Online visibility is a mission-critical issue, especially for small businesses. Creating a business website is important especially at a time when consumers are using the Internet to search for products and look to outlets such as online directories and review sites to gain information about businesses and products. With 72 per cent of the UK market owning a smartphone, it’s now easier than ever for consumers to search for a product online. There’s clearly no benefit having a beautiful website if no one can find it.
Today, there are solutions such as the 1&1 MyWebsite 8 that features powerful tools for building and maintaining the online visibility of small businesses. So just what should business owners be considering to increase the online presence of their business?
Firstly, it could be wise to check the status of your business online. Do you know how well your website performs on search engines such as Google? An analysis of you online visibility gives a good indication as to how your business will look to consumers searching online for your business. Start by conducting a search of your business name and location is a great place to start to check the ranking of your business in a search engine. To look specifically at how listings in online directories such as ThomsonLocal and Yelp influence the online visibility of your business, consider using the 1&1 Online Presence Checker which provides an instant appraisal of how a website appears on the most relevant online directories; identifying where your business is currently listed and indicating any errors or omission in online listings.
Get found online
Most business owners today find that an effective website has a direct impact on both their online and offline success. To support businesses in their need to get found on the Internet, business owners need to look at optimising their business information across three distinct areas: Basic Information, Online Directories, and Content Optimisation.
By syncing Basic Information like business name, address, phone number (NAP) as well as opening hours and directions, businesses can enhance their local search ranking. A study by Infogroup found that almost 60 per cent of consumers use search engines as their primary source of information on business listing information such as address and phone number. Therefore, it is essential to your online visibility and local search ranking and for businesses to achieve online success.
Online Directories like Yelp, are getting more and more important for local searches. In fact, some 42 per cent search these websites via their smartphones. Directory websites enable shoppers to pinpoint suppliers by location, and show them on a map. Listing your business in the most prominent and relevant online directories is a popular way to boost website traffic. A List Local tool will automatically submit your business to all popular directories, such as ThomsonLocal and Yelp, and keep all listings accurate and up to date for you – which is also useful for the synchronisation of your basic information.
Content Optimisation takes into consideration all of the content on a website. Which in turn then affects the success level for search engine optimization (SEO). Users can take advantage of this information and improve their content through the use of Web Apps such as Blogs and Social Media such as Facebook. Regularly updating the content on your business website shows search engines the website is active and places web addresses higher in search engine rankings.
With the above tips, you will be well equipped for analysing the visibility of your business online and should now be able to increase the chances of getting found by your customers.
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