To help you understand Listings, we've put together this easy FAQ guide to answer your most commonly asked questions.
1. What is Listings?
Listings enable every kind of local business or public institution (e.g. shops, restaurants, doctors and healthcare businesses) to automatically optimize their online presence for local searches. Using Listings, you ensure that your business will be found as quickly and as frequently as possible when users search for directions, opening hours, reviews, recommendations or events.
2. How do Listings work?
Your location data is stored in your Reputations dashboard in the Listings manager, and managed in the cloud. Using this dashboard, you can simply add, edit or remove data of your physical location. Just save your data, and we'll automatically update your business information and share it across all (online) platforms. Since Listings is cloud-based, the data is always up-to-date and accessible anywhere, anytime. That's how simple Listings is to use!
3. Is all my data securely and confidentially stored?
Of course! All non-public and company-related data concerning your business is hosted exclusively on Dutch and German data centers of our partner True Matrix 1&1 Internet, which are subject to the strict security requirements and maximum privacy compliance.
4. What benefits do I get from using the Growth Plan?
Our plan offers a range of perks benefits. In essence, it's all about supporting local businesses and Listings in getting more physical traffic. This starts with acquiring new customers through local search and ends with Managing Reviews. Listings allows you to update and manage all your important business info from a central platform. Using this plan, you'll appear on all the channels relevant to you and your customers. All this in considerably less time and effort compared to manually entering the data for each location and platform.
Your business information will be synchronized daily, updated if required, and protected from any third party modification. This means that your business details will be consistent everywhere and always up to date.
5. What information will be included in my listings?
Different listing platforms will require different types of information. However, these are some of the things that may be included in your listings: Address, opening hours, URL, e-mail, telephone number, keywords, company descriptions (short and long text), social media profiles, logo, photos, landscape photo, payment methods, services, languages, special events, offers and deals.
6. Why is appearing on local searches and platforms important for my business?
Over 30% of all searches are carried out within a local context. To help your business get found by customers in your area, you should be listed with correct details on as many local channels as possible. Most small businesses have a clear local or regional focus and, therefore, aim to appeal to people from the immediate surroundings. In addition to an excellent website, Listings is an effective means of presenting your business with always up-to-date and consistent information on the relevant portals and, thus, optimizing your business' online presence.
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7. Does Listings replace search engine optimization (SEO)?
Not quite - but along with your website, Listings works to boost your SEO. Listings essentially maximises your business's online visibility. By listing your business with correct and consistent details on as many channels as possible, your business becomes more relevant for search engines like Google and will be found more easily. SEO involves many other measures, such as optimizing your website. But Listings perfectly complements traditional SEO and can be considered the first important step to maximizing your business' online visibility.
8. How does Listings improve my ranking on search engines like Google?
The higher the number of consistent listings a search engine identifies of your business, the more likely it is the information is evaluated as accurate, up-to-date and important. Accordingly, the search engine concludes that your business is relevant to search queries in your area. Adding the right category and keywords will improve search results and therefore traffic. In addition, you are listed in the Google-owned channels "Google My Business" and "Google Maps". This also has a positive effect on your search ranking.
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9. How can I request my Listings?
If you're haven't upgraded to Plus or Growth yet, click here to do so first. And if you're already a paid user, just login to your Hub here and head to the Pro Features tab. Then, request your Listings by clicking on Listings Manausing your dashboard to start appearing on platforms everywhere in just days.
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We hope that this has answered most of your Listing questions!
Need a hand?
If you need any further assistance, please message our support team or get real-time help on our Live Chat!