Making it easy for potential customers to find your business is a basic step to success. Whether it’s on the web or visibility at your brick-and-mortar location, people need to know you’re there and returning customers need an easy path back! This week’s “Small Business, Big Lessons” will be looking at a useful tool to quickly check how your business appears across the web, why location matters on a map and how your reputation can – and should – speak for itself.

Where are you listed – There are hundreds of sites your business could possibly be listed on. Checking all of those sites for factually correct information sounds daunting, but the good news is that there’s a relatively simple solution. You can use Yext and do a free scan that shows core information on how your business appears across the web. Yext has optional tools and services you can purchase to correct information, or business owners can visit individual websites and correct items themselves. Errors may be found in phone numbers, addresses, hours of operation, or a variety of other areas. It only takes about 30 seconds to get a snapshot of your current listings, and ensuring correct information across multiple websites makes the customer’s experience exponentially easier.

Location – It’s arguable that your address is one of the most important pieces of information customers can find about your business. Google Maps, Waze, Mapquest, Bing, TomTom and more – it can pay to give special attention to mapping services for accuracy. It isn’t just addresses you need to worry about, though. Especially if your business is found in a shopping center, check to make sure that your customers will be pointed in the right direction – literally! Vague directions or incorrect turns can turn some potential customers off your business entirely.

Reputation – Of course, it’s your business’ reputation that spurs people to visit websites, make phone calls, or drive to you. The specifics of cultivating a great reputation could be a series of articles in themselves, and monitoring the conversation about your business and responding appropriately is a crucial piece of evaluating your web presence. Keep an eye on Google reviews, Yelp comments, and TripAdvisor reviews. Based on your business, identify the top three to five sites that matter, and ensure that you monitor them. Set up notifications linked to accounts that you actually check, and make sure to be active in replying – especially on social media! The worst thing you can do for unfavorable feedback is ignore it, and the best thing you can do for positive feedback is to thank your customer!

Think Through – For people to find your business, both online and in-person, visibility and vigilance is key. Monitor and correct information, interact with the people leaving reviews, and fix any issues you encounter as soon as you can. Set aside time each month to invest in this core function of your business, and you just might have an eye-opening experience!

Small Business

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About the Author:
Gregory Woloszczuk is an Entrepreneur and experienced tech executive that helps small business owners grow their top and bottom line. Gregory believes in straight talk and helping others see things they need to see but may not want to with a focus on taking responsibly for one’s own business. He and his wife, Maureen, started GMW Carolina in 2006.
Gregory has been fortunate to have been part of building teams for companies that went through hyper-growth as well as his own company. He also has experience in working through economic downturns and taking responsibility to fix what is in his control. The focus has always been working with partners, customers, and building a successful business channel. His range of experience includes marketing, sales, support, training, and operations.
Gregory holds an MBA from Nichols