The 5 Most Common and Detrimental Business Directory Listing Mistakes

We get it. You’re a new company. You aren’t seeing any customers come into your shop, and you’re wondering why. How did all the big rivals in your market that seem to command massive presence get their start?

One of the best ways to get that start is by leveraging business directory listings. The right directory listing will reach massive audiences in your customer base, allowing you to get those first few customers that can snowball into a profitable amount of revenue.

However, creating a business directory listing is hardly the easiest thing in the world. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few of the most common mistakes that business owners make with business listings and how they impact your business. 

1. Unprofessional Descriptions

The first thing that can negatively impact your company in your business listing is an unprofessional description. Remember that first impressions matter. People will judge the quality of your listing based on the description that they read.

So if your business listing is unprofessional and filled with grammatical errors or unprofessional language, guess what happens? Your would-be customers are turned off because they think that you’re unprofessional

And you can hardly blame them. After all, if you didn’t take the time to proofread your listing how can they trust you to provide a quality product or service?

2. Incomplete Listings

Incomplete listings are also the bane of many companies. You may have a great description that captivates your audience, but what’s the point if you forgot to include your phone number? 

Frustrated with not having a convenient way to contact you, your would-be customer is simply going to call a competitor.

3. Inconsistent Listings

Another mistake made frequently in many a small business directory is inconsistent listings. The right local listings management platform will publish you in several different listings. Your business’s information should be consistent across all of these listings.

Don’t have even minor changes in your name, description, or address. This could throw off a customer who’s seen your listing in more than one place.

4. Company-Focused vs. Value-Focused Descriptions

When you’re writing your company description, what should you focus on?

If you said your company, you’re wrong. Customers don’t actually care about your company. Instead, they care about the value that your company can provide them.

Write your description in a way that focuses on the benefits that you will provide your customers. 

5. Duplicate Listings

Last but not least, duplicate listings are not only expensive, but they also hurt your brand by making it seem unprofessional. Check to make sure in each listing platform you choose that you don’t have a listing in there already.

Are You Making These Directory Listing Mistakes?

There you have it — now that you know these common business directory listing mistakes, there’s no excuse for you making one of these mistakes at your business!

For more business advice, be sure to take some time to check out the rest of the articles available to read on our website before you go!

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.