If you’re a local flooring retailer looking to grow your business in 2023, it’s never been more important to have a strong online presence that will help you attract more customers into your showroom. 

As we’ve discussed many times before, your website serves as your online storefront that helps you showcase your products and services to the world. 

But did you know that there's another important aspect of your online presence that can greatly impact your success? 

Hint: you probably interact with them every single day without even realizing it.

Today we’re going to provide you with the ultimate guide to local directory listings for flooring retailers. We’ll cover:

• What they are
• Why they’re important
• And 4 steps you can take to optimize your local directory listings and drive more customers into your showroom

Let's get started! 

What Are Local Directory Listings for Flooring Retailers?

Local directory listings are online directories that provide information about local businesses to potential customers. 

They often include important details such as the business name, address, phone number, website URL, and hours of operation, as well as any additional information such as a description of the business, customer reviews, and photos. 

Think of them as the online equivalent of the Yellow Pages. 

As I mentioned above, you probably interact with local directory listings every single day without even realizing it. 

Have you ever looked up what restaurants to eat at on Yelp while you’re traveling for work, or searched for the nearest gas station on Google Maps while on a road trip? 

If you answered ‘yes’, congrats! You’ve interacted with a local directory listing. 

Here are a few more examples of local directory listings to add to your list:

• Google My Business
• Facebook Pages
• Instagram for Business
• FlooringStores.com
• LinkedIn Company Directory
• Apple Maps
• Bing 
• Better Business Bureau
• Angi (Angie’s List)
• Thumbtack
• Nextdoor

When your flooring business, such as Proximity Mills, is listed on these platforms, it makes it easier for potential customers to find you and learn more about the products and services you offer. By having accurate and up-to-date information on local directory listings, your flooring business can improve its online visibility, build trust with potential customers, and ultimately drive more traffic and sales to your website and showroom.

Why Are Local Directory Listings for Flooring Retailers Important? 

Ok, now that you know what local directory listings are, let’s talk about why they are an important piece to your digital strategy. 

When a customer is searching for flooring in their local area, they are likely to turn to search engines like Google or Bing as their starting point. 

These search engines use a variety of factors to determine which businesses to show in their search results, including the business's location, reviews, and information listed on local business directories. 

By ensuring that your business is listed on all relevant local business directories, you increase your chances of appearing in search results when potential customers are searching for flooring stores in your area.

Here are 4 actionable steps you can take to improve your local directory listings and drive more customers into your showroom:

1. Claim Your Business on Google My Business. 

Google My Business is a free listing service that helps you manage your business information on Google Search and Google Maps. You can add your business hours, address, contact information, and even photos of your showroom or completed jobs!

Claiming your business on Google My Business will help improve your flooring store’s visibility on Google and make it easier for potential customers to find and learn about your business.

If you’re a Broadlume website customer, we’ve already taken care of this for you when your website was built. 

If you're not a Broadlume customer and have not already claimed your business on Google My Business, simply follow the steps below to get started:

• Create a Google Account - If you don’t already have a Google account, you'll need to create one in order to claim your business on Google My Business.
• Visit Google My Business Website - Go to https://www.google.com/business and click on the “Start now” button.
• Enter Business Information - Enter the name and address of your business, along with your phone number and website URL.
• Verify Your Business - Google will send a postcard to the address you provided with a verification code. Once you receive the code, enter it into the verification field in Google My Business.
• Complete Your Business Profile - Once your business is verified, you can start filling out your business profile by adding information such as a business description, hours of operation, photos, and services offered.
• Monitor and Manage Your Listing - It's important to keep your business information up-to-date and respond to customer reviews. You can use Google My Business to monitor and manage your listing, making changes as needed.

2. Create Profiles on Other Local Business Directories

In addition to Google My Business, there are many other local business directories that you can use to increase your online visibility and reach a wider audience. 

As we outlined earlier in this post, some of the most popular directories include Yelp, Bing, Facebook, and Apple Maps. By creating profiles on all the major local business directories, you will improve your search engine rankings,  reach a larger audience, and drive more traffic to your website.

It's important to note that each directory may have different requirements and features, so be sure to research each one before creating a profile. 

Once you have created your profiles, be sure to keep them up-to-date and respond to any customer reviews or questions. By taking the time to create and maintain your local business directory profiles, you can help increase your online visibility and reach a wider audience of potential customers.

3. Encourage Your Customers to Leave Reviews on Local Business Directories

Positive customer reviews can have a massive impact on your online reputation and can help attract new customers to your flooring business.

I like to think about it this way. 

If my wife asks to go out to eat on a random Tuesday, I’m spending at least an hour on Yelp looking through reviews before I decide on a restaurant. 

Why? 

Because I want to be absolutely sure that I’m making the right decision and not wasting money on a bad meal. And that’s for something that will likely cost less than $100! 

Now imagine the amount of time your customers are spending reading reviews about your business before they commit to spending $10,000 on new floors. 

You get the idea. 

It’s never been more important to encourage your customers to leave reviews for you on local business directories like Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook. You can do this by including a call-to-action on your website, in your email signature, or by mentioning it to customers during in-store transactions.

When asking for reviews, it's crucial to provide customers with easy-to-follow instructions and a link to the directory you would like them to leave a review on.

If you’re a Broadlume website customer, we make it insanely easy for your customers to leave you reviews directly on your website. Just follow the steps below:

• Direct them to the ‘Reviews’ page on your website
• Instruct them to click “Write a Review” 
• Have them follow the prompts to leave you a review on Google or Facebook 

4. Respond to Reviews, Both Positive and Negative

Responding to customer reviews, both positive and negative, is an important part of managing your online reputation and can have a significant impact on attracting new customers. 

When a customer takes the time to leave a review, it shows that they are engaged with your business and are invested in your success. When responding to positive reviews, take the opportunity to thank the customer for their kind words and to let them know that you value their feedback. 

Responding to negative reviews can be more challenging, but it's important to handle these situations professionally and empathetically. Address the customer's concerns, apologize if necessary, and offer a solution if possible.

Remember: these reviews don’t go away and they provide potential customers a window into your business. Always handle reviews professionally.

By responding to customer reviews, you can show potential customers that you are responsive and dedicated to providing a positive experience for customers. Responding to both positive and negative reviews can also help build trust with potential customers and increase your visibility on local business directories.

Final Thoughts

Local directory listings are a vital part of any flooring retailer's online presence. By following the actionable steps outlined in this post, you can: 

• Increase your visibility in search results
• Improve your search engine rankings
• Build your online reputation
• Drive more foot traffic into your showroom

Remember, local directory listings act as an additional digital storefront for your business and should be treated with the same importance as your website or physical showroom. So, take a few minutes today to ensure that your flooring business is properly listed on local business directories and watch your business grow.

If you don’t feel like doing it yourself, we’d love to take that work off your plate :) 

Click here to learn more about how we can help or shoot me an email, I’d love to connect → dan.pratt@broadlume.com