How to Get a Yahoo Local Business Listing

Help Customers Find Your Business

If you haven't checked out Yahoo Local, it's time you did, especially if you have a small business. The new "search within a search" allows users to narrow their research for products or services to resources within their community. This new search capability will make it much easier for consumers to shop online and target local businesses. Also, with the growth of web-enabled phones, more people are conducting searches on their phone rather than by their computer. Web searches via a cell phone are typically for local product and services information. Yahoo local is an attempt to provide relevant returns for those searches. Most businesses are still relatively unaware of Yahoo Local, providing an opportunity for knowledgeable businesses to climb to the top of search results.

Instructions

1. The first step is to see if your business is already listed on Yahoo Local. Log on to Yahoo, and click on the term "local" just above the search box. You should see your local location pop up in a separate box. This is the Yahoo local search engine. Type in the business category that your business falls in, such as barber shops in Smallville, NY.

2. If your business is listed during this initial search, log on to your listing by requesting to make an edit. Identify yourself as the owner of the listing. This will help secure your listing and prevent someone else from logging on and changing your contact information without your knowledge. Logging onto your site and verifying your information let's Yahoo know that the listing is correct. Yahoo will be more confident that the listing is accurate and you should see a "bump" in your local ranking.

3. If you don't see your business listed, Yahoo will let you list it for free. The process is easy and Yahoo will lead you through a series of data screens that will allow you to add information about your company. Spend some time making your profile as complete as possible. The more information you provide helps you to get a better ranking on Yahoo.

4. You can enter your business into as many as 5 business categories. It's probably a good idea to list yourself in as many business categories that seem appropriate. Make your first category selection the category that is most applicable to your business or service.

Tips & Warnings

• Unlike Google, you don't have the opportunity to link to a YouTube video that features your business.

• It is necessary to have a physical location for your business.

• There are many factors that determine search engine rankings, but providing complete information, having a business website, and confirming your ownership of your listing are the most important things you can do to improve your rankings.

Resources

• More information on small business marketing