A study of online business listings reveals that nearly half are missing crucial pieces of information.
Uberall, a leader in location marketing technology, analyzed 73,000 online business location listings across small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), mid-market, and enterprise levels.
The study measures voice search readiness and identifies areas where businesses are failing the most when it comes to providing accurate online information.
The study finds that incorrect or missing information can either mislead customers or prevent them from finding what they’re looking for.
Therefore, these businesses aren’t just failing at voice search; they’re failing at online search in general.
According to Uberall’s study, inaccurate online information can result in loss of customer trust:
“When a consumer conducts a search for a business online, they expect and trust that the information listed will be accurate. If the customer then turns up and finds that the business is closed, the immediate result is a loss of trust that will likely discourage them from ever returning to a business location.”
These shortcomings can also be viewed as opportunities for improvement.
The most glaring errors or missing data in business listings were as follows:
- Opening Hours: 978,305 errors (almost half of all listings)
- Website: 710,113 errors (almost one-third of all listings)
- Location Name: 510,010 errors (almost one-quarter of all listings)
- Street: 421,048 errors (almost one-fifth of all listings)
People conducting voice search queries for local business information likely intend to visit the store and make a purchase.
So, incorrect or missing information is not just impacting consumer trust, it’s affecting sales.
For more information, learn about how to optimize your business listings effectively.
