Local Listings and Why They Need to Be Claimed

Local Search is revolutionising the way consumers can use the internet.  For a business this is great news.  With local search you can appear in the top ten or even at the very top with ease.  This is due to the fact that the search engines are now beginning to display local results even for some of the generic keywords.  While you can still get global results the idea is to give the consumer something they are going to be more inclined to want.  However, there is a drawback to this process.  You may not have a brick and mortar business, and you could ship around the globe.  So you may not be too concerned about your local listing.

You should be, no matter what.  First of all your listing could be incorrect on the search engine giving details to the consumer that they should not have.  For example if the search engine doesn’t realise you operate a business out of your home and they list your home address you could have consumers in the local area try to find your shop.  Basically, you need to pay attention to what the search engine has listed for you and ensure all is correct.

The other drawback to not paying attention is that someone else could claim your listing.  A claim means you are claiming your site and the local information that is offered about it.  If you do not claim the site competitors or spammers can take it over.  This is a fraudulent activity, but nonetheless it occurs.  It is also difficult to get your listing back if it has been claimed even illegally. 

Spammers tend to scan the top listings for popular keywords, and then find an unclaimed listing. At this point they will edit the link changing names, addresses, and even URLs.  When this happens you lose the traffic you get from the local search to the “spammer” site.  What’s worse is that you now have to prove who you are to get your listing and traffic back, even though the spammer didn’t have to give identification when they took over the site.  It is frustrating.  The good news is you can claim your site listing very easily to prevent this problem from happening.  You just have to fill out a form and create a special PIN.  By doing this you are protected, which means your SEO tactics don’t go to waste.