The Complete Guide to Business Listing Management In 2023

Finding new paying clients is a top priority for any small business or entrepreneur — it’s also a major challenge.



One highly effective way businesses gain better visibility to their target audience is through meticulous business listing management. By ensuring consistent and accurate online listings, businesses can build their online presence , increase local search rankings, and captivate potential customers.



In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how you can take total ownership of your business listings with optimal business listing management methods. 



What is Business Listing Management?



Business listing management is the process of making sure your company’s information is consistently and accurately represented across all digital listing platforms.  These include directories, search engines, social media platforms, review sites, and more. 



Your goal with business listing management is to provide potential customers with correct and congruent details about your business, such as:




Name



Address



Phone number



Hours of operation



Products and services



Photos, videos, and other media




But it’s not just about static information. Maintaining business listings involves actively monitoring, updating, and responding to any changes or reviews related to your business. Examples include new products and services, menus (for restaurants), and video tours. 



The Importance of Business Listing Management



Almost half of all Google searches use local search to discover a business. Consumers rely heavily on online data and directories to make informed purchasing decisions. The “near me” phrase has jumped in usage in recent years. 






This makes managing your business listings an absolutely critical part of your business procedure if you’re to establish trust, improve local search and online visibility, and attract more paying customers. 



There are four main areas where business listing management helps achieve this goal:



Be found in local search results



Most consumers see the first listings in local search engine results like Google, Bing, and Apple. Ranking on top here is critical since they net  24%  of all clicks, and 92% of users choose businesses on the first page of the local search results page. 



This illustration by Brian Dean of  Backlinko  breaks down what’s seen in a local search on Google. Business listings influence both local and organic search results for a local business.



Types of business listings found on a local Google search (via Backlinko)


This doesn’t include the  Knowledge Graph , where Google surfaces review excerpts, helpful facts, and social media channels. But generally, this gives you an idea of where business listings are commonly shown. 



We suggest claiming and optimizing your  Google Business Profile ,  Apple Maps listings ,  Yelp listing , and other directories. Google My Business integrates with Google Search and Maps to display your business info and map location to nearby searchers.



Similarly, having a claimed and updated Apple Maps listing helps you appear in local iOS search results. Monitor your listings on Bing Places as well to maximize search engine visibility.



Appear on relevant directory sites



The fact is that 94% of consumers have used a directory site to learn about a local business within the last year.



With millions of monthly visits, having optimally categorized and updated listings on Yelp, Yellow Pages, Yahoo, and other business directories related to your business is essential for local marketing and discoverability.



Yellow page business listing example for a plumber in Phoenix


Manage your online reviews



Many consumers trust online reviews more than personal recommendations. That means that user-generated reviews on Facebook, Yelp, and, in particular, Google are crucial to your online visibility. 



Monitoring and promptly responding to customer feedback helps manage your online reputation. With advances in search engine optimization (SEO) and Google’s reliance on “authoritativeness” in its algorithm, positive reviews now signal quality to search engines. 



This improves the ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs). Staying on top of reviews on the most popular sites for your industry helps improve visibility and customer experience. 



Here’s an example when looking for  reviews about Nextiva . Not only did we earn the top organic spot, but our business listing has been expanded with other additional info for visitors. This additional “real estate” enhances our company’s visibility in search.






Pay attention to voice search results and featured reviews as well.



For example, “ Hey Google, what A/C repair company is open now? ” Google would aggregate these insights from local business listings and the user’s location and suggest a couple of top-rated brands. 



Maintain up-to-date listing information



Ensuring all information is correct across your directory listings and maintaining up-to-date listing information is crucial. 



In fact, finding incorrect information on a business listing stopped  63%  of consumers from using that business. Plus, 85% of consumers find incorrect or incomplete information in directories, making managing online listings difficult. Remember, consistent business information is essential for proper business listing management. 



Set a reminder to review your name, address, phone number, business hours, and other essential listing details every quarter to catch any discrepancies or necessary updates.



Steps to Manage Your Business Listings



It’s clear that effective local business listing management is essential to online visibility, establishing customer trust, and finding new clients. 



With this in mind, you need to approach local listing management as an ongoing process of optimizing and updating information to make sure your local SEO strategy is effective and profitable. 



