Does your business description still matter?

How does this affect my  small business?

What does this mean for ATX Web Designs clients?

Just imagine the situation: you have spent several excruciating days working on a big puzzle that consists of a thousand pieces. After your hard work you get so close to its end that you can see it clearly. But when you are fitting the last pieces in, you suddenly realize that you have a missing piece of the puzzle, so it can’t be completed.

In this case you feel frustration because you can’t complete the puzzle without the one missed piece. Exactly the same feelings business owners have when after weeks and months of frazzling work, and doing all things right they are not being found online. In this article you will find common local search marketing mistakes of business owners and ways that will help you to complete your puzzle.

DISCREPANT NAME, ADDRESS, & PHONE NUMBER
The name, addresses and phone number of your business must be exactly the same across your listing directories. Otherwise, it can lead to a lack of credibility for the business. Here is the explanation: In order to confirm that your business has the correct name, address, phone number etc., Google will scan a big amount of websites. Any mismatch can cause a lack of trust in your business.

Remember that in this case, “close” is not good. As a business owner you’re looking for all advantages that you can get, so details are very important.

For example, your business is located at 330 West 40th Street. But you may use variations of the address when you publish information about it to online directories: 330 West 40th St., 330 W. 40th Street, 330 West 40th Street, etc. Online directories in most cases recognize abbreviations. Despite this, it’s important to publish the same data to every directory in order to increase recognition of your business.

The Solution: study all online listings where your business is presented and check the information. It has to be accurate and discrepant. Don’t forget that you can hire an outsourcing company that will do it for you if you want to have the best result and save your time.

PERMITTING LISTINGS TO BECOME INVISIBLE
You have to remember that getting your pages verified, with consistent and discrepant information, is the main thing that can help your business to be found online. At the same time it’s a complex process. Adding information about the name of your business, its address and phone number to your pages will help in the short perspective, but a successful page is provided by a permanent presence.

The Solution: Always be present on your business pages! Sign in at least several times a month to update important information about your business such as store hours, add new (alternative) phones etc., run the blog, get customer feedback. Make posts or respond to comments or reviews if it is a page in Google+!

ABSENCE OR LACK OF PRESENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Engagement of audience in Social Media is one of the ways of evaluation of consumer interest that search engines conduct. Some businesses don’t think that social media will benefit them, and while it’s true that different businesses would get more value from various social media sites, it’s important to be active on at least a few platforms. Nevertheless, it’s important to be proactive on some platforms because social media activity is one of indicators that Google uses while ranking businesses.

The Solution: Always be proactive on your pages in social media. Post relevant and interesting content on a regular basis which suits you: twice a day, twice a week or twice a month. Use entertaining content to attract new followers. You can also promote your blog or webpages with the help of instruments of social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

GET MORE CUSTOMER REVIEWS 
Customer reviews are very important indicator of customer satisfaction and credibility for the business. Search engines take into account reviews of real customers about their experience with your company. It’s hard to be competitive on the market without positive reviews. The matter is not only in engines. Many customers trust online recommendation, which is why they are so important.

The Solution: It’s not hard for you to ask your customers to leave a review about their experience with your business. But sometimes this process can be long, and receiving a positive review requires a lot of time. That’s why business owners can hire outsourcing companies, such as RevLoval, that has a review generating platform which helps clients get customer reviews.

Mastering these four solutions, will get you the best advantages for your business. It is the lost puzzle that you now have found. If it’s hard for you to run online activities you can hire a professional company that will help you get your business being found online. Imaging how great it is when the puzzle is completed and your business is noticed online. So don’t hesitate and start working!

ATX Web Designs is your ‘Business Marketing ‘ company that specializes in online marketing and web design in Round Rock and Austin, Texas. We don’t just build websites, we build websites that build business.