Did you know that adding your business to local directory listings can significantly boost your traffic and increase your practice’s exposure on Google? It can! So let’s go over what are directory listings, the most common elements of directory listings, and the benefits of directory listings can bring to your business if managed correctly. This will show you why you should consider directory listings management for med spas like yours.
Let’s get started.
What Are Directory Listings?
Directory listings are like online phonebooks that contain important information about your business, such as your business name, address, phone number, website address, map listing, etc. When someone does a search for a local business, any area businesses that are listed in the local directories will show up. This makes it easier for people to find you. It also helps people find specific information about what your practice does. The good news is that most directory listings are free.
Some examples of business directory listings include Google, Yahoo, Yelp, YP.com, Bing, and LinkedIn. There are literally hundreds (if not more) directories out there.
Why Are Directory Listings Important?
Directory listings are more than just an online phonebook type of directory. They provide much more information about the businesses contained within them. You could think of them as a digital introduction to your practice. When someone is searching for a service, they want to know more about it before bothering to contact that business. They want to know a business’s specifics before wasting their time (and yours) on an inquiry.
What Are the Most Common Elements of a Directory Listing?
There are a variety of elements that are included in a directory listing. Most of this information is your basic business information. Then there are other elements that give the patient more of a deeper dive into what your business is all about. Let’s review some of the most common elements in a directory listing.
- Name – This will be your official business name.
- Address – This is your main business address.
- Phone Number – This is your main business phone number.
- Website URL – This is your website’s main URL.
- Photos – These should be high-quality images that accurately portray your brand and your brand’s personality.
- Videos – These could include tours of your facility, educational information, FAQs, etc.
- Insurances Accepted – These should be the insurance options your practice accepts.
- Business Details – These should include important information like your business hours, your location, what you do, etc. This information should be exactly the same across all channels. For example, you don’t want your business hours to show 9-5 on one site, then say 8-4 on another site. This will only frustrate your patients and could result in them not bothering to contact you at all.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure all the information for each directory listing and your other marketing assets is written, matches, and is formatted in exactly the same way across all your online and offline marketing channels. Your business information should match and remain consistent no matter what you are posting or printing.
What Are the Benefits of Directory Listings?
There are different types of directories. You have national directories, which are large directories, such as the Yellow Pages, the Better Business Bureau, Manta, etc. Then there are local directories that are based on location, such as newspapers, the Chamber of Commerce, etc. Then there are industry-specific directories, which could be any directory that is dedicated to your specific industry, like med spas, etc. It would be beneficial to submit your practice to every possible directory that applies to your industry and geographic region.
Many business owners don’t realize the significance of adding their company to as many business directories as possible. However, the benefits of adding your practice to multiple business directories are many.
Local Search Rankings
Local business directories are based on location. Therefore, if your practice is included in the local business directories, the added exposure will help drive traffic to your website and facility.
Increased Visibility
Directories are most often found at the top of an organic results search page. Patients frequently rely on these listings to find a reputable local plastic/cosmetic surgeon near them. That means when a patient searches for “plastic surgeons near me,” if your business is listed in the local business directories, your practice could be shown to that patient in their search result.
Another example would be Yelp. Most people rely on customer feedback when it comes to making a buying decision. Therefore, being on Yelp could be extremely beneficial not only to your traffic but also to your brand’s reputation.
Brand Credibility
When your practice is listed in the local business directories, it shows your potential patients that your business is real and that you are a reputable practice. This leads to brand credibility and authority in your industry.
Direct Engagement
Having your practice listed in the local business directories makes it easier for your patients and potential patients to contact you. Making it easier to contact you will lead to more patient engagement, which leads to increased business.
How Directory Listings Help You Attract More Patients
Directory listings make it easier for people to find your practice. This is because your information is available in more places. Additionally, directory listings have your business information on them, saving people from having to spend time searching for the information they need.
Here are more ways that directory listings will help you attract more patients.
Improves Your Online Presence
People are already looking for your services online. Therefore, the more places your business information shows up, the more traffic you will get. Additionally, many directories pull their information from larger directories. So it’s possible you could get more exposure from more directories than you actually posted in.
Strengthens Your Reputation
Directory listings are a trusted source of information. And just like people look for social proof on social media and review platforms before they buy something, directories work the same way. The more people see your name on what appears to be a reputable website, like a directory, the more trust they will have in your business. So the more directories your business shows up in, the better it will be for your brand’s reputation.
Increases Brand Awareness
Being listed in local business directories helps your practice gain an advantage over your competitors that are not listed in those directories. This is because when people are searching for more information about any given brand, they look far and wide for proof that the brand is a good choice. So if your practice keeps showing up when someone is researching a service or brand, the more brand awareness your practice will get. This is especially true when your brand keeps showing up in places that your competitors aren’t. Don’t underestimate the power of brand exposure.
Grows Your Local Visibility
Directory listings help increase your local visibility, so you are more easily found on Google. This is because many directory listings use advanced filtering and have suggestion capabilities that help connect people to your business.
Get Discovered More Easily
Oftentimes, people don’t know what they want when doing a search. Therefore, they don’t search for a specific business name or specific service. Local business directory listings will help guide people to your business based on your business directory information and a searcher’s search history. Directory listings also help get your business recommended in the voice search results as well.
How to Get Your Practice Listed in 70+ Business Directories Without Having to Enter Them Individually?
Putting all your business information into a bunch of different directories sounds like a lot of work…and it is! Fortunately, there is an easy way to do it without having to enter everything manually. And that’s by using an online marketing platform called Surefire Local.
Keep reading to learn more about what Surefire Local can do to help you with local business directory listings and nine other daily time-consuming digital marketing tasks.
If you want to have access to 70+ business directory listings and have a tool that can help you perform nine of your most time-consuming daily digital marketing tasks, request a Surefire Local Marketing Platform Demo today.
Attending a Surefire Local Marketing Platform Demo will show you how our business intelligence software works. This will help you make an informed decision about whether our platform is right for you.
The Surefire Local Marketing Platform is available to you at a fraction of the cost of other online tools and resources. And, it’s a lot less expensive than using a digital marketing agency. Surefire Local helps you manage your most important online marketing activities all from one platform.
Our software has provided our clients with…
- 85%+ more customers.
- 34% increase in web traffic due to higher Google rankings.
- More online reviews.
- Placements in 70+ local business directories like Google Local, Yelp, Yahoo, Bing, BBB, Foursquare, Angi, and more. Additionally, you can manage and update them all in one spot.