Earlier I described how to get your business listed for free in local search, both at GetListed.org and in posts on Google Local and Local Online Marketing. Today I explore adding local business listings when you have many locations.
SCORE Chicago has 20 branches where we offer counseling in the Chicago area. To get maximum exposure in search, I want to list them all with Google local and Bing/Yahoo. Here’s what I learned in the process.
Google Local Bulk Uploads
Google’s Local Business Center has instructions on bulk uploads of 10 or more sites to its local business directory. To access features like the bulk upload in these sites, you must first set up a master local business account and log into it. Then prepare an Excel sheet with these headings: store_code, name (60 characters), address_line_1 (80 char), addresss_line_2 (80 char), city (80 char), state, postal_code (80 char), country_code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2), main phone. Save as tab-delimited plain text (Unicode Text.) Finally upload the file at Google.com/maps and agree to Google’s terms of service.
Google is experimenting with a “whitelist” bulk upload to facilitate the process.
Getting Bulk Listings Verified in Google Local Business Center Instead of verifying local listings individually, Lopaba of SEOmoz.org says, “the whitelist feed beta is beneficial for those clients with a nationwide presence who would like to get all of their locations loaded into the Local Business Center and would like them to be verified without spending weeks on the phone doing so.”
Google Maps Now Offering a Whitelist Bulk Upload Beta for LBC? Local SEO expert Mike Blumenthal calls this “A response to both the need for facilitating bulk updating of listings as well as guaranteeing better control over the quality of listings.” Today, he emails this comment: “The bulk upload whitelisting is still in beta and it is not obvious how to get your business whitelisted. The current bulk upload available in the LBC still requires that you individually verify listings.”
Bing/Yahoo Local
As of this month, Microsoft’s Bing search will be integrated to an unspecified degree with Yahoo search. Here’s local SEO pro Matt McGee speculating on What Micro-Hoo Might Mean for Local Search.
At this time, Bing’s Local Listing Center does NOT appear to have a bulk upload feature. Looks like multiple listings must be added individually.
Yahoo Local also does not allow upload of multiple listings of the same entity. In a phone call to their rep, I learned that they suggest businesses list with the Yellow Pages and other third party providers to use their bulk upload features. (And for a free listing in the Yellow Pages, you must have an ATT phone number.)
What’s Your Experience with Multiple Listings?
Please take a moment and leave me a comment.
Related Posts on Local Online Marketing
This blog’s posts on Local Online Marketing
Peg
The bulk upload whitelisting is still in beta and it is not obvious how to get your business whitelisted. The current bulk upload available in the LBC still requires that you individually verify listings.
Great posts and topics. I’ve been struggling with trying to get a bulk upload through for one of my clients for quite some time now. I’ve read all the tricks of the trade about altering the listings slightly to get rid of words / phrases etc. LBL doesn’t like, but that’s not the issue. I’ve successfully created one-off manual listings for his business, but we have a unique problem on the bulk side I believe. My client runs an e-commerce business but he partners with about 1,500 local locations all over the country where his clients must fulfill their order after online purchase on his website. (those locations also partner w/many other folks like him). It would be huge for us to be able to create LBL in bulk for all of these locations, but I think that b/c he only has one central phone number (so only one number for each location in the bulk listing) and perhaps b/c the “description” I’ve used for each of the 1,500 locations is exactly the same…it just won’t go through….it is flagged. Any advice for this unique situation would be GREATLY appreciated!!! Thanks!!!
I appreciate your stopping by my blog to leave an comment.
I have to tell you I’m in your shoes, and not a pro. We’re struggling with the same issues. SCORE Chicago has the same phone number for all locations, but I’m talking 20, not 1,500. I haven’t even entered descriptions yet. So far I can tell you that the upload went through. But when I log in again, I am no longer able to see the listings pending verification.
I did ask Mike Blumenthal of Understanding Google Maps and Local Search, about duplicate phone numbers, and this is what he said:
“You can choose not to verify bulk uploads but they will then be open to community edits and will unlikely rank well. So each location needs to be independently verified. Google will not phone verify more than 3 locations at the same number at which point the phone verification will stop functioning properly (a security measure on Googles part but no meaningful message will be provided). You should be able to postcard verify at those addresses.”
He also gave me a heads up to his new post on Google Whitelisting: http://blumenthals.com/blog/2009/08/14/get-bulk-uploads-verified-in-google-maps-local-business-center/
Peg – Thanks so much for your comments here! Very helpful! It sure is tricky trying to approach LBL in this manner. The current workaround that we just adopted was to partner w/a telecom vendor (“My 1 Voice”) to create many local phone numbers all over the country that push to the same line on our end. They cost about $5 per number per month, so this is proving to be an expensive option for now, but it will serve us in the short to mid-term. It is working for the most part but requires a huge time investment, and we are noticing that LBL is very clunky and will often say it is calling us but it actually won’t, and then it will stop allowing certain phone numbers we’ve selected and we have to start all over again. I would say it works perfectly only about 30% of the time believe it or not. The unverified option may have to be something we explore even though the risks Mike point out are significant. (by the way, thanks Mike!!) Some of our competitors have somehow made LBL work for them on a grand scale and they have our exact same business model, but I have a hunch they did so back before Google implemented stricter verification measures.
Peg, as a sidenote, one of my best friends worked for Score for a few years after college….he really loved his time there…..you have a great organization….I was always so interested in hearing about what Score was up to. Good luck to you in trying to get your locations listed and with your operations in general!
Thanks again!
Best,
Drew
Thanks for the great post, you made some valid points and I didnt know we could do bulk listings so learnt something new which is always a good thing. I am from New Zealand so will go and see if all you offered in your post works here. Brilliant
Gail
This article started off “Earlier I described how to get your business listed for free in local search…”. I looked but was unable to find the earlier article, can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks for any help,
Stefan
Stefan,
Sorry I was not clear. Here are the links.
http://pegcorwin.com/2009/07/google%E2%80%99s-local-business-center-business-%E2%80%9Ccitations%E2%80%9D-and-geotagging-some-keys-to-being-found-locally/
http://pegcorwin.com/2009/07/46-links-on-local-online-marketing-techniques-to-promote-your-local-business/
Peg
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My idea was to have multiple blogs for each location and list it that way in yahoo…what do you think?
Mary,
I suppose you could list them individually, but I think it would be easier to manage if you used the multiple location feature.
Peg
I have a business I am working with that has one website including several locations. They don’t list individual phone numbers or addresses for each location. Is that a problem when adding each location url to local search?
Alexa, I’m sorry but I really don’t know. Maybe another reader can help us out here.
Peg
Really this is too helpful post for getting listed in local search of different location wise. Thank you Peg Corwin for sharing this nice post.
I do local plumbing and have several phone numbers to areas i work in within 50 miles i only have one address .It seems they verify by phone for this address but trying to put in new area phone they send to mail to address i do not have . Customers will not call a number that is not local to them and i need ads to show there locally is there an answer
Jonathan,
Here is a link to help with Google local business display and authorization problems. http://www.google.com/support/places/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=28103
Peg Corwin