As many small businesses know, it can be hard to maintain Business information across multiple channels and authority sites on the web.  For instance, do you know which online directories your business is currently listed in? How does Google display your location information in its search results?  Is each online listing accurate, or are there errors?  Do you know how to check your business data across multiple authority sources on the web?

If you’d like a free LocalSEO report showing how your business is currently listed online, we will send you one for free – click HERE.

Google’s My Business Integration

At Five Sparrows, our marketing clients benefit from integrated LocalSEO that locks down core business data so it cannot be changed by 3rd parties.  It also provides enhanced data fields for keywords, content, product descriptions, photos, etc., that give your business an edge your competitors typically don’t have. But now, LocalSEO resources, directories, and web authorities have been integrated with Google’s My Business, making it easier than ever to manage your business data and expand your reach on the web.

Last month, Google opened its API (Application Programming Interface) to allow core local business data (name, address, phone, hours, etc.) to be integrated with Google’s My Business.  Why?  Because integrating data from the world’s largest search engine with top local data authorities means “more relevant and useful results when people search,” according to Aditya Tendulkar, Google Product Manager.

Location Data Accuracy

Why is accurate “location data” critical to your business today?  Because customers are using smart phones, web navigation, and “near me” searches millions of times per day, and what they find instantly impacts your business.  For example, if searchers call a wrong number they found on the web, they’re not going to hang up and try again – they’re going to call your competitor.

Before integrating with LocalSEO, it was difficult to know when the Google search index would be refreshed…it could take weeks or months for changes in your data to show up in the search results.  Now, you can completely control your location data from one centralized place, and ensure that changes and updates are instantly available all over the web, including Google.

“The thing is, the web matured, and at time when everything is instantaneous — ‘Check out this tweet or this Instagram I just posted’ — that wasn’t always the case with local business listings,” according to Geomarketing’s David Kaplan.  Integration with LocalSEO means that Google My Business now gets the most up-to-date information available and displays it right away, instead of waiting for a manual update or the Google bot’s next visit.

The Web Universe

As the web continues to evolve and grow, businesses increasingly need some type of centralized control over their own business data on the web.   Five Sparrows’ LocalSEO has always locked down your core business data in the top directories and data resources, but now it is also integrated with Google.  If you’re on LocalSEO, your web universe just got a lot bigger.

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