CITATIONS / DIRECTORIES

Why it is important for you to be in many "phone books"

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The internet and computers have made many things easier. In some cases things have become a bit more complicated. It used to be your company was listed in the phone book and maybe in a couple of specialized directories and that was all you had to worry about. Not anymore. There are several things you now need to do:

• Get listed in as many directories as possible
• Fill out the listings as completely as possible
• Get the listings verified if necessary

Directory strategy -
​so more people can find you

The problem now is that there are dozens or hundreds of directories that you can be listed in. Some are bigger and have more influence than others, such as Yelp and Foursquare.

So instead of getting listed in a couple of places, many companies are getting listed in dozens. If your company is listed in two and your competitor is listed in 25 or 50, they are more likely to be seen for 2 reasons.

1. Because they are in more listings, people searching the internet are more likely to find them. If you aren't in the phone book, no one can find you.
2. Because they have more listings, which gives a stronger web presence, search engines are likely to rank them higher

directory ranking

Just as the search engines have rankings,the directories have rankings as well. They are basically mini search engines with a special focus. You can sometimes force them to list  things in alphabetical order, but normally they list the order by what they think will most interest you. The order may be somewhat influenced by whether a company is advertising or not. But there are other important factors.

If you just enter the company's name, phone and website, your company probably won't show up very often if at all. As with the search engines, they want the user to have a robust experience. So the companies that fill out the listing with lots of details and descriptions and pictures will be listed ahead of those that don't.

Then there is verification which can go by other names as well. Some of the directories will call you to confirm the information in the listing and others will send a post card with a code. You need to enter that code to have the listing verified. Verified listings are more likely to show up.

citation listings

​ A citation is very simple. It just means that your company has been mentioned or listed on another website with three pieces of information: company name, address, and phone. This includes the directories and can include many other sites as well. As with directories, it is best to be included as many places as possible.

When you include the directories in the count, some companies have 100 or even 200 citations. This gives them a definite advantage over companies that have none or one or two.

citation consistency

It is important that your company information is consistent across the different citations. Often companies move or change phone numbers and different citations have different information and often the wrong information.

If the information is wrong, it makes it difficult for customers to find you. They will just move on to the next company. If the information is inconsistent, it will hurt your website's ranking with the search engines.

directories and citations leads to more lead generation

As seen on the Search Engine Optimization page, there is more to ranking than just this, but it is an important piece of the puzzle. And even without the search engine ranking being a factor, wouldn't you want your company information in as many "phone books" as possible?

Enchanted Marketing can help you get complete listings in many directories and citation locations so more customers will be able to find you.

To find out more about how Enchanted Marketing can help you, fill out the form at the top, or call:

443-955-5536