Creating, Claiming & Editing Your Online Local Business Listings There are multiple search engines, review sites, directory sites and social sites available to list and promote your property online. Creating and claiming these sites will save you time, increase your online presence score and put your Reputation Management to work by alerting you when you receive new activity. Each site has a different type of set up or claim process. This guide will help you create, claim or edit your listings so your Reputation Management (Social Listening) reporting can be as thorough as possible. Local Business Directories List One way local businesses can be found is through inclusion in online directories. Every individual directory that you submit to is another chance to get found online, so it s important to make sure you re listed in every directory possible. We have compiled a list of many popular local directories available on the Internet. - CitySearch (Free and paid advertising option available) - Google+ Local (Free) - Yahoo! Local (Free and paid advertising option available) - Bing Local (Free and paid advertising option available) - Judy s Book (Only paid) - TripAdvisor (Free and paid advertising option available) - Yelp (Free and paid advertising option available) - 411 (Free and paid advertising option available) - Localeze (Free and paid advertising option available) - Local.com (Free and paid advertising option available) - LocalEdge (Only paid) - SuperPages (Free and paid advertising option available) - Weblocal (Free and paid advertising option available) - Yellowbook (Free and paid advertising option available) - Yellow Pages (Free and paid advertising option available) - ZipLocal (Free and paid advertising option available) - DexKnows (Free and paid advertising option available) - ApartmentRatings (Only paid, unless it s a single listing) - YellowBot (Free and paid advertising option available) - Angie s List (Free and paid advertising option available)
Search Engines Bing Local Create a Listing Go to http://www.bingplaces.com and click Get Started. Fill out the form with your business information and click Search. When you see your business, click Select beside it and make necessary updates. Click Submit at the bottom of the page and follow the prompts to verify yourself as the owner of the listing. Go to http://www.bingplaces.com and click Get Started. Fill out the form with your business information and click Search. When you see your business, click Select beside it and make necessary updates. Click Submit at the bottom of the page and follow the prompts to verify yourself as the owner of the listing. Edit Contact Info If you haven t claimed your listing yet, you can make changes to it before you claim it, as explained above. If you have already claimed your listing, visit http://www.bingplaces.com and log into your account to edit your listing. Google Plus Local You will have to sign in using a Gmail account. If you do not have a Gmail account, create one here: https://accounts.google.com/signup. Once you have created your Gmail account, go to http://www.google.com/local/add. Enter your business details on the form and submit. Go to http://plus.google.com/local/add and search for your listing. If the page is available to claim, go to is this your business? Then, click Manage this page. (you will have to sign in using a Gmail account). Enter your business details on the form and submit. Google will provide you the option to verify your business by phone or postcard. Edit Contact Info You must claim your listing in order to edit it - see above. Yahoo! Local Create a Listing To create a listing on Yahoo! Local, go to http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/local-listings/basic-listing/. Select Sign up now, which will then lead you to a login page. You will then have to login with a Yahoo! account, or with a Facebook or Google account. If you do not have any of these accounts, you will have to create a Yahoo! login. Once you are logged in, you will fill out the business information form and click Submit. When you choose to edit the details of your business (see below), you have the option to Edit as a business owner. Choose this link to update the details. Edit Contact Info From local.yahoo.com, search for your company, select Edit Business Details and choose Edit as a business owner. Fill out the form and follow the prompts to complete the process.
