Having a presence on-line is vital to any business.  Whether you cater to consumers or other businesses, many transactions will begin with a web search to see what you do, what people say about you and how you go about your work.  Take these steps to ensure you get the right placement in search engines and people can find you easily.

List Your Business On-line
Many search engines and directories give you the opportunity to list your business to help get higher in search results.  Be sure to complete your profile on each one and then do a search for your business.  If there are other directories with listings, claim them and complete them as well.

Google Places is Google’s business directory.
Bing Bing also has a place to list your business. This is a vital place to be as many consumers still use Yahoo which is powered by Bing.
Manta Business Directory

GPS Services
If you have a brick and mortar location, be sure to list it through GPS services so you are easily found on those devices. There are two main sites to list:
ExpressUpdate
Map Reporter

YouTube
Video is becoming a major tool in your arsenal to obtain new business. Be sure to claim your business video channel to ensure no one else can use your business name. Next, consider your audience for video first. What are they looking for? Why should they find you? And, what would cause them to share the video? Once you have those questions answered, find a partner to create a video through our Everything Local link and start creating!

Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is the practice of working your website so it is easy to find on search engines. There are companies that specialize in search engine optimization or SEO. Some of the things you can do yourself are:

  • Make sure you include those keywords customers would use to find you in your content and in the keyword areas of your website.
  • Each page on your website should have a unique title and description.
  • Install Google Analytics on your website so you can track where visitors go, where they came from and where they spend their time.
  • Link to your social media sites. For more on social media, visit Social Media.