What is Listings and how can it benefit your business. We have gathered the most frequently asked question in the list below. Are we missing a question? Please let us know in the comment section below or send us an email via: support@soconnect.com
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| What is Listings? | Listings enable shops, restaurants, doctors, gas stations, museums, hospitals, and every other local business or public institution to automatically optimize their online presence for local searches. Using Listings, you ensure that your business will be found as quickly and most frequently as possible when users search for directions, opening hours, reviews, recommendations, or events. More details can be found on the product page on our website. |
| How does Listings work? | In the SO Connect dashboard, under the Listings tab all of your location data is stored and managed in the cloud. you can simply add, edit or remove data of your physical location. By saving the data we'll automatically update your business information and share it across all (online) platforms. Since Listings is cloud-based, the data is always up-to-date and accessible anywhere, anytime. That's how simple Listings is today. |
| Is my company's, my clients, and all location data securely and confidentially stored? | All non-public and company-related data concerning your company and all of your business locations and branches are hosted exclusively on Dutch and German data centers of our partner True Matrix 1&1 Internet, which are subject to the strict Dutch and German data security requirements and maximum privacy compliance. |
| What benefits do I get from using Listings? | Listings allows to update and manage location data out of a central platform in all channels relevant to you and your customers - this requires considerably less time and effort compared to manually entering the data for each location and platform. With all our partners, the company and location data is synchronized daily, updated if required, and protected against manipulation by third parties. Therefore, the location information is consistent everywhere and the listing is always up to date. We are happy to help and advise you how you may use Local Listing to the benefit of your business. |
| Which partners does SO Connect collaborate with? | SO Connect collaborates with the major, most high-reach online channels, rating and review sites, navigation systems, apps and social networks. |
| We place the client companies in as many relevant channels as possible to achieve maximum visibility. | |
| SO Connect tries to upload as much data as possible. However, it ranges between platforms which data is actually accepted, based on the platform capabilities. | |
| Which information will I be able to include in the listings? | Address, opening hours, URL, e-mail, telephone number, keywords, company descriptions (short and long text), social media profiles, logo, photos, landscape photo, payment methods, services, languages, special events, offers and deals. |
| Why is a local reference important for my business? | Over 30% of all searches are carried out within a local context. To help your business be found by customers in your area, you should be listed with correct details on as many local channels as possible. |
| Most small businesses have a clear local or regional focus and, therefore, aim to appeal to people from the immediate surroundings. In addition to an excellent website, Listings is an effective means of presenting your business with always up-to-date and consistent information on the relevant portals and, thus, optimizing your business' online presence. | |
| Does Listings replace search engine optimization (SEO)? | Listings aims at maximizing the online visibility of your business. By listing your business with correct and consistent details on as many channels as possible, your business becomes more relevant for search engines like Google and will be found more easily. SEO involves many other measures, such as optimizing your website. But Listings perfectly complements traditional SEO and can be considered the first important step to maximizing your business' online visibility. And it is much less expensive. |
| How does Listings improve my ranking on search engines like Google? | The higher the number of consistent listings a search engine identifies of your business, the more likely it is the information is evaluated as accurate, up-to-date and important. Accordingly, the search engine concludes that your business is relevant to search queries in your area. Adding the right category and keywords will improve search results and therefore traffic. In addition, you are listed in the Google-owned channels "Google My Business" and "Google Maps". This also has a positive effect on your search ranking. |
| I do not (yet) have a website. Do I get any benefits from Listings at all? | Yes, in any case. You should still be present where your customers are looking for you because directory entries work independently of a website. Enter the address, photos, and special offers of your business or your local branch and get listed in all major online channels at the push of a button! Thus, Listings helps you to significantly increase the visibility of your business, especially if you do not have a website. |
| How do I create the location listing? | You can create your business listing within a very short period of time. After signing up for the SO Connect service, you only need to make one entry and your location data will be distributed to the appropriate online channels. Our Customer Succes Department will help you get all information right. |
| If any location details ever change or you decide to provide additional services, you are able to update your business listing yourself immediately. All data is automatically updated in each of the channels which saves a lot of time and effort. Thanks to the enormous reach that you achieve using Listings, people searching online become aware of your business more easily and your business will appeal to more potential customers. | |
