All businesses need to be able to be found online. Claiming your free Google Business and Bing Places profiles can help!
Many business owners think that just because they started their business by registering it with the state, building a website, and opening an office/store that it means their business is going to be added to a magical database that puts their business in all the online search engines.
Wrong. You need to be the one to initiate this.
Your business might show up online here and there because someone linked your website or mentioned you in their blog, but you are the one who needs to claim your online listings. And you can do it at no cost.
Don’t worry if you haven’t done this. I created a guide for you to get started with 6 of the directories I recommend. I even included the links you need to get you started in one click!
When you look at the search engines I’ve recommended, you might decide that one of them is not ideal for your business. That’s okay. You can decide that. I just encourage you to pick a few from the list.
How to manage your online profiles.
Google and Bing can help you stay popular in their prospective search engines. After all, you want Google to love you. And you also want Bing to love you. They are the #1 and #2 most popular search engines in the United States.
If these search engines know about your business, the higher the chance that consumers know about your business. But how do you stimulate the algorithms to get attention from Google or Bing?
A part of the answer can be found within the Google Business and Bing Places profile you claimed. Both of these profiles allow you to make posts or offers, and set expiration dates for those offers. People then find them when your business appears in their search results.
Making new posts/offers is helpful to do every week. When you publish them, you are reminding the search engine that you exist. You are also confirming your legitimacy as an active business.
Looking and acting like a business that is engaging with consumers by adding offers and announcements to your profiles, gives you brownie points. And more brownie points means you become more popular. Thus, your profile will be connected to more relevant search inquiries.
How to keep feelin’ the love…
Because we live in a digital world where scammers are a real thing, search engines choose what to show in someone’s search results based on how much it trusts you. Having a complete profile gives you favor in the search engine.
In order to trust you, it wants you to appear with the same information listed across all platforms. You’ll want to ensure your name is spelled the same, your phone number and email are identical, and your physical address matches every time you appear online.
This includes your social media profiles, website, and other online sources, like your business profiles. With different information in different places, search engines question your legitimacy and may choose to not include you in search results.
You also want to add photos to your Google Business and Bing Places profiles. Imagery can be of anything – your logo, storefront, products, customers, team members. Anything that shows you are a real place with real people is the goal. Upload new photos regularly to keep things fresh and active.
In both Google and Bing, it will give you a “completed profile” percentage so you know how well you are doing. Getting it to 100% puts you in a great position to feel the love from Google and Bing.
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