Online Marketing Guide: Important Tips for Improving Your Online Visibility docx

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Important Tips for Improving Your Online Visibility
Important Strategies for Any Small or Medium Sized Business
By Bowker Commerce Group • June 2012
Online Marketing Guide
Online Marketing Guide
Important Tips for Improving Your Online Visibility
2
Utilize these tips for improving your business’s online visibility. The list is based on research
conducted by the industry’s leading experts. The tips are ranked by difculty level.
Some you can do on your own while others may require professional assistance.
Remember that being visible on the Internet requires ongoing maintenance. Factors that inuence
your visibility change all the time. Look to work with a service provider that specializes in these types
of services.
Tip 1: Claim your Local Business Listing
Claim (i.e. verify) your business listings on the relevant online resources (e.g. search engines like
Google and Yahoo, and directory sites like CitySearch and Yellowpages).
Why It’s Important
Claiming your listing will get you better rankings on search results, show customers the
correct information about your business, and prevent your listing from getting hijacked
(i.e. edited by someone who is not the business owner).
What It Requires
1. Visit the relevant search engines and directory sites.
2. Find the ‘Claim your business’ link.
3. Validate\correct your business details and claim it.
Tip 2: Update your full and accurate address on all local business
directories, search engines and your website
As simple as this sounds, hundreds of businesses fail to take this crucial step - which can translate
into lost dollars. Take the time to check that every relevant site lists your business’s correct address,
phone, email, website, and any other contact details.
Why It’s Important

An updated address generates a sense of trust for customers and search engines, as well as
helps more customers nd you.
Online Marketing Guide
Important Tips for Improving Your Online Visibility
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What It Requires
1. After claiming your listing you can update your address details. Check that your listings are
consistent across all sites.
2. Please note – If your business is located in a suburb but your service area includes a nea
by city, you may want to consult an expert as to your visibility for potential customers
searching according to the nearby city. An expert may be able to help you become more
visible beyond your immediate location.
Tip 3: Put your business in the right categories
Customers nd you either by specically searching for your business name or, more commonly, by a
general search for a product or service you provide.
Why It’s Important
If your business is not listed under the proper categories, you may not be found by customers
searching for your product or service.
What It Requires
1. Visit the search engines and directory sites and check which categories your business
is listed under.
2. Do your category research – compare how your competitors categorize themselves and
familiarize yourself with the categories offered by the search engines and directories.
3. After claiming your business (Tip #1) you may select your categories. Choose all the
categories relevant to your business so that you’ve covered the range of potential searches.
Tip 4: Include product / service keywords in your local
business listing title
This helps customers nd your business more easily on search engines (especially if your business
name does not spell out what you provide).
Why It’s Important

According to industry research, the highest-ranking businesses on search engines have some
variation of their top keywords in their listing title (e.g. plumbing, gardening, towing, etc.).
Online Marketing Guide
Important Tips for Improving Your Online Visibility
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What It Requires
1. Choose your business listing title carefully – incorporate a keyword as naturally as possible.
2. Be consistent – update your listing titles across all the relevant sites.
3. Consider consulting an expert – a professional can best assess a reasonable combination
of keywords for your business listing title.
Tip 5: Add or verify your business listing with data providers
for search engines
Search engines and local search sites use data providers (e.g. InfoUSA, Localeze, Acxiom, etc.) as a
source for their information.
Why It’s Important
Because local directories rely on data provider sites for their information, you want to make
sure your details are correct at the source.
What It Requires
1. Visit the data provider sites.
2. Find the ‘Claim your Business’ link.
3. Validate/correct your business details.
Tip 6: Get your customers to write online reviews about your business
Ask your customers – on your website, in person, or through your literature - to submit online reviews
about you.
Why It’s Important
Reviews about you help increase your online visibility. It will also build credibility,good
word-of-mouth, and draw in new customers.
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Important Tips for Improving Your Online Visibility
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What It Requires
1. Any time you have a satised customer, ask him/her to take a moment to review you
2. Make it easy – provide your customer with the link(s) to post their review.
Tip 7: Engage your customers online on user review sites
such as Yelp
Create more “buzz” around your business. You will see what your customers have to say and how
you can improve your business.
Why It’s Important
Online reviews of your business are an increasingly inuential factor in your business’s online
rankings, and therefore your visibility.
What It Requires
1. Read your online reviews. Learn what customers like and don’t like.
2. If the site allows you to respond, respond to your reviews. Engaging in a dialogue shows
that you take your customer service seriously, and can impress new potential customers.
Tip 8: Use social networks such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter to
stay in touch with current customers and attract new customers
As social networks gain overwhelming volumes of trafc and attract more and more users, you have a
ripe opportunity to connect with many potential customers.
Why It’s Important
Many businesses gain visibility through social sites. They are a popular forum for engaging in
dialogue, organizing groups, and sharing recommendations (and warnings). Customers may
be more inclined to interact with you if you are open to communicating through these sites.
This will also allow you to form a community for your business – a way to communicate with
existing customers, advertise sales or specials, and be visible to potential customers.
Online Marketing Guide
Important Tips for Improving Your Online Visibility
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What It Requires
1. Unless you are a savvy social web user, you may want to consult an expert to familiarize
yourself with the various features of these sites and avoid any practices that may turn off

potential customers.
2. Once you’re comfortable navigating these sites, be sure to sign online to them regularly.
Tip 9: Advertise online
Today’s online advertising options allow you to buy trafc and measure your ROI (return on invest-
ment) per advertising campaign.
Why It’s Important
There is a limited amount you can do to drive organic trafc to your site (trafc that arrives
naturally) in a relatively short time. If you want to boost your online visibility (especially if you
want to see immediate results), you should consider advertising online in order to increase
your exposure amongst your target market.
What It Requires
1. Research your options, such as PPC (pay-per-click campaigns) versus traditional paid
advertising.
2. Consider consulting an expert regarding the key message, content, and design of your
ad/banner/landing page.
3. Consider consulting an expert as to how to wisely buy trafc, gain positive ROI and measure
which investments have been effective.
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Important Tips for Improving Your Online Visibility
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Tip 10: Create a clean, coherent website with content that targets
your keywords
A website is a critical factor in determining online presence. More and more small and medium-sized
businesses have created websites, even if they are extraordinarily basic.
Why It’s Important
It’s the reality that most consumers today expect a business to have their own website. A web
site is a one-stop, convenient destination to answer all the customer’s questions – who you
are, what you offer, your contact details, rates, updates, news and specials.
Note – your website can be as simple as a homepage with your logo and contact details.
Even if you don’t operate a store-front business you should still have a website. It offers an

accessible face to the Internet-savvy consumer, and you want to be visible to them.
What It Requires
1. If this is your rst time creating a website, we highly recommend you consult an expert.
The process involves technical, functional and marketing aspects which you will want to
set up as successfully as possible.
2. A good start is a nice, static site – use a clean, unied design to show your business is
professional and well-organized. Make sure it is user friendly and that the content
incorporates all your business information, some customer reviews and a basic SEO
(search engine optimization) readiness.
3. As your business grows, you can develop your site. Make it more interactive and invest in
SEO to take full advantage of your online exposure potential .
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