While Local SEO has changed remarkably over the past three years, web directories (also called citation sites) still deserve a place in your SEO strategy, particularly in your Local SEO checklist of to-dos. Web directories are a source for online traffic and trust, two elements that are individually important for Google ranking. The fact that web directories like Healing Local can deliver on both of these front’s make them an important element in being found locally.
Directories – Part of the Local SEO Checklist
Businesses with a brick-and-mortar location need to maintain their local citations with a consistent NAP. What is a NAP, you ask? That’s simple – NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone Number. Search engines take NAP data into account (as well as other data) when determining which companies to show for geo-targeted searches.
Thus, it’s important to make sure that your NAP is correct and consistent both on your website and across the web. It’s likely that search engines cross-reference your NAP information across a variety of websites to confirm that you’re a legitimate business.
But aside from a simple mark of consistency, the real benefit of directory websites is the credibility and traffic they can add to your own website. When you’re considering adding a listing to a directory website, make sure that the directory site in question is going to meet your needs.
It’s a good idea to keep a few questions in mind, as you consider directory sites:
- Is this a reputable site? IE: if a customer saw me on this site, would they view my business as more legitimate or less?
- Is my target audience likely to visit this site?
Healing Local – Made for the Inland Northwest, Made for Healthcare-Focused Local SEO
The Healing Local platform has taken both of the above questions to heart.
First, We’ve built a reputable site that takes social responsibility and community-oriented service seriously. Because we’re funded by our users, we won’t ever have a reason to engage in nefarious activities (like “selling” reviews) that could negatively affect our users or our trustworthiness in the eyes of search engines.
Second, since we’re hyper-focused on the Inland Northwest, we spend our time drawing in health clients and patients who are the perfect target audience for practitioners on the platform. Healing Local is location-based (like craigslist), this means that every visitor who views your profile has a high chance of being a health client or patient who could actually visit your office! No guesswork, angling for “impressions” that don’t pay off, or chasing visitors that live too far away to turn into paying clients.
The Take-Away
If you’re working on SEO and improving your ability to be found, directories have a part to play. Just make sure that you’re choosing a directory which is a strong fit with your business needs and audience. If you’re a Health Practitioner in the Inland Northwest, Healing Local may work for you.
Leave a Reply