How do you normally find restaurants, retailers, and service providers? Do you search online for options? Many people do. This is the powerful impact of online search listings.
A recent statistic indicates that 85% of people who search online for a restaurant make a purchase at a restaurant within an hour.
The Powerful Impact of Online Listings
There are similar statistics for online shopping and in-store purchases. People are searching online and using apps prior to visiting stores, businesses and retailers. They want to know what to expect, make educated decisions and make the most of their time.
Can people find you online? This goes beyond your website, which is important. It also goes beyond Google. If you’ve read any my past blogs on online listings and local search you know that you need to claim and update your Google My Business listing. Google is huge and important, but it uses numerous factors to rank your search results, which means there is a lot more to the search puzzle.
The Search Impact of Online Directories
Have you ever searched for your business on Yelp, Apple Maps, Yahoo, Foursquare or the other hundreds, even thousands of search directories online? What shows up for your organization? If your business shows up, that is a great first step.
You next step is whether the information that shows up is correct, which can sometimes be challenging. Are your hours missing or an old phone number listed? Maybe an old address shows up. How are people going to find you or contact you?
If your business shows up in ten directories, but the name, address and phone number are different in 5 out of 10 listings, how often are people really finding you? Think about the people who notice that your information is inconsistent. They may not trust the information or may be confused and not realize it is the same business.
Confusion and inconsistency cause lost sales. If your listing shows up next to a competitor and their information is complete and consistent, I’d choose your competitor as my destination.
With 23 years of online experience under our belt, we’re here to tell you NOT to make your potential customers work to do business with you. Make it easy for them to find you.
“If you’re looking to build upon your marketing team, I would highly recommend Vivid Image.” Janae Olson, RELCO (Willmar, MN)
Need more prospects coming through the door?
Reach out and we’ll help.
