Spring has finally sprung, and consumers are looking forward to getting their homes ready for summer. Tasks like fixing air conditioners, opening pools and getting home exteriors pressure-washed are appearing on to-do lists around the country — and residents will soon start contacting local businesses to help them cross these items off. Though word-of-mouth and local advertising play a part in connecting consumers with your business, the value of local online directory listings and proper listings management cannot be overstated.

Search Engine Watch reports, "Searches with local intent are more likely to lead to store visits and sales within a day. ... 50 percent of mobile users are most likely to visit after conducting a local search, while 34 percent of consumers on tablets or computers will go to a store." If your store listings aren't displayed correctly, you could miss out on valuable customers this spring and summer. Here are three key benefits of proper online listings management:

Google Maps has updated its mobile app for both the Android and iOS platforms. Though the first thing users will notice is likely to be the app's fresh new look — it incorporates material design, as Search Engine Journal notes — there are plenty of other new features under the hood, including a new live search results feature and instant one-touch reservations. Though these updates certainly make life more convenient for average users, local businesses can really benefit from these additions in some tangible ways.

Helping Users Find You With Up-to-Date Information

One of the best ways that the Google Maps app update helps to bring new customers to your business is discovery through simple browsing. Users looking at a planned route or trying to check out a local area will be able to browse local businesses and get instant information on any selected business with a single tap — no searching required! However, in order to get the most out of this feature, local businesses must ensure that their directory information is correct and easily available. Double-check that sites that list your business have your correct address, phone number and hours and a link to your official website. Also, ensure that your official website is updated with photos, business descriptions and social networking information.

*This article is a guest post written by our local listings management and reputation intelligence partner, Yext. 

As our CEO, Howard Lerman, likes to say, "People are local." That's not a condemnation -- rather, it's a celebration. More importantly, because people are local, mobile and local are the same. Our increasingly connected world means that having your business in local directories is more imperative than ever.