How to Get the Most
From Online Directories
By ALAN S. HOROWITZ
Shoppers who once turned to the yellow pages are
increasingly likely to click a mouse when searching for a local product or
service.
This change in habit makes it important for even a
localized small business to have a robust online listing to remain relevant to
consumers.
The good news is that the most basic listings on
the big players, including Verizon's SuperPages (www.superpages.com),
Yahoo Local (local.yahoo.com)
and Google Maps (maps.google.com),
are free, and even listings with photos, special fonts or other features are
often less expensive than traditional print directory advertising.
A few years back, Gary Mastroddi, general partner
at Ettore Salon & Spa in Philadelphia was spending $75,000 to $100,000 each year
advertising in newspapers, yellow pages and magazines and on radio. Now he's
spending only $35,000 a year, moving most of his advertising online. He says 85% of his new clients say they found his spa
online. He no longer advertises on radio, and limits his print exposure to a
local newspaper and magazine.
How to Get Started
Most businesses will find they already have a basic
listing on the major directories with the name, address and telephone number.
Beefing up this free listing can be a way to distinguish your business from
local rivals.
On the major sites, you can add a list of products,
store hours and credit cards accepted and a link to a Web site.
"The more information you provide, the better your chance of connecting with
users," says Shailesh Rao, Google's director of local search and third-party
partnerships.
The first step you'll need to take is to find out
which service already provides a free listing to your business. Do a search for
your business listing on Yahoo Local, Google Maps, Superpages or another site
your customers use, and then click on the link that says "Edit this listing" or
"Do you own this business?" In most cases you can enter the additional
information right away. Include as much information as you can.
To create a new listing, go to
Yahoo Local,
Google Local
Business Center and
Superpages Business Listing and add your business.
"Take advantage of free services first," recommends
Paul Levine, general manager for Yahoo Local. Yahoo also includes a free
five-page Web site that Mr. Levine says can be set up by even inexperienced
business owners.
"The more you can tell us about your business, the
services you offer, the products you carry, the more likely it is that someone
will be able to find you through searches, so load in as much relevant content
as you can," says Mr. Levine.
If you need more help with enhancing an online
listing, traditional listings vendors such as Verizon have sales people that
sell ads for both print and online media that can be a good resource for getting
started, even with the free stuff.
Don't limit yourself to the sites listed here.
There are dozens of other national listing sites. These include:
Yellowpages.com,
Citysearch.com and
MSN's Live Local, as well as
more regional and local directories. For a list of online yellow page
directories try
Yahoo Directories.
It's also important to recognize that local search
is a very fluid medium which is always changing, and that can benefit your
business. Print ads in the yellow pages can be the same for a year or more, but
an online listing can be tweaked any time your business adds a new product or
service.
Pat Sheetz, owner of Mari's Skin Care Salon, a skin
care and day spa in Dallas, says her Verizon's SuperPages sales rep has been
helpful in keeping her paid listing fresh. Her spa added a spray tanning service
and during the first week the new service was mentioned on her listing, she says
she gained two new clients who mentioned they found her through the Web.
"Your Web site has to be well designed and kept
updated," Ms. Sheetz says, adding that she updates hers at least once a month.
Adding coupons or discount codes to a listing can
help track the business being generated.
Google
recently unveiled a free service that will let businesses offer printable
coupons to consumers through Google Maps.
The Next Step
Businesses looking to build a bigger presence
online may want to consider buying the enhanced listings, which can include more
photos or links, plus better placement in search results. These enhanced
listings compare with the display ads in the print yellow pages and can include
photos, more a detailed business description and customizable links. These
enhanced listings typically can range in price from $10 to $25 a month.
Beyond listings, local businesses can buy the kind
of Internet advertising that Google has turned into a huge business: pay per
click ads. Read more about these ads in the next installment of Web Work.
Mr. Horowitz is a free-lance technology writer based in Morris Plains, N.J.
Email your comments to sjeditor@dowjones.com.
--October 24, 2006
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