MSN’s Local Search property, Live Search Maps, used to rely on Localeze for all its business listings. If you wanted to add or edit a listing in MSN Local, that’s where you went to take care of it.
That’s since been replaced by MSN’s own Local Business Listings Center, which operates quite similarly to Google’s version of the same tool. I went through the process a couple weeks ago for my wife, a local real estate agent here in the Tri-Cities, and here she is, already being found in the Top 10 on a local search for [real estate richland, wa]. Not too shabby.
It was a simple process: Submit the business data, upload a couple photos, and wait for the confirmation code via snail mail. A couple weeks later, the code arrived, I confirmed the listing, and BAM! … we have a nice, clean Cari McGee, Realtor listing on MSN Local Search:
(you can click for a larger version on Flickr)
Those of us in the local search industry tend to talk a lot about Google Maps and Yahoo Local, and spend almost no time on MSN Local/Live Local Search. That’s understandable, I suppose, given the current search landscape that has MSN with about a 10% search share. But did you know that the query [MSN local] is the No. 4 source of referral traffic to Small Business SEM? True story. And there are three other MSN Local keywords in the top 25. A lot of small businesses are looking for information about how the MSN local business listings work.
So, with that in mind, and prompted by both this recent experience getting Cari added into MSN/Live Local Search as well as an email from reader Todd K. that SBS was outdated a bit, I’ve finally gotten around to updating the Guide to MSN Local Search here on SBS.
Thanks, Todd, for giving me the heads up on that.
September 30, 2008 - 3:25 am
Would appreciate if you could list out hotel on your site as the current listings that come up are not rellevent.
Thanks,
Vinith.
September 30, 2008 - 9:07 am
Hi Vinith – You’ll need to go to MSN Live Search to do that. I’m just a blogger writing about local search and have no control over MSN’s listings.
November 18, 2008 - 4:04 am
What is the method to list my business on MSN Local Business Listing in India please send the Link on my Email address it is (irfan200517@hotmail.com)
November 18, 2008 - 10:28 am
Sorry Irfan, but I don’t know the process for MSN India….wish I could help.
November 20, 2008 - 1:26 am
Can anyone tell me how to get my business added to live search Maps? The ‘Add a listing’ page is only relevant for those in the US. As I am from the UK, I am unable to add myself, yet my rivals are listedi have an account with msn but there is no option for this very frustrating
November 24, 2008 - 3:34 am
One of my businesses is already listed in Google and Yahoo maps, added to Mapquest, just need to get into MSN maps. Thanks for the tips.
December 3, 2008 - 2:23 am
Currently, Business listing on MSN is available for US only.
December 19, 2008 - 1:25 am
Thanks for sharing valuable information, We have nationwide franchises, I get the option on google Local to upload an CVS file to include all the franchises at once, But for MSN and Yahoo, I did not find any option. Please let me know if there is any option for that also. thanks in advance!
January 5, 2009 - 10:02 pm
Apart from MSN local listings, there are other popular ones like superpages, touch local, google local, yahoo local and many more out there
January 5, 2009 - 10:07 pm
Glad to help you Mr. Nick van man. MSN shares local UK business data from Thompson local. You have to add your business to Thompson local to get listed in MSN. The link to add business to Thompson local is:
http://www.thomsonlocal.com/free-listing.aspx
There are 25 more local business listing websites available for UK.
March 1, 2009 - 11:44 am
this is a great help thank you
March 13, 2009 - 9:08 am
Just a quick note of thanks. Always wondered where MSN got it’s listings from!
Cheers,
Daniel
April 12, 2009 - 8:07 am
With Regards to Listing a UK Business in Live MSN Maps, I already have a listing on Thomson Local for years but i am not listed on Live maps, tho my competitors are listed, any other help on how to add a uk business to MSN Live Maps???
Your Previous Comments
“MSN shares local UK business data from Thompson local. You have to add your business to Thompson local to get listed in MSN. The link to add business to Thompson local is”:
http://www.thomsonlocal.com/free-listing.aspx
I tried this link and i am already listed but not on Live Maps,
The online form for Live Maps is still for USA only..
Help Help
April 22, 2009 - 12:45 pm
Why do they make it so dufficult. thanks for the help
May 9, 2009 - 7:50 am
i agree with HLM. I’m also listed on thompson local and have been for the last 2yrs. My listing is still not showing on msn local maps.
Also Glenn, you said there are 25 more local listing sites for the uk. Could you kindly tell us which ones these are?
thanks
May 12, 2009 - 4:55 am
I would love an answer to the UK question. It is very difficult to list if it is even at all possible!
May 12, 2009 - 6:31 am
[...] offered on many PCs — Windows OS and Internet Explorer. (On a purely anecdotal level, an old blog post I wrote about adding a business to Live Local Search is the 3rd most popular article on my blog in [...]
June 5, 2009 - 11:14 am
can we do this for other countries as well ?
June 8, 2009 - 1:09 pm
Jason, Leon — I don’t know what the process is for listing a business on MSN/Live/Bing Uk. Sorry about that.
June 15, 2009 - 5:11 am
But I see some local listings for UK and India How come?
Thanks in advance for your help
July 28, 2009 - 12:53 pm
Hello from Canada. I’m trying to find the MSN page to list my business?? Do you have a link?
Thanks
July 28, 2009 - 10:20 pm
Ken – the new URL for Bing Local is below, but I don’t know if it works for Canada. Sorry.
https://ssl.bing.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx
September 8, 2009 - 12:54 am
As many people have commented, getting listed in Bing/Live Local/MSN for businesses outside of the US can be problematic.
I just wrote a blog post that will be useful for those that are asking how to get listed in the UK:
http://uk-local-search-marketing.blogspot.com/2009/09/get-listed-in-microsoft-uks-bingmsnlive.html
For those elsewhere, I’d recommend scouring the geo-targeted multimap.com for their particular country.
Hope this helps
Daniel
October 1, 2009 - 11:44 am
Nope, it doesn’t work for Canada
March 13, 2010 - 6:27 am
How does one go about getting a Bing local listing for Canada?
April 1, 2010 - 2:34 pm
Not true. My competitors are listed on Bing Local in Vancouver BC.
May 18, 2010 - 8:48 am
I submitted my information waited for the snail mail confirmataion. I used the verification code and it did not work. There has got to be a faster way to do this and there are no phone numbers so I can talk to an actual person.
May 20, 2010 - 11:00 am
Pat, it can be very frustrating and it’s not just Bing. The authentication process can be just as difficult on Google and others, too.
July 15, 2010 - 12:04 pm
I think I’ve missed something, please can someone give me the link to add my local listing to MSN and Yahoo Uk Local listings for our carpet cleaning devon and cleaning Exeter business. Thanks!
August 11, 2010 - 2:21 am
MSN local gets its data from thompson local like a lot of other places on the net do for the uk.
So if you want to get listed in MSN local its best to start with them but it will take quite some time.
August 27, 2010 - 4:31 am
Reply to NS. Just type in add url to yahoo in any search engine, and follow the instructions. You will need to have yahoo account.
Is there any Local Business Listings for Bing in Ireland? I can find it for the U.K ! but not Ireland !