245-0843 (9am–9pm ET, Mon–Fri).

And those emails:
Emails warning your business listings have/may have incorrect information. These come from different sources; many who have partnered with Yext “in one shot” to resolve the issue. Things to know:

  • The best success is a human touch for all these directories. Contact information is not where you want to end leveraging your directory listings. Each can be filled out according to the platform specifics – optimize each with keywords and categories specific to your business.  Automation is not your friend here.  It equals duplication which you are trying to avoid when maximizing online.
  • The shotgun method doesn’t always work – I had a client who tried this to find out the company was unable to take care of their business change and subsequently cannot get back into their accounts to change the information without an involved process.
  • A lot of these business directories have no relevance. Important to keep on top of which ones matter.

Having a public email address (on your website) means you’re on a list which is sold to email marketers. Spam has increased, for me personally, the past year to hundreds per day – this using filters and flagging emails to be blocked. It’s part of business online.

The day you get an email from your email address selling “meds” is a rude welcome to address spoofing. There is nothing you can do. Despite the “Name/Address” field you are seeing it is generated from another address.

SEO emails abound. “I’ve visited your website and while it is lovely it is lacking in SEO…” Most ANY website has something which CAN be improved upon in SEO. The promise is we’ll fix it. SEO isn’t a “fix it” method. It can’t be analyzed once and “you’re good to go”. SEO is not simple.

#1 on Google promise calls and emails.  #1 on Google goes to the deepest pockets. The best you can get is #1 at some time, somewhere for one keyword. That one keyword may be “animal hospital puppy package in Walnut”. It doesn’t mean you can’t define an AdWord campaign to work, especially if your website is organically sound, this can be effective. Just be informed. Most companies want to include your business name as one of the paid keywords. If someone is searching for your business by name there is little chance you won’t come up.

What can you do to help your online presence? Freshen your website content (add a page, rewrite dated copy). Search engines are looking for fresh content, new original photos. Stock photography is analyzed by Google unfavorably. While Google is more tight-lipped than in past years how they can make this deduction doesn’t matter, it’s enough to point us in the right direction. Besides: logically – your own photos make a better web presence for your business.

Add to your website, create a mobile site (if you haven’t already), take advantage of directory listings, gets links to your website, consider a blog for the purpose of writing about your industry. The blog can attract back links and comments, which all aid in your online strength, but use it primarily to give out information which adds weight to your website.

Your website is your marketing cornerstone. Devise a plan to keep it fresh.

Directory Listings in Error

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Many of my clients are emailing with concern when they receive a message like this:

You have claimed your listing on Google, but I noticed your business information is incorrect on a number of sites online. Click here to get a free report detailing how your business info appears on Yahoo!, MapQuest, Yelp and 30 more sites.

Most of you have, or will receive the message from one or more sources.  Many companies are offering to correct your listings.

 These are sent even if most of the information accurate.  There are so many variables, perhaps a directory changed and now allows you to post photos, or expand your listing.  You may have been in business a long time, moved, or used tracking numbers you no longer use, there are a lot of factors which can make one listing be incorrect.  Directory listings have evolved. If you haven’t updated in 2 years, you’ll see dramatic changes with new opportunities to expand your listing.

Local Search

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Google Maps
Google Maps has always been an effective listing to get ahead of the crowd. With so many online, the competition is tough for businesses within certain categories. ex. web designer. If your business is specialized Google maps will most likely continue to work well for you.

Local Search Marketing
Now, we have new companies offering to get you ranked on Google Maps – within parameters, for a fee. It is a substantial fee.

How do you make a choice?
Can the companies be selling this info and NOT produce results? Part of your decision making comes from investigating the company: how long in business online is a BIG factor. It is too easy to charge you an annual fee and close shop. Local search marketing companies need a history.

The part of the equation difficult to pin down is: Google says they cannot guarantee placement on Google Maps, and suggest you buy their AdWords. Makes sense: if they are going to give a higher ranking it is going to be profitable for them. So, how can these companies say they can?

Part of the answer is in the keywords. If you are narrowing your keyword list to 5 – that is tough, for most businesses. The fine print of one company tells the client they, the company, can change up the keywords if they are not appearing on the first page Google Maps. The trouble with this is: keywords can be created and paid for by a client, but if no one ever searches under those words, these companies can validate themselves as delivering, but it isn’t “real”.
ex: keyword:
custom web designer loves Westies

That keyword could bring you to my website – but how many people will type that in a search? That is the trouble. Longtail keywords are known to deliver more “ready-to-buy-searchers”, to narrow down their search/save time. But choosing long tail keywords is tough, simply because: they ARE so long.

One company I researched had a video with a phone number at the end. Pricing sounded reasonable. Trouble came up when the no one answered either of their phone numbers and the pricing on the website was higher than the video. Since you have to make a decision somehow – this one is obvious.

One service these companies sell is to fill out your online directory listings. Fine, since most small business owners are short on time. But the fee is out of whack especially when one company requires you to fill in all the information and they will submit to listings.

I continue to search for someone who offers an affordable service for small business owners. The local search is the need for most of my clients, but someone who is interested in smaller budgets.