Review Sites City Search To add your business to CitySearch, currently you will need to email customerservice@citygrid.com. State that you are requesting a free CityGrid business listing in the subject of your email, and include in your email your business name, contact information, hours, business category, website and social media links. To claim your listing in CitySearch, go to CitySearch.com and search for your business. Select your business, and then click on Unlock this Page on the top right hand corner. You will be brought to a new window. Fill out the form on the left, and click Claim Today to submit. Info The best way to add or fix information is to first claim your listing. Once claimed, you can log in to edit the listing. Insider Pages First, go to http://www.insiderpages.com/ and log into your user account. If you do not have an account, create a user account or sign in via Facebook. You will need to validate and confirm your account by checking your email they send. Search for your business. If it does not show up, click the Add a New Business link at the bottom of the page. After that, fill out the following form and follow the prompts. To claim an existing listing, go to insiderpages.com and search for your business. Select it, and then click on the Claim Business link under the map. Fill out the form to create an Insider Pages account and click Claim Today. Edit Contact Info The best way to add or fix information is to first claim your listing. Once claimed, you can log in to edit the listing. If you choose not to claim your listing, first go to www.insiderpages.com and search for your business. After you select your business, click the Edit Business link under the map. From there you will be prompted to create an Insider Pages account and edit the listing.
Review Sites Cont Judy s Book Select Business Owners under the Our Services heading at the bottom of the page on www.judysbook.com (or click here) to start the sign-up process. Note: This service is not free. There is a monthly fee for a basic listing. Select Claim it under the package you are interested in and then Subscribe to access the form and complete the process. Search for your company and then select Claim your Business on the left side beside the listing details. You will then have to select your package and complete the sign up process as described above. Info To edit your listing, you must first claim it. Once claimed, you can log in to make changes. Alternatively, you can also send an email to correct a listing. Just below the Claim your Business button on your business s page, it says Incorrect info? Send your corrections here. Clicking on this link will open up your default email client and create an email with a predefined recipient, subject line and body text. DO NOT CHANGE anything in this email, except for adding the details of your business where they are asked. After you ve added your details, send this email. Yelp Go to https://biz.yelp.com, click Create your free account now and follow the easy 4-step process to create your listing. Find your business listing by searching for it on www.yelp.com. Under company s address and hours, select the Edit Business Info link. On the resulting page, select Yes for the question, Is this your business? Update the remaining information if it needs updating, enter your email in the appropriate field and submit the changes. Edit Contact Info If you created your listing using your business login on Yelp, you can edit the listing through your account. However, if your listing wasn t created by you, follow the process mentioned above (Claim an existing listing) to edit information on it.
Directory Sites 411.com 411.com partners with Localeze and other data providers to deliver business search results on WhitePages. To add your business to WhitePages business search results, visit Localeze s Add Your Business Listing page and add your information through their website. Once validated, the information will appear in WhitePages business search results. Please allow up to 60 days for information to appear on WhitePages. Visit Localeze s Add Your Business Listing page and search for your business either through the phone number or by name and zip code. Once you find your listing, click on it to view its details. On this page, you will see options to upgrade, claim, modify, or close the listing. Click on Claim this Listing and follow the process. Info To edit a listing, you should first claim it. If you d rather not claim it just yet, visit your listing page (see instructions above) and click on Modify this Listing. You will be required to verify yourself to prove that you re authorized to make changes to the listing through this option as well. Dex Knows To create a listing on DexKnows.com, visit DexOne.com and click Free Online Profile at the very bottom of the page. Submit info a representative will contact you with more information. Alternatively, you can also contact Dex One Customer Care at 1-877-4-Dex-Biz (1-877-433-9249). Create a profile link: http://www.dexknows.com/info/build.asp Edit a profile link: http://www.dexknows.com/ Listings are created by business owners only; therefore, you will never have a listing you didn t create yourself. Info When you create your listing, you will be required to create a login. To make changes to your listing, you can log in to your account and edit business details. Local.com Select Advertise with Us at the top or bottom of the page on www.local.com. Fill out the form and click Get Started to follow their sign up process. The process to claim a listing starts in the same way as the one to create a listing see above. Search for your company on http://www.local.com and select Sign in to update this listing and follow the process.
