Gone are the days when potential customers use the paper Yellow Pages to find your business. Research is now done online, so make sure your business can be found there.
List your business on Google Maps/Places, business directories like hotfrog, Yellow Pages or TrueLocal and industry websites.
Your listing should contain all the keywords and phrases potential customers are likely to type into search engines.
For instance, if you are a florist, you need to include “floral bouquets”, “flowers”, “wedding flowers” and “floral displays” in your online listing; if you are a virtual assistant, consider words like “VA”, “virtual assistant” and “administration”.
Your full business contact details are the next important inclusion. Potential customers need to be able to contact you in the way that suits them. Think beyond the business phone to your mobile, email, website and social media.
When writing your business description, mention your company name and keywords several times within the text to help optimise the listing for search engines, increasing the chance of potential customers finding your business. Try to write between 50 and 200 words, including options for payment and opening hours to give customers a good idea about your business and why they should choose you.
Online directories and search engines market your business 24 hours a day, which means your business can be found at any time.
