Having a business listing on an online directory is a great thing because it lets people know who you are and what you can offer them. It’s a great way to do some advertising if nothing else. Yet having a local business listing is rarely enough to get enough customer traffic to be sustainable.
Therefore it’s also really important to link your site with other local business listings; it’s like cross referencing, it’s good for both parties because if one gets searched or hit on then the other one is likely to be looked at as well. Simply having others talking about you in regards to their company will ring the customer base to a higher level.
For example if a person is renovating their house and looks up local carpenters then it would also be helpful to have the local carpentry listing associated with other listings that have to do with carpentry; things like lumber suppliers as well as painters. It will benefit everybody because everyone associated with that type of work will be displayed and advertised.
Having numerous citations, links, or references to your business from other listings and websites is very important because it will allow search engines to find you easier. Hen searching for the best possible results a search engine will check to see how many links and references there are to your business from other businesses. It also works the other way around, the more links you have to other places, websites, and companies the more like it is that you will get a hit on Google, Bing, or any other search engine.
Cross linking different companies and listings with each other is especially great for smaller companies that don’t have enough money or manpower to do as much marketing and advertising. People that don’t have their own websites may especially benefit from this because it is a way to advertise and let people know who you are without having to have a website. Simply contact other companies that are related to yours in terms of the service you provide and kindly ask if they would mention you or even feature you in an article.
Another great thing about having links and citations to other companies and people online is that it makes a business look more legitimate and trustworthy when there are other people and companies willing to associate with them. A small shoe company will look far better if they are linked to a major brand such as Nike or ADIDAS.
Finally, having other business listings on your site and having your business listing on other sites will further increase the chances that you business name comes up in a search engine directory; the more things you are linked with the better. Always keeping in mind that the links need to e positive because when it comes to selling products any publicity is not good publicity; you need to e linked to things that put you in a positive light.