Directory Sites Cont LocalEdge.com LocalEdge is a paid service. To create a business listing, visit www.localedge.com and search for your business. If your business doesn t appear in the list, you will see a box on the right saying Get Listed Today, and the link: Click Here to Get Started. Click on that link and fill out your information. Someone from LocalEdge will contact you with further instructions. It is very unlikely you will have an unclaimed listing. But if for some reason someone has created an account for your business, visit the listing page and click on Is this your business? and follow the prompts. Once you have created an account with LocalEdge and claimed your listing (or created one), you can log in to access your listing and make changes. link: www.localedge.com Superpages.com Visit www.supermedia.com and click Claim Your Listing at the top of the page. This will bring up a search box where you can enter the phone number for your business to search for it. If you haven t already created a listing, the search will come up empty, and the page will give you an option to Add your business. Click on Select beside this sentence and click on the Next button that appears below it. Follow the steps thereafter to enter the rest of the details for your listing. Visit www.supermedia.com and click Claim Your Listing at the top of the page. This will bring up a search box where you can enter the phone number for your business to search for it. If you already have a listing, the search will bring it up in the results, and you ll see a Select button beside your listing in the search results. Once you click on it, the sentence Continue to edit your listing will appear. Click on it and follow the steps to edit your listing. The best way to add or fix information is to first claim your listing. If you d rather not claim your listing just yet, search for your company on www.superpages.com and select Improve this Listing under the Info tab. Make your changes and submit.
Directory Sites Cont Yellow Book Go to the Yellowbook360 Business Center. You will have to create a Business Center account by clicking the CREATE ONE FOR FREE link or the Create an Account button on that page. Once you are a member (or if you were already), you can sign in by entering your email address and password in the sign in area. Once signed in, click Claim your FREE business profile and then select Add your Business Listing. Search for your business on www.yellowbook.com and visit your listing page. On this page, click on the Claim this listing link on the right sidebar. Continue through their sign up process and follow the prompts to claim your listing. The best way to add or fix information is to first claim your listing. If you d rather not claim your listing just yet, visit your listing page (see above) and click on the Report Incorrect Info link on the right sidebar. Fill out the form and submit. YellowBot At the bottom of the page under Submit a business, select the link that says add your business listing. Fill out the form and follow the prompts. You will have to create a YellowBot account. Search for your business on www.yellowbot.com and click on the relevant listing in the search results. On the listing page, select Is this your business? Claim it now! under the address and website URL. You will have to choose a membership option and create a YellowBot account. You will then be able to follow their process to claim your listing. The best way to update your listing is to claim it first. If you d rather not do it just yet but still want to report a correction for your listing, visit your listing page (see above) and click on the Submit a Correction link right below the link that says claim your listing. On the page that comes up, you will see a Submit corrections button beside this text: Just looking to be a good neighbor and submit corrections for this listing? Click on it, sign into your account on the next page, and follow the prompts to submit your corrections.
Directory Sites Cont Yellowpages Go to http://adsolutions.yp.com/ and click on Get Your Free Listing. Follow the prompts to create your free listing. You can claim your listing in two possible ways: 1. Go to http://adsolutions.yp.com/ and click on Get Your Free Listing. When you fill in your company information on the first page and select Continue, your company will come up on a list. Select it and continue through the form. 2. Go to www.yellowpages.com and search for your business. Once you find your listing s page, click on Is Your Business? Take charge of this listing link, and follow the process. You can edit your listing in two possible ways: 1. Search for your company on www.yellowpages.com. When you see your listing appear in the search results, hover over it to reveal the Improve this listing link. Clicking on this link will open up a form, which you can fill out to correct or update your listing. 2. Search for your company on www.yellowpages.com and select Edit info for this business beside Business Details. This will bring up a form, which you can fill out to correct or update your listing. Ziplocal Select Update Listings at the bottom of the page on http://www.ziplocal.com. Enter your phone number. If it s not found, select add this number, fill out the form, and submit. There is no separate process to claim a listing than the one to update it. See below. Select Update Listings at the bottom of the page and enter your phone number. When your business comes up, select it. You can then select either Update your listing or Add more information to edit the general contact info, or Update or add Business Profile to add more detailed information about your company. Before you submit the form, select that you are the business owner at the bottom of the page.
