ExcelsiorInteractive

Any information that exists can be found on the internet.  Because of this, it can be very easy for a local business to get lost in the web.  With all the possible locations to host a company listing, some local business make the mistake of not providing enough information, hosting it in the wrong place or even worse, buying ad space in newspapers or the phone book.  Unlike phonebooks and newspapers, web based local listing are not only cheaper and more effective, but they offer the ability to track investments to ensure a return (ROI) on the interactive marketing strategy.  Below is a list of free local business directories and search engines that can help any company grow their presence and get in front of potential clients. With many cities opting out of phone book and yellow page delivery completely, it is important for a business to familiarize itself with these tools or risk getting left behind.

Google Places
Google Places works along with a businesses’ Google Map listing.  It allows a business owner to claim their Google Map listing and provide custom content to the user.  Proper optimization of a Google Places listing will help a business stand out from local competitors by engaging users with photos, video, business information, customer reviews, special offers, coupons and more. 70% of all online searches happen on Google, and Google Places listings usually appear at the top of the page, often times above the local listings.  Because of that, your Google Places listing may be one of the most important areas of the web to optimize.  In addition to showing up on Google search results, Google Places results are also served to Google Map searches on both a computer or on a mobile devise.  Even with all that, it is an absolutely free service to optimize a Google Places page.  All a business owner would have to do is claim their page and start adding content.  (Additional fees may apply to advertise within Google Places)

Yahoo! Local
Although Yahoo! only receives about 25% of the traffic of Google, it is still a top search engine and the 4^th most visited site on the web according to Alexa Traffic Rank.  Yahoo! Local provides much of the same information as a Google Places listing, but to get the most out of the listing, it will cost $9.95 a month.  Because Google Places is both most complex and more popular, paying the extra $9.95 a month is not necessary, as business can provide a phone number, address, web site, store hours, products and services without paying anything.  However, to upload a logo, photos, and a detailed business description, you must get an “Enhanced Listing”.

Bing Local
Like Yahoo!, Bing only receives a fraction of the traffic of Google; however, taking advantage of their free listing functionality is still a good idea.  One should take advantage of the category function, which allows business owners to list this company under up to six categories.  This will help users who are searching for your products and services to find you easier when they are searching on Bing.  

Facebook Fan Pages
Having a Facebook Fan Page for a local business truly opens up a two way dialogue with current and potential clients.  Facebook, although great for big business, has several features built in to help local business as well.  Facebook Fan Pages in general will allow a company to post business information such as address, phone number, web address, email address, business hours, company overview, product listing, parking information and more, but for local business, the options are much greater.  One of the features available to local business is the ability to turn your Fan Page into a Facebook Places page.  Facebook Places feature a Bing Map listing of your business, as well as the ability for customers to “check-in” at a location.  Anytime a customer is physically in a local business, they can log into Facebook on their phone and tell their Facebook friends that they are there.  This information is shared with all that person’s Facebook connections.  Facebook then allows Fan Page administrators to offer Deals in order to incentivize customers to “Check-In”.  This is a one of a kind way to use social media as a true word of mouth tool for a local business.