Owning a business is definitely already a huge work. Even with one location, you will have a ton of workload. Strategizing that location for visitors is also hard.
You must do most things correctly to list your locatios on multiple sites. Things get heated up when you have more than one location. It gets more complicated, and you suddenly have lot more options.
It is important to equally represent your locations everywhere on the internet. Even though you can do it on your website, you also need extra help.
You can get this extra help by listing your locations on different websites. These could be directories or search engines, or anything similar. There are many different websites to help you with this.
When you are listing your locations on these multiple sites, you have to do it correctly.
Because they represent the same business but with different locations and attributions, one thing wrong could make your customers’ experiences really bad.
Let’s look at the different sites you can list your locations on and how you can list them.
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Listing Your Locations On These Multiple Sites
Here are different sites where you List Your Locations
Yelp
Yelp is an extremely popular online local directory. Your potential customers will search for businesses like yours here.
It is easier for customers to find the most suitable one for themselves. You do the search per location, so you get the businesses in the area you are looking for.
There are many different things on Yelp for businesses and customers. Customers can leave reviews, and businesses can respond to them.
Businesses can also add their information and locations. Yelp has more than 150 million monthly customers.
- Go to biz.yelp.com or use the Yelp for Business app.
- Select add your business to Yelp.
- Enter all the information about your business and email (you will later use it to confirm it). Then, you can add your business by clicking on “add business.”
- Once you add your business, log in with a Yelp business owner account (or create one) and go to the account settings page.
- Click on additional options and select add another location.
- Put all the necessary information and set it up just like you did for your business. Each location page is a new business page for Yelp.
Google My Business
Google is not just a search engine. It has tens of different functions. One of those functions is for businesses to add their business for customers to easily find it.
Google My Business is a system that helps businesses list their business and locations across all platforms.
Once you sign up to Google My Business and set everything correctly, you will come up on every Google platform.
You have to do the optimization right and use SEO for the best results. They are not much different than websites.
Both need good optimization, managing reviews, and constant updates of business information.
- Go to your Google My Business account to access the dashboard.
- Click on the manage now button on the top right.
- Click on the “add business” drop-down menu.
- Select “add single business” from that menu
- You will need to enter all of the location’s information. This process is similar to your initial business setup.
- Verify your listing via mail/email/phone to tell Google that your location and business are legitimate
- For more than 10 locations, you need to download a template. You can find it on the “import business” button after you click the “add business drop-down menu. Then, you can put all the location information there.
Even though Facebook is a social media website mainly for individuals, businesses can also be there. They can constantly post content while adding multiple locations on their pages.
You can easily reach out to millions of people by sharing content and commenting. In a platform like this, you must put all your locations for your customers to easily find them.
Facebook allows you to create child pages for your locations on your main business page.
This page allows you to share content in different content that is suitable for customers in different locations.
It is an amazing way to attract even more customers to each location.
- Log in to your Facebook business page and go to Facebook Business Location Manager.
- If this is your first time on location manager, you need to request access to this tool. This tool puts all of your location pages in one dashboard for easier access.
- Once you have access, click on settings at the top right corner. If you are using Facebook Business Manager, find “assets” from the drop-down menu and click on Business Locations.
- Click on “locations” from that drop-down menu.
- You will get a location page where you can easily add locations by clicking on “+add locations.”
- You can start adding your locations, creating pages, and putting all the necessary information there.
Foursquare
Foursquare is one of the most popular online directories. It works solely as a directory in contrast to Facebook or Google.
Customers go in here and search for a business in the location they want. Foursquare is easier for businesses because it doesn’t require constant attention. You don’t have to post or comment.
Yet, you need to look out for the reviews on your business. You need to manage the reviews you get. Check if there is any misinformation or fix the mistakes about your business according to the reviews.
You also need to keep your information up to date. If your information is wrong or old, your customers won’t be able to find you.
- Log in to your Foursquare account (create a new account if you don’t have one)
- Search for the location of your business and create a new listing by clicking on “create a new list” if there are already no businesses in that location
- You will need to fill in all the mandatory information on the page about your business and location.
- Put in the category of the business and social media accounts if you have one after you fill in the mandatory fields.
- Click the “save” button to add your location.
- You have to do these steps all over for each of your locations. Foursquare does not have the option to add locations under a business name. There won’t be duplicate issues when you put in all the same information (except the location).
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages is one of the oldest online directories on the internet. Even though people do not use Yellow Pages as much as they did in the past, Yellow Pages still have many monthly users.
By adding your business and locations on Yellow Pages, you can show your business to customers without much constant work.
Yellow Page is a directory like Yelp or Foursquare. You only need to update your information from time to time, but that is it.
You don’t need to constantly post or do anything else. Yellow Pages is a bit problematic when it comes to adding various locations because it follows the same structure as Foursquare.
- Go to the Yellow Pages website and scroll down to the bottom to find the listing form.
- Write down your business name and business number as a start, and click on “get my free listing.”
- Then you will need to fill in additional information, and once you fill it in, click on “claim now.”
- Once you click on the button, you will then need to fill in other information about your business. Try to make it as detailed as you can
- When you finish filling it in and clicking on “continue,” Yellow Pages will call you to confirm your listing
- You have to do all of the processes for each location manually.
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is another online directory but much more detailed about trips, locations, and businesses.
It has its own forum, and customers can add a business themselves on TripAdvisor without the owner’s permission. But they can’t change or add any detail.
This makes it more important for business owners. If you are not using TripAdvisor, you might be missing out on some important issues.
If your business is on TripAdvisor, you need to be always active, check the mentions, and manage reviews. You should also keep your information up to date for the best results.
TripAdvisor does not allow you to add only locations. You need to add them manually, like a new business.
- First, check if your business is already on the website because other customers might have already put your website there. If there is, you just need to claim the business and not create any listing.
- If your business is not there and you need to add a new business listing, go to tripadvisor.com/owners and click on the “get listed now” button right under the search box.
- Fill in all the information about your business. Try to make everything as comprehensive as you can
- Upload your photos and videos if there are any
- Once you put in everything TripAdvisor asks, your business will be on the website once you get a confirmation email.
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The Verdict
To conclude, having a franchise and listing your multiple locations requires effort. There are many things to look out for. It is also hard to market these locations separately.
There are many issues that might make the engines see it as duplicate content. However, when you list your locations on multiple external sites, this gets easier.
It takes time to do it but doing this will help you gain more customers. Every website has different methods for listing your locations.
We listed the most popular websites to list your business and how you can list your locations. By carefully going through this list and listing your locations, you can start attracting more customers.
Also Read: 14+ Innovative Franchise Marketing Ideas
Sources
Amit Gupta is an experienced expert in digital marketing and co-founder of DrFranchises. With more than 11 years of knowledge in franchise digital marketing, SEO, email marketing, and social media marketing, Amit has helped many brands achieve incredible success online. As a passionate entrepreneur and owner of 7 franchises, he continues to study franchise models, looking at costs, revenue, and profitability to guide brands toward profitable growth. When he’s not working on digital marketing, Amit enjoys spending time playing with his beloved dog.
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