| SO Connect and Social Media | |
| Does So Connect create a new Facebook page? | If no Facebook page exists for the business, So Connect will automatically create a so-called 'unofficial' page. This is a company profile that shows details such as name, address, phone number, website, description, opening hours, category, profile photo. If desired, an 'unofficial' page can be connected to Listings, claimed, and converted into an official company profile. If a Facebook page already exists, it will be detected and can be connected to Listings. |
| How does Listings affect a Facebook page? | None, Facebook can be used as usual. Simply the company data and logo will be updated. |
| What is Google My Business? | In 2014, Google merged several services under the new offer of Google My Business. By using Google My Business, small and medium businesses are able to significantly improve their visibility in local Google searches with little effort. In an individual account, all of your company's contact details are entered, which then also appear on Google Maps and Google Search. By integrating your company in the map service Google Maps, potential customers have the opportunity to find your business, learn of the opening hours, and directly calculate a route. Many local Google searches are performed via the smartphone. If your phone number is listed on Google My Business, the potential customer can contact you immediately with a single click. |
| Does SO Connect create a new Google My Business page? | If no Google My Business profile exists, one will automatically be created. Then, it is up to you to initiate the verification process. Even if a profile exists but has not been verified by you or your client, the location needs to be verified. In both cases, either a postcard with the verification code will be sent to the registered business address or a phone call given to the business phone with automatic transmission of the verification PIN. The verification code needs to be entered into Google My Business account in order to complete the verification process. |
| If you already have a Google My Business profile, it will appear as "claimed by others". For SO Connect to be able to update the profile with the most recent information, you need to be added as an administrator. | |
| There is an existing GMB page for my business. How is this possible? | There are two possibilities: either a page has already been created by an employee or an agency, or Google took over the business data from a directory (e.g. telephone directory, yellow pages). In the first case, we recommend finding out who created the listing in order to claim it. In the second case, SO Connect will claim the listing and update it. |
| What is Bing Places? | This service of Bing is largely comparable to Google My Business. After inputting all data and contact details at Bing Places, the information will appear in the Bing search results. The information displayed corresponds to the equivalent of what is shown on Google. Apart from your address - which is of course shown in Bing Maps - you may also specify your business hours. We always advise to save a phone number so that your customers are able to reach you. In addition, the URL of your company's website is very useful, as well as links to the business profiles on Facebook, Twitter or Google+. To further increase the attractiveness of your Bing Places account, it is possible to integrate photos of your business or the products or services you offer. With outside shots of your business your customers may find the location more easily, and an appealing photo of a product increases the desire to buy! |
| Which content is published on Instagram? | If you sign up for our service, all photos that are marked with your business' geotag will be collected. Hence, you will gain a quick overview of all images that were published about your company. |
| What is Foursquare? | Foursquare is a social location-based platform. If your (potential) customer is, for example, in a restaurant, he or she can check in on the Foursquare app. Like this, he/she can let friends know of his/her location, write a review of the location and simultaneously share everything via Facebook or Twitter. |
| End of contract: Cancel or close a location | |
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What happens when a location is canceled or closed down?
What is the difference between the options to cancel the location and close the location? |
Close location - If you choose this option, the listing will be immediately deleted from the channels. Therefore, the location data is no longer online. You should only select this option if the local business was closed down. Nonetheless, the location will be invoiced till the end of the contract period. |
| Cancel location - If you cancel a location, the listing and all location data exist in the channels and can be edited until the end of the contract period. The location will be invoiced till the end of the contract period. | |
| What happens to the location data after a location has been deleted or the contract has been terminated? | If a location is deleted or the collaboration with SO Connect discontinued, the listing will no longer be checked/updated daily which means that third parties are able to modify the location data. Over time the data of the customer will be incorrect. |
| Furthermore, Actively syncing the data to the various platforms will result in a higher ranking. This due to the fact that the platforms rank fresh data higher. Disconnecting from the SO Connect Listings service will stop the active sync and therefore the rankings will suffer. | |
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