“We are obsessed with value — it’s a huge part of our services and our company mission. For us, using Semrush Listing Management offers huge value, not just in results, but in terms of saving money and time as well.”
Preston Powell, CMO at WebServ
Challenge: Increase SQL generation through local search
Ever since the beginning, SEO has always been
WebServ’s focus. While the agency offers other valuable services like web design, PPC and content marketing, SEO is their bread and butter. When a client signs up with WebServ, one of the first things they do is check the client’s existing rankings and authority. From there, they strategize how to grow the client’s search traffic, authority, and leads. A really good place to start is by getting their NAP listings on as many directories as possible in order to grow the local search.
Solution: Listing Management
“We use
Listing Management tool for every single SEO client. We used to use a competitive solution, but Semrush’s Listing Management tool provided access to more directories and functionality,” says Preston Powell, WebServ’s CMO. “While we’d recommend it for any business owner, it’s particularly helpful for an agency, especially since we can manage our listings all in one place—no need to get third parties involved.”
“We’re particularly impressed with the tool because of how many directories Listing Management grants access to. It allows us to distribute our clients’ business data to 80 of the most authoritative directories, which is way more than what other tools offer,” shares Preston.
Many of these listings offer a backlink to the client’s website, plus it preps WebServ’s clients for voice search. According to Search Engine Land, 47% of local business searches happen via voice search; Semrush Listing Management tool helps WebServ’s clients rank higher in map packs, which these voice searches often trigger.
“Listing Management benefits us significantly because it targets high-intent local traffic looking for businesses and converts at a high rate. It’s a really simple task that allows us to get some quick wins for local businesses—and it’s always nice to show new clients some quick results while other long-term strategies are in play,” says Preston.
For example, when WebServ first brought Wave Plastic Surgery on as a client in March 2020, one of the very first things they did was use Listing Management to increase the clinic’s web authority. From the period of April 24 to June 22, their Arcadia location’s Google My Business listing benefitted from a 7% increase in direct searches and a 34% increase in discovery searches.
The clinic’s GMB search views increased by 6%, and WebServ were able to show them an 80% increase in map views. While Preston and his team were happy with the increase in traffic, for this business they also wanted to take a look at their number of calls and leads. The agency found that Wave Arcadia Plastic Surgery & Laser Center’s GMB received a 74% increase in website visits, 83% more phone calls and 49% more photo views. During this period, there was a 44% drop in direction requests, but WebServ attributes that to LA’s stay-at-home orders at the time (however, they can see a significant rise in direction requests around mid-June).
According to Preston, getting rid of inaccurate and duplicate listings has never been simpler. On the agency’s end, Listing Management finds conflicting business listings that may be interfering with their clients’ listings, and WebServ has the opportunity to suppress those conflicting listings.
“We love that it’s all in one place, so as long as we dedicate some time to it, getting through that list and suppressing conflicting listings that could be affecting all of our clients’ listings is a breeze,” says Preston. “For example, when we saw that Wave Plastic Surgery’s San Francisco location was showing up as a duplicate for two or three other plastic surgeons (possibly due to a shared building address but no specification of suite number), all we had to do to keep search engines focused on our client was click ‘suppress’.”
Results: 100% increase in SQLs for most clients
As an agency, WebServ measures their success by the success of their clients, and using Semrush’s Listing Management tool has helped them:
- Save time: Listing Management takes them 500% less time than manually managing listings for clients, which means WebServ has more time to focus on a better level of care for their clients.
- See an increase in customer retention: The clients love that W2R shows positive results in their local search metrics so quickly—Listing Management allows the agency to make a fantastic first impression.
- Double the clients’ SQLs: Most of their clients see a 100% increase in SQLs from local search once the agency begins managing their listing with the Semrush tool.
Key takeaways
Visibility for clients on local search results is a huge success factor for Webserv. While the approach and value is clear—list clients on relevant business directories to increase organic discovery—the process can be time-consuming. They found an answer to this challenge by streamlining the process with Semrush Listing Management.
- Focus on directory access: Semrush Listing Management offered Webserv better access to more directories. For agencies serious about managing listings for multiple clients, access to authoritative directories and tool functionality is key.
- Set clear goals: Webserv was already a trusted agency known for their hands-on approach and personal touch. By tying their success to the success of their clients they were able to see the need for a better route to growing search traffic and authority for clients. It wasn't a matter of simply listing clients randomly, they had a clear goal—increase SQL generation through local search results.
- Put value on time saving: Listing management is time consuming. Hours put in can easily stack up, especially when it comes to business status updates and changing information. Webserv has managed to reduce the amount of time and energy they put into listing management, while increasing the value they bring to customers.
- Cover all search types: Voice search for local businesses now accounts for nearly half of all searches. Semrush's Listing Management tool prepares clients to rank higher in map packs and appear in voice-triggered search queries.