How to improve your company’s SEO and online reputation with Yahoo Local

Optimize your business listing on Yahoo Local reviews

Businesses aiming to increase their web presence through local search engine optimization can use Yahoo Local. It has partnered with Yext to help you control your web listings. The tool works like other business-listing directories, such as Google, despite its declining market globally over the past years.

With Yahoo Local, you can add basic company information – like name, website, contact number, address, and other details – to guide consumers looking for places and items online for your business. It is a great supplement to increase your brand awareness and optimize its visibility online.

Audio: Listen to this article.

Read more to learn about how to set up and optimize your Yahoo Local account. 

How to set up your business listing on Yahoo Local

1. Sign up

To list your company on Yahoo Local, you first need to sign up. You can claim your basic listing for free. However, this doesn’t guarantee the platform will display your listing. 

If you want an optimized presence, you need to upgrade to a Yext PowerListings subscription plan. The basic plan begins at $3 per week. If you want more control over your listing, access to analytics, monitoring tools, and other features, go for a higher plan.

2. Sign in to Yahoo Local

After signing up, you will sign in and provide important information about your company. You will input your company’s name, address, website URL, contact information, and more.

3. Verify your listing

Upon providing the necessary details for your company, preview your profile to see if everything is accurate. Then verify the listing.

4. Wait for verification approval

Yahoo Local will then review your listing. After this, you will receive a confirmation email that your company’s listing is up and running. Once your business is listed on this platform, you can edit the information you provided at any time.

However, if your business is already listed on Yahoo Local or you provided incorrect or incomplete business information, your listing may get rejected. It may also happen due to a policy violation. Contact Yahoo support or text to inquire about the rejection reason and find out how you can resolve the issue.

Optimizing your listing on Yahoo Local

After adding your listing on Yahoo Local, you'll need to optimize it. This will help reach your target customers and maximize your customer base. To get started, follow these three steps:

1. Add all details for your business

Ensure that you provide as much information as you can about your company. This helps potential customers find your business and decide whether to buy from you.

Don’t forget to add business photos to your profile. When paired with a business description, photos are a great way to build familiarity and trust with customers.

2. Engage with customers through reviews

Communicate with your customers in your reviews. Respond to what customers say about your business – the good and the bad – and help clarify any issues people raise.

These responses show customers that you are involved in the business, helping them trust you. You cannot delete negative reviews but can report them with Yahoo Local.

Must Read: How to turn a negative review into a positive one

3. Incorporate keywords

Yahoo Local has a search engine results page, which is how customers can find you. Therefore, use targeted keywords in your description, photo caption, and title to get on top of SERPs when listing your business.

When choosing keywords, put yourself in the shoes of a customer. Think about what words or phrases they are searching in relation to your business, or even related topics. For example, if you have an Italian restaurant, keywords like Italian food, an Italian restaurant near me, best Italian cuisine, Italian place takeaway, Italian delivery, etc. would be among the relevant ones. 

Once you have your business listed on Yahoo Local, don’t forget to find ways to increase your positive reviews by encouraging customers to leave one. ReviewMaxer, a powerful cloud software, can help you manage your customer's online reviews.Get your review management checklist now to get started.

Photo by Anna Shvets