Answering your questions about our Local Search (Listings) feature.
What is FMG's Local Search, and do I have to pay extra?
Just like brick-and-mortar businesses hang their sign so people walking by can find them, online listings need to do the same.
We put you in control of how your business appears online, from addresses and phone numbers to business descriptions and photos. Some publishers allow you to claim listings manually for free, but not all offer this option. It can take months for manually claimed listings to go live. Our solution is the only one that can update all your listings’ information accurately, efficiently, and with exclusive content across our network of leading maps, apps, social networks, directories, and search engines, including Google, Apple, Facebook, Bing, and Yahoo – all within 30 days.
Local Search is included in our Attract, Elevate, Premium Website, and DIFM packages. It's also available as an add-on for $50/month.
Why isn't this just a one-time fix?
Each publisher, search engine, mobile app, and directory site utilizes a different method to match, merge, and select the location data it will display about your business. Business listing information will often vary slightly among sources, such as data aggregators, government records, user-submitted content, manual claims, etc. This can create significant inconsistencies in your business listings displayed across the web. This process of hundreds or thousands of competing data sources fighting for control over what location data is displayed is constant. Any data displayed is always at risk of being overwritten.
Instead of working around the problem, our Local Search technology allows us to tackle the listing solution head-on. Our direct publisher lets our team lock and update your business listing’s information at the database level so that you’re always in control of what’s being displayed across the web. You’re not paying for someone to make manual submissions on your behalf, which most of our vendors do. You’re paying us for our award-winning technology that protects our listings from being overwritten and keeps authority in the right hands – yours.
Why is Local Search important to my marketing?
Today, 4 in 5 consumers search for local businesses online, and ⅔ of business listings contain incorrect information. If your business listings are in that majority, 73% of your potential customer base is losing trust in your business. Inaccurate listings mean you’re losing business – right now. Our listing solution can fix this for you instantly so that you stop losing customers and start gaining more business.
How does FMG Local Search work?
With our listings solution, you’ll get complete control of your location data across the industry’s largest ecosystem of maps, apps, social networks, directories, and search engines, including Google. Our technology will match your critical business information, including your name, address, phone number, and other location data, across our robust publisher network and lock your business listings, protecting them from being overwritten. FMG's Local Search will be able to update your listings in real-time. Above all else, you’ll drive customers to the right place (your business) every time. Only our partner technology provides a permanent business listing solution.
How will I know if this tool is working for me?
We’ll give you comprehensive reporting on all the listings we’re managing with our service, so you can verify that your information is live on all these sites. In addition, we will provide analytics and report on your profile.
What if I already advertise online?
That’s great because your business should be listed everywhere! You won’t be paying per click for our service. With our solution, you’ll be able to amplify your advertising efforts, including creating 60+ backlinks to your website. Not to mention, you’ll rest assured that no matter what kind of advertising you’re running, your potential customers will be driven to the correct location every time they’ve seen your ads and are ready to visit you in person.
Will this affect my search engine ranking?
While we cannot guarantee your ranking, our solution helps make your listings ultra SEO-friendly. When search engines determine rankings, they take things like consistency, authority, and frequency of information across the web. Our solution directly addresses these factors, and having all of these in check will positively affect where you rank on all sites. And don’t forget, you’ll also be in complete control of the data about your business on all of these sites, including Google Maps.
Consider this: let’s say you ask ten people the same question. If you get ten different answers, you can’t be sure about any of them. However, if you ask ten people the same question and get the same answer each time, you can be confident the answer is correct. Search engines operate the same way, and the more often, and consistently your listings information appears across them, the higher your SEO ranking will be.
I moved offices. How do I ensure my contact information is updated in all the right places?
Send an email to our Service team (service@fmgsuite.com) with your new contact information - your new address and any new phone/fax numbers. Use the subject line "Update to Our Local Lock" to help us process your request faster.
What happens if I cancel my Local Search subscription or move to a package that doesn't include Local Search?
Your business listing's information will no longer be locked in, and you'll no longer have complete control of your listings. Our direct integrations with the publishers in our network will enable us to create and update your listings in real-time, locking them at the database level and protecting them from being overwritten. As time passes and your listings start showing inconsistencies, it can hurt your SEO ranking and make you harder to find on the search engines.