If you have a business license, you also are invariably now listed in myriad so-called "local search" websites. Also nicknamed "yellow pages" sites, they indeed include www.yellowpages.com as well as those associated with the well-known search engines like Google Places, Yahoo Local, BingPlaces, and review sites like Yelp and FourSquare. In fact, almost all of these local search sites are now "review" sites. So, what's the problem?
The problem is that these sites were populated with just the basic data that could be obtained from the local taxing authorities. Thus, while it's likely got your business name, address, and perhaps phone number, it's invariably missing your email address, your website URL, any description of your products and services, operating hours, etc. In order to correct and augment these listings, the process is that you go to these sites and "claim" your business. Typically, the sites will either phone or mail you at the addresses they got from the tax authorities to confirm that you actually control the business. Once claimed, you can edit the content, usually including the addition of a logo and/or photo(s). The base listings are usually free, although premium features like videos and more photos are often offered.
There are a variety of services like Yext, LocalWorks, and Brandify that allow you to go to just one place to update your information on a bunch of sites. They may also alert you when there is activity, such as a new review or a new Facebook "like". Their downside is that they charge $20-$50 per month, which is not affordable by many small businesses. However, most of them have a free trial period, so I'd advise that you use them to get everything cleaned up initially, and then drop them. Alternatively, there are also free "aggregator" sites like expressupdate that provide a one-stop shop to update key data, although usually not things like photos or videos.
The problem is that these sites were populated with just the basic data that could be obtained from the local taxing authorities. Thus, while it's likely got your business name, address, and perhaps phone number, it's invariably missing your email address, your website URL, any description of your products and services, operating hours, etc. In order to correct and augment these listings, the process is that you go to these sites and "claim" your business. Typically, the sites will either phone or mail you at the addresses they got from the tax authorities to confirm that you actually control the business. Once claimed, you can edit the content, usually including the addition of a logo and/or photo(s). The base listings are usually free, although premium features like videos and more photos are often offered.
There are a variety of services like Yext, LocalWorks, and Brandify that allow you to go to just one place to update your information on a bunch of sites. They may also alert you when there is activity, such as a new review or a new Facebook "like". Their downside is that they charge $20-$50 per month, which is not affordable by many small businesses. However, most of them have a free trial period, so I'd advise that you use them to get everything cleaned up initially, and then drop them. Alternatively, there are also free "aggregator" sites like expressupdate that provide a one-stop shop to update key data, although usually not things like photos or videos.
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