Local Listings Management: Creating Order Out Of Chaos

The value of internet-influenced offline commerce runs into the trillions of dollars annually.

Businesses need to provide accurate information online to help “lower-funnel” consumers make purchase decisions. If users encounter missing or bad information, a significant percentage will look for an alternative provider or merchant.

Many developers, publishers and B2B marketers have come to see local business data as a commodity. However, all data sources are not equal. What’s more, business data is perishable: 60% of local business information is out of date within 24 months and one in five business records change annually.

Bad or outdated information can result in frustrated customers, lower search rankings and lost sales. Furthermore, the process of correcting local business listings and related data, is far from a “set it and forget it process.” It requires ongoing monitoring and effort.

This report identifies what’s at stake in allowing bad local data to proliferate, why it does and how to address it.

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