Social Sites Facebook Create Company Page Create a Facebook Page by clicking here. Select the type of Page you would like created (most likely Local Business or Place). After entering the required information, you will be prompted to log in to an existing Facebook account or create a new one. If you do not currently have a Facebook account, please select I do not have a Facebook account. Enter your email address and date of birth. Editing Company Page Once you log in to the account you created or used when creating your Facebook Page, you will see it listed on the left under PAGES. You can click on this page to edit information on it. Claiming an Existing Page and/or Merging Duplicate Pages A Facebook Page may exist for your business even if you or someone else from your business didn t create it. This happens for a variety of reasons. For example, when someone checks into a place that doesn t already have a Page, a new Page gets created to represent the location. If you ve been removed as an admin of a Page that you want to manage, try contacting the current admins directly, if you know them. If you re the official representative of an organization, business, celebrity, or band and someone else has created a Page for it, report the Page. If no one is managing the Page, you can request to claim it. From the Page, click the menu. Select Is this your business? Follow the steps that appear on your screen. Add and verify information about your business, such as the address and website and click Continue. Next, Facebook will ask you to claim your Page to prevent other people from becoming an admin without your permission. Choose to verify your connection to the business by Email or by uploading Documentation. 1. Email: Choose this option if you have an email address associated with your Facebook account that is officially issued to you by your business. Email addresses from generic providers like Yahoo! or Gmail will not be accepted. The email address should correspond to your business s name (jane.doe@acmeproducts.com). 2. Documentation: Upload a scan or photo of an official document that shows your business s name and address (e.g.: phone bill, business license, business tax file, articles of incorporation, etc.) Click Submit. It could take up to one week for the Facebook Pages team to review your claim request and respond. If your request is accepted, you become an admin of the Page and can begin managing it. Once you ve claimed your Page, you can merge it with any duplicate Pages that you may have. The Pages must represent the same thing and have similar names to be eligible for merging. Additionally, if the Pages have physical locations, make sure the addresses are the same.
Social Sites Cont Foursquare Before adding your venue on Foursquare, you should check to see if an entry for it already exists. To check this, you can go to www.foursquare.com and search for your venue. If no venue exists for your search, the resulting page will give you an option to Add a new place to foursquare. Create a personal account at www.foursquare.com or log in to your existing account. Then search for your business at www.foursquare.com/search, and click the name of your business to go to your listing. On this page, click the Claim here link after Do you manage this location? at the bottom of the right sidebar (you may need to scroll down). To edit a listing, you have to claim it first (see above). After you ve claimed a location, you can edit its details by logging in your account. LinkedIn Create a Company Page Before you add a company page on LinkedIn, make sure you meet LinkedIn s requirements to be able to add a company page and that your company doesn t already have one. To check if your company page already exists, just log into your account on www.linkedin.com, and where it says People on the search box drop down area, change it to Companies. Type the name of your company in the search box and see if it shows up in the search results. If it doesn t, visit http://www.linkedin.com/company/add/show and follow the steps. If the work email address you provide is an unconfirmed email address on your LinkedIn account, a message will be sent to that address. Follow the instructions in the message to confirm your email address and then use the instructions above to add the Company Page. NOTE: Because domains like gmail.com or yahoo.com or similar generic email services are not unique to one company, those domains cannot be used to create a Company Page. You might consider creating a group if your company doesn t have a unique email domain. Editing a Company Page Sign in to your LinkedIn account and hover over the Companies menu. If you ve created the company page or have been added as an administrator, you will see a blue Edit button. You can click on it or hover over the drop down arrow beside it for more options. Twitter Create an Account Go to www.twitter.com and sign up. Fill out the form to create your account. Once created and logged in, you can edit your logo and colors. Update Profile To make any changes to your account, just log in on www.twitter.com and select your profile name in the top right corner. Select Settings from the drop down menu to make changes to your profile, account information, and more.