Here are the key steps to an effective business listing management plan: 



Step 1: Audit your existing listings



Tracking all the places you are found online (your “local citations”) across all business locations is the first step in your business listing strategy. 



Open an  Incognito  (or  private ) browser window. This helps you see a less personalized set of search results based on your past searches. 



Audit where your business is currently listed online. Search for your business name and keywords across search engines, directories, and review sites. Create a spreadsheet of your listings so it’s easy to track in the future. 



Look for duplicate listings or outdated information that could be consolidated, updated, or optimized. 



Step 2: Claim and optimize listing profiles



For any listings you don’t yet control, go through the process of claiming or creating a profile. You may need to provide documentation for verification purposes, such as a utility bill.



For Google, this means verifying your Google Business Profile. Optimize your profile completely by adding photos, descriptions, services, and other details searchers want to know.



Follow the same process for Apple Maps, Bing, Facebook, and any important vertical directories. Consistent, robust profiles help conversions and establish a solid online presence.



Step 3: Expand your listing footprint



Once your core listings are claimed and optimized, expand your listings to any relevant directories for your location and niche. Ensure you continue adding new directory listings to your tracking spreadsheet to help with future listing management. 



Businesses like restaurants, hotels, gyms, salons, and professional services should aim for 50+ high-quality local directory citations. The broader your local listing footprint, the better.



Step 4: Enable real-time updates



The more listings you have, the harder it is to keep them all updated and congruent. This is why enabling real-time updates across your listings makes your life far easier and ensures accurate information across your listings. 



Achieve real-time updates by connecting your listings to your website and business data sources. You can do this with API integration to automatically sync changes to names, addresses, phone numbers, menus, or services.



Step 5: Monitor and respond to reviews



Managing reviews protects your reputation, which is what online business listings are all about. 



Checking review sites regularly and promptly responding to customer feedback cultivates positive experiences and encourages customers to leave more reviews. 



Responding to satisfied customers boosts listing visibility.


Politely addressing constructive criticism improves perception and allows you to share your side of the story! Also, monitoring your reviews allows you to report any false or defamatory reviews for moderation. 



Business Listing Management Tools and Services



Upon reading the above processes for managing your online business listings, you’ve undoubtedly thought, “This looks like a lot of work.” 



It is. 



Manually monitoring dozens, if not hundreds, of online listings across multiple search engines, directories, social media platforms, and review sites is time-consuming, tedious, and error-prone. 



Customer review dashboard of business listings from Nextiva.


This is why most businesses use a  business listing management tool  to automate much of the heavy lifting. 



All-in-one tools



All-in-one tools are a great solution for any business or entrepreneur looking to offload their business listing management responsibilities and free up hours of their time. 



Nextiva’s review management platform streamlines customer reviews in one dashboard.


Robust all-in-one local listing management tools like Nextiva, Moz Local, and Semrush provide:




Listing monitoring across search engines, directories, social media, and review sites



Alerts for inconsistent, duplicate, or incomplete listings



Bulk profile claiming and updating



Real-time sync through API connections



Review monitoring and response templates




These solutions combine listing optimization, reputation management, local SEO, and analytics in one dashboard. They’ll save you hours per week managing listings.



Specialized tools



Some businesses, such as startups, small businesses, and solo entrepreneurs, won’t need or won’t be able to afford the comprehensive services of all-in-one business listing management services. 



In such cases, specialized software tools and managed listing services, which focus on specific aspects of listing management, can be good alternatives. 



These include:




Listing management:  Tools like Yext help claim and update listings across key directories



Review management platforms:  Tools like Nextiva or Birdeye to monitor and respond to reviews



Marketing agencies:  Ongoing monitoring and updates across channels based on their talent and software. 




After starting with one of these specialized options, scaling to an all-in-one platform is always a viable choice later.



Outsourcing services



If you want to fully outsource listing management, hiring a local digital marketing agency or freelancer to handle it is possible.



Agencies update and monitor listings across channels and provide regular reports and recommendations. Small business owners can focus on running day-to-day operations without spending valuable hours on tedious business listing tasks.



Business Listing Management Best Practices



It should be clear that consistently monitoring and updating your online business profiles reaps major dividends for local visibility, reputation, and reaching potential customers. 



Whether you choose to manage your business listings yourself or whether you opt for an outsourced option, it’s best practice to ensure you or your provider are continuously doing the following: