Local Search Visibility

Why is local search important?
Traditional yellow pages can only take you so far today. Consumers turn to the Internet to find local businesses in their area. Search sites like Google® Maps, Yahoo!® Local and YellowPages.com™ are the Internet yellow pages. A profile in these directories is your ticket to being found online by potential customers.

Where will my local listing appear?
Your business listing will appear in local online directories such as YellowPages.com™, Superpages.com®, Yahoo® Local, etc. when customers search for your products and services in your area. Keep in mind that there are different ways to go about finding your business in these directories: by business name, by keyword (e.g., "real estate appraiser") or by navigating the business categories. In addition, your business listing will show up in local search results on the regular search engines like Google® and Yahoo®.

Why do I need to enter all this information about my business?
When creating a business profile in local online directories, it is important to look past the basics such as business name and phone number. Like anything in online search, your business profile can be optimized to increase its chances of being discovered by potential customers. So take time to write an enticing business description, select the most appropriate line of business, provide a list of your specialties, products and/or services, brands, and populate your keywords. You can also specify your hours of operation and methods of payment to make it easier for customers to do business with you.

How soon will my profile appear in local directories?
Your business profile will be created within 24 hours in our local directory - ThinkLocal® - featuring 17 million business listings in the U.S. At the same time, your business information will be syndicated to over a hundred other local directories and search engines. Some sites may take longer to create your business profile (up to 8 or 10 weeks).

Do you guarantee that my profile will be listed?
We do not guarantee that your business profile will be included in all local directories where it is submitted. Furthermore, we do not guarantee top rankings for your profile in local directories and search engines. In fact, we caution you against any company that makes such guarantees. If you operate a legitimate business and have taken care to create a solid business profile, your chances of being listed in local directories are very high.

Do you submit to search engines, not just local directories?
Yes. As part of the Local Search Visibility service, we submit your web site information to the top search engines - Google®, Yahoo!® and MSN®. We also provide ranking reports on your web site performance in these search engines.

Do I have to have an address in the USA to use the service?
Yes. Only businesses with an address in the USA will benefit from this service, because the directories we submit your business listing to are mainly focused on local US markets.