Best Listings for Service Area Business?
-
Hi Moz community!
I'm wondering the best places to get a local service area business listed online? I'm working with a client who installs synthetic grass around Vancouver, but could apply to any local SAB ... I found this resource from Local Visibility Systems but it's almost 5 years old at this point ...
I started setting up an Apple Maps Connect account but it doesn't seem like they support the concept. Is there a way to hide an address in Apple Maps Connect? Is it worth submitting at all?
Does anyone have a comprehensive list of modern directories that matter for local SEO that support SABs?
Thanks very much everyone! - Paul
-
My pleasure, Paul! Thanks for asking a good question
-
Thanks Miriam, much appreciated!
-
Hi Paul!
Phil actually did a piece one year later as a follow-up to that first one you've linked to. I want to be sure you've seen:
I do not know of a more recent list of directories that support hidden addresses. Regarding your question about Apple Maps Connect, the answer to that was not easy to find, so I actually reached out to Phil (given his expertise in this particular area) and he let me know that, no, unfortunately, hidden addresses are not supported by that platform.
Phil's two lists should still be largely accurate. Hope this helps.
-
Interesting. I guess any service-based business has that issue. In your case, some people might actually want to see the product and "show up at his door". I think if he's okay giving out his address the only thing you can do is make it clear on his website that there is no showroom, no product on display at the business address and/or offer publicly accessible places where anyone could go and see it (if possible).
Maybe others will have different suggestions.
-
Thanks Donna! To clarify, my client is happy to give a mailing address to the directory, but runs the business out of his house and doesn't serve customers there, so the key is to make the distinction so customers don't show up at his door.
-
It's harder to rank on the map without an address, but I see people all the time who are. I would look at different search phrases on the various sites like Yelp, Apple Maps, etc. and see if you can find examples of businesses without an address. What kind of citations do they have.
Especially with local search, you frequently have to do the research yourself. Different cities and industries don't have the same power citations. You have to find the ones that are right for you.
-
Are you asking if there is a more up-to-date list of directories that don't require a physical mailing address? If yes, I'm not aware of one. It's probably not worth investing a lot of time researching either. If you or client doesn't want his or her mailing address listed, then your best bet is to focus on organic and/or PPC unless they're a niche player with very little competition.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Best Practices for Businesses Considering Going Fully Remote
How do we stay relevant in local search rankings without a physical office? What are some best practices to employ before the office is closed? What are other things we have to consider?
Local Listings | | Parker8180 -
Best Approach for GMB/Local Optimization for Central Office with Multiple Locations
Hello, Our site is designed to place people in different locations or houses. We have six locations total; each one has its own name, physical address and landing page. We also have a central office for the brand with its own NAP. All addresses fall under the guidelines of Google My Business (i.e. people visit each location and our office...etc.). Unless it’s ideal, we most likely wouldn’t be running a full-scale local campaign for each location due to restrictions on resources and wouldn’t want to spread ourselves too thin. Our question is; would it be best to set up a GMB listing for each location including our central office, only use the central office or just the 6 locations? – We know multiple locations is not an issue for GMB but we weren’t sure if that’s the ideal way to approach it in this case. Essentially, would it be better to focus on our central office for GMB/local efforts and just make sure that our other location landing pages are the highest quality possible or better to use GMB for every location (including the main office) and over time start local work on all of the above. Also, if we do only use just the central office; should we be avoiding listing the other addresses on each landing page to avoid confusing Google as to where we are located? Any help or insight on how to approach this would be very much appreciated. Looking forward to hearing from all of you! Thank you. Best,
Local Listings | | Ben-R1 -
Best Practice When Selling One Location of Company with Multiple Branches - Local Search
I have a client with a small business with 4 different branches. Currently, we have a main landing page for the company, plus distinct landing pages for each branch with maps, territories, distinct phone numbers, etc., for each branch. The company recently sold one of the branches to a competitor as they do not want to service that area anymore. They have asked me what they should do now. Obviously, we are going to remove the location page for that branch, but we also need to transfer the phone number to the other company for use as part of the sale. What tasks should I look into for separating the branch from the rest of the company while still maintaining best practice for the rest of the site/company? Thank you for your help and suggestions.
Local Listings | | Ayres-SEO0 -
Multiple Google Business Pages/ Backlinks for Google Maps
Hello, I represent several attorneys in the metro Atlanta area. In doing my research with open site explorer and other tools I am finding that many of the competitors have more that one, if not several personal and branded Google business pages.
Local Listings | | underdogmike
So this raises several questions while I go through my Local SEO strategy. How Many Google+/My Business Pages Can A Business Owner Have? Should I be creating backlinks for the Google Business Pages as I do for my clients website? I noticed that some of the competitors are creating backlinks with their Google Map Location URL, is this a best practice? In addition to those questions, I am curious about the various different Google+ pages that are available to business owners.
As of now, I create and cultivate the following Google Pages for my clients: Claim a GMB Page and optimize it with photos and accurate information Attached to the GMB Page there is a Google + Page(this is where I share blogs and updates for the business). Upon further review I feel like there are a few steps that I am missing in regards to the Google + pages. Listed below are the links to Local Market leader for Criminal Defense in Woodstock GA. From what I can tell he has 4 separately branded Google+ pages that are all verified. https://plus.google.com/104434819427186216811/about https://plus.google.com/113476381600385352368/about https://plus.google.com/104300020905072698361/about https://plus.google.com/103523192982501886740/about Should I be taking the same approach?0 -
Using same business number on different websites
Hello, I have number of websites in different locations with different business name and address with verified listings. However, I am thinking to use the same phone number on all the websites as it is difficult for me to keep track of all the numbers. So, is it okay to use the same phone number on different websites with different business name and address? Waiting for your thoughts. Brian
Local Listings | | BrianBotts.0 -
Yext Power Listings and SEO Question...
Hi, I was wondering if anyone that has used Yext's Power Listings has experienced any negative (or positive) organic SEO results. As you know if you've used Yext, it creates a ton of links from directories. I think they're mainly no-follow links, but wanted to check if anyone has had experience (either good, bad, or neutral) regarding impact on organic results. Thanks.
Local Listings | | mrodriguez14400 -
Local sites to make sure I'm listed in - which ones?
I'd love to know what sites this community deems most important when looking at whether my business & site are listed there. I know the obvious - Google Places, Yahoo Maps, Bing Local, Yelp. Foursquare. What others do you consider to be "mission critical" to the general market? Thanks!
Local Listings | | wcksmith10 -
Why does it take so long for citations to get listed?
I understand that several citation places take over a month to get listed, but I just don't understand why. Granted, there's nothing I can do about it, but I'm just curious what the hold up is based on. Thanks, Ruben
Local Listings | | KempRugeLawGroup0