Writing a good description for your business listing

A customer who lands on your online listing decides within seconds whether to keep reading or move to the next one. A clear description that quickly states what you do, where you are and how to reach you works better than a long, vague text. Whether your business sits in Almadies, Yoff or Liberté 6, here is how to write a useful business listing, in both French and English.

State the essentials in a few lines

A customer first wants to know what you sell or offer, which neighbourhood you are in, and exactly which services you provide. Starting the description with this information, without detours, lets someone decide right away whether your business fits their need. Avoid overly general phrases: stating "phone repair and accessory sales" says more than a vague line like "we are here to serve you". Reading your description as if you were a customer who knows nothing about the business often helps spot what information is still missing.

Mention languages spoken and payment methods

A foreign visitor or a diaspora member reading your listing wants to know whether they will be understood. Stating the languages spoken by your team, French, English, Wolof or others, reassures that audience. Likewise, specifying accepted payment methods, such as mobile payments or cash, avoids repeated questions and pointless visits from someone who does not have the right payment method on hand. These small details take only a line or two to write, yet they often decide whether someone bothers to visit at all.

Stay simple and honest, without empty promises

Simple words work better than overly ambitious marketing phrases. Promising "the best service in town" without being able to prove it can disappoint a customer expecting something different. Describing concretely what you do, without exaggeration, builds trust that lasts longer than a catchy slogan. An honest, even modest, description reassures more than a text that sounds too good to be true. Asking a relative or an employee to read the text before publishing it often helps catch a line that sounds false or too much like a sales pitch.

Write in French and English, and update regularly

Offering an English version, even a short one, widens your audience to visitors and diaspora members who read French less easily. You do not need to be perfectly bilingual: a simple, correct translation is enough. Finally, a business listing is never set in stone: regularly revisiting your description to fix outdated information, add a new service or note a change of neighbourhood keeps the listing useful for the customers who read it. Setting a reminder every few months to reread the whole listing is a small habit that pays off over time.

Recommended addresses on SeneFinder

No listing provided: in that section, link to the search Services in Dakar on SeneFinder and invite readers to browse up-to-date listings. To see examples of good descriptions, see all addresses in this category and explore the Dakar directory.

Useful tools

• List your business for free on SeneFinder to create or update your listing.
• Recommend an address whose listing struck you as particularly clear.
• Practical guide to understand what visitors commonly expect.

Read our guides on listing your business on SeneFinder and our tips on photos for your business listing.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a business listing description be?

A few sentences are enough, as long as they cover the activity, neighbourhood, services and languages spoken without wandering off topic.

Do I have to write my listing in English?

It is not required, but a short English version helps foreign visitors and diaspora members understand what you offer.

How often should I update my description?

As soon as a service changes, a new neighbourhood is served, or a detail becomes outdated, it is better to fix the listing right away rather than wait.