GetListed.org: Starter Tool for Local Search Marketing

GetListed.org has the potential to develop into the ideal starter tool for business owners who want to take full advantage of local listings in major search engines like Google Maps and Yahoo!Local. In addition to the two, the site also checks rankings in Best of the Web Local and Live Search Local Listing Center.

Local search is not a huge traffic driver, but it is a good starting point for SEO: statistically, about 70% of the users use a local search engine or directory when they look to purchase products or services. Local targeting enables businesses to go specifically after their “ready to buy” consumers. Local listings give visibility without having to spend a fortune on other search engine marketing campaigns (like pay per click, sponsored listings, etc.).

After 10 years of search engine marketing however (since Google launched), there are still businesses that aren’t even familiar with SEO as a general discipline, and they are even less familiar with local SEO. For this reason, competing for high rankings on local searches is pretty easy – in a future article I will reveal a few tips that give good results.

GetListed.org offers tools to start a local search SEO campaign. The most popular local search destinations are precisely the four programmed in the GetListed.org LocalDashboard: Google Maps, Yahoo!Local, BOTW Local and Live Search Local. Before a business spends money submitting to other local business directories, they should make sure they get listed in the directories mentioned above.

GetListed.org does not provide an automated submission tool – the site just pulls in information about a company based on company name and ZIP code and offers a general overview about the listings for that company.

There are also additional details such as photos, videos and customer reviews that factor into a listing score – a percentage that indicates how effectively a business is listed in the local directories covered by GetListed.org. The site also offers a “to do” panel, links to the directories’ “add listing” submission forms, and tips like why it is important to claim your listings.

Although I was able to check the listings for my own company (Germany based) – the site was designed to serve mainly US-based businesses. It only has company name and ZIP code fields, offering no possibility to select country. I expect in the future to see more directories added – like Craigslist, YellowPages and White Pages and other international directories that will actually make the tool useful for every business in the world.

All in all, GetListed.org is a simple, free and effective tool for any small business, and it already got some positive reviews from reputable SEOs.