Claimable Business Listings: What Are They and How Do They Work?
Published on June 1, 2021
A “Claimable Listing” is a free business listing on your directory website that can be claimed by the business owner so they can take control of their profile and maximize the benefits of advertising on your site.
The Claim Listing feature enables you to convert local businesses browsing your site into paying advertisers. When a local business visits your website and clicks "Claim this Listing" on their profile, they will be prompted to pay for their listing so they can take full ownership of their account. This feature is extremely effective and used by some of the biggest and most successful directory sites in the world including Google, Yelp and Yellow Pages. Claimable listings are just one of the many premium features included in the Ideal Directories platform.
If you currently run a local directory website or are thinking about starting one, incorporating claimable listings can be an effective way to help you sell more listings. Here are 4 ways you can use claimable listings on your own business directory website.
1. Claimable listings help populate your directory
Adding free listings to your directory website is something every directory owner should do. Free business listings will provide your site with much needed content. After all, a directory site with little or no listings is useless to anyone who visits your site. Adding free listings can also improve SEO, help you start generating traffic to your site and keep customers coming back. But free listings don’t need to stay free forever and can easily be converted to paid listings by making them claimable.
When you're populating your directory website with free listings, use the option to make them claimable. This way advertisers can easily claim and pay for a premium listing down the road.
2. Claimable listings earn the trust of advertisers
Visualizing and actually seeing a live listing on your directory site can help earn the trust of potential advertisers. It can help instill confidence that your site is legit and provides credibility knowing that other businesses advertise on your site. Adding a free claimable listing for a business even shows that you are willing to provide value to the business at no cost while presenting the benefits of upgrading to a paid listing.
Use free claimable listings as a way to get your foot in the door and speak to potential advertisers. Explain that you already added their business to your site and want to review it with them to ensure all of their information is correct. Use this as an opportunity to share some of the advantages of claiming their listing and upgrading to a premium plan.
3. Claimable listings create a sense of urgency
One of the benefits of making a listing claimable on your directory website is that it creates a sense of urgency for the business owner. Since technically anyone can claim a listing that is set to claimable, a business owner might worry about a competitor taking control of their listing and posting inaccurate information. A tactic that is often done is the real world and is known as “pirating” listings.
Fearing that their listing might end up in the hands of a direct competitor, business owners can feel pressured to take action fast and claim their own listing. By claiming their own listing, businesses are able to prevent someone else from claiming it for them.
4. Claimable listings make it easy for businesses to sign up themselves
Running a local directory website can be an extremely profitable business. As a directory site owner, your goal is to sell as many listings as possible so you can generate a steady stream of passive income. While direct sales methods like cold calling or in-person meetings tend to be the most effective, it doesn’t mean you need to personally assist (or even talk to) every client who signs up. Business owners can sign up themselves, pay for a listing and the money will automatically be deposited into your account. This creates a hands-off business model so can earn money even while you sleep.
Claimable listings make this process even smoother. Rather than starting from scratch, a claimable listing is much easier for a business owner to sign up for without your help. With all of their data already in place, the business owner simply needs to click “claim this listing”, choose a plan and submit their payment info. Once their account is created, they can choose to add additional information like photos, coupons and more to their listing. It’s a simple, self-serve approach that eliminates the need to speak with a sales rep or wait for their listing to go online.
Ready to Start Using Claiming Listings on Your Directory Website?
Once you populate your site with a bunch of claimable listings, start promoting your site in your community, online and using social media. Create an email campaign, send out postcards, or pick up the phone to contact businesses. Encourage business owners to find their listing and claim it themselves, so they can start increasing their exposure on your site. Highlight the benefits of a premium (paid) listing and why they should upgrade.
Including claimable listings in your business directory website can be an effective tool anyone can use to attract potential advertisers, generate interest, build trust and ultimately land more paying customers.
A “Claimable Listing” is a free business listing on your directory website that can be claimed by the business owner so they can take control of their profile and maximize the benefits of advertising on your site.
The Claim Listing feature enables you to convert local businesses browsing your site into paying advertisers. When a local business visits your website and clicks "Claim this Listing" on their profile, they will be prompted to pay for their listing so they can take full ownership of their account. This feature is extremely effective and used by some of the biggest and most successful directory sites in the world including Google, Yelp and Yellow Pages. Claimable listings are just one of the many premium features included in the Ideal Directories platform.
If you currently run a local directory website or are thinking about starting one, incorporating claimable listings can be an effective way to help you sell more listings. Here are 4 ways you can use claimable listings on your own business directory website.
1. Claimable listings help populate your directory
Adding free listings to your directory website is something every directory owner should do. Free business listings will provide your site with much needed content. After all, a directory site with little or no listings is useless to anyone who visits your site. Adding free listings can also improve SEO, help you start generating traffic to your site and keep customers coming back. But free listings don’t need to stay free forever and can easily be converted to paid listings by making them claimable.
When you're populating your directory website with free listings, use the option to make them claimable. This way advertisers can easily claim and pay for a premium listing down the road.
2. Claimable listings earn the trust of advertisers
Visualizing and actually seeing a live listing on your directory site can help earn the trust of potential advertisers. It can help instill confidence that your site is legit and provides credibility knowing that other businesses advertise on your site. Adding a free claimable listing for a business even shows that you are willing to provide value to the business at no cost while presenting the benefits of upgrading to a paid listing.
Use free claimable listings as a way to get your foot in the door and speak to potential advertisers. Explain that you already added their business to your site and want to review it with them to ensure all of their information is correct. Use this as an opportunity to share some of the advantages of claiming their listing and upgrading to a premium plan.
3. Claimable listings create a sense of urgency
One of the benefits of making a listing claimable on your directory website is that it creates a sense of urgency for the business owner. Since technically anyone can claim a listing that is set to claimable, a business owner might worry about a competitor taking control of their listing and posting inaccurate information. A tactic that is often done is the real world and is known as “pirating” listings.
Fearing that their listing might end up in the hands of a direct competitor, business owners can feel pressured to take action fast and claim their own listing. By claiming their own listing, businesses are able to prevent someone else from claiming it for them.
4. Claimable listings make it easy for businesses to sign up themselves
Running a local directory website can be an extremely profitable business. As a directory site owner, your goal is to sell as many listings as possible so you can generate a steady stream of passive income. While direct sales methods like cold calling or in-person meetings tend to be the most effective, it doesn’t mean you need to personally assist (or even talk to) every client who signs up. Business owners can sign up themselves, pay for a listing and the money will automatically be deposited into your account. This creates a hands-off business model so can earn money even while you sleep.
Claimable listings make this process even smoother. Rather than starting from scratch, a claimable listing is much easier for a business owner to sign up for without your help. With all of their data already in place, the business owner simply needs to click “claim this listing”, choose a plan and submit their payment info. Once their account is created, they can choose to add additional information like photos, coupons and more to their listing. It’s a simple, self-serve approach that eliminates the need to speak with a sales rep or wait for their listing to go online.
Ready to Start Using Claiming Listings on Your Directory Website?
Once you populate your site with a bunch of claimable listings, start promoting your site in your community, online and using social media. Create an email campaign, send out postcards, or pick up the phone to contact businesses. Encourage business owners to find their listing and claim it themselves, so they can start increasing their exposure on your site. Highlight the benefits of a premium (paid) listing and why they should upgrade.
Including claimable listings in your business directory website can be an effective tool anyone can use to attract potential advertisers, generate interest, build trust and ultimately land more paying customers.
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