Consumers’ Trust of Business Listings – And How They Are Used

We’ve talked a lot about Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) lately. Last week, we tackled Apple Maps, their decision to prioritize the user experience – and how this will impact your local business clients. This week we’re taking a look at business listings, bad data, how it’s created and why to keep it updated.

How Consumers Use Business Listings

We know that Google expects to see accurate business listings, but have you considered how consumers use business listings? BrightLocal took a deeper look at consumer thoughts on business listings and published their findings in their Business Listings Trust Report 2021.

Business Listings Trust Report Key Findings

• 94% of consumers have used a business information site to find information about a local business in the last 12 months
• The most commonly used sources of business information: 1) Google, 2) Facebook, 3) Yelp, 4) Instagram, 5) Siri
• Finding incorrect information on a business listing would stop 63% of consumers from using that business
• 85% of consumers found incorrect or incomplete information on a business listing in the last year
• In the past 12 months, 81% of consumers visited a business that said online it was open, but that was actually closed due to the pandemic

Are You Keeping Your Clients’ Local Business Listings Updated?

At Advice Local, we’ve been discussing the importance of keeping business listings updated, particularly with the pandemic disruption. Last month we talked about the features added by Google Business Profile, Yelp and Bing to help businesses keep customers informed about COVID-19 protocols.

If you haven’t updated your clients’ listings yet, now is a good time to add a COVID announcement along with vaccine, mask and other health & safety attributes. As the previous stats suggest, thanks to poor communication there’s a lot of frustrated consumers out there. Google, Yelp and Bing have made it easy to update listings, and I’m sure your clients will thank you for keeping their customers updated.

Ongoing Business Listings Updates Will Pay Off for Clients

But COVID-19 updates aren’t all you need to be focusing on. Local businesses require accurate NAP (name, address and phone number) data across the internet. Updated business listings improve visibility in local search. At Advice Local, we distribute local business data in real time, so whether you are submitting a local business for the first time or making an update, we can take care of it.

Our white-label solution includes business listing management, updates and optimization along with voice search submissions to Siri, Alexa and more. And what about data aggregators? Data aggregators submit business information far and wide, but the data needs to be accurate and monitored closely. Our Advice Local partners can get clients’ business data submitted to the main data aggregators at no extra cost.

Do You Need a Comprehensive Business Listings Solution?

Accurate business listings are essential if your clients hope to satisfy both local customers and Google. Our listing management services take care of it all. Request a demo to see for yourself just how our listing management solution can work for you. Call (214) 310-1356 to learn more today.