A while back I wrote an article for the Peachtree Insider about how to list your business for free online. Since I just ran into a Yelp review for a church – yes, a church – I thought it might be good to bring these to your attention.
- Google Maps. People use Google Maps to find businesses and other places of interest, as well as to get driving directions. Make sure your business is listed accurately. You can attach coupons, photos and videos, and Google helps you learn where users are coming from and how they’re searching for you.
- Yelp. With features similar to Google Maps, Yelp organizes businesses by major city, then by category, neighborhood and surrounding town. Customers can write reviews and post ratings. The Business Owners Guide will show you how to get listed, give you tips on responding to reviews and help you track visitors to your page.
- Bing Local Listing Center. Bing is newer than the other two major search engines (Yahoo! and Google), but is growing thanks to the power of Microsoft. It has most of the same features as the other local listings, including customer reviews and rankings.
- Yahoo! Local. Yahoo has three plans for businesses to get listed, but they’re not all free. Business Basic is the place to start. It’s free and offers you some flexibility. For example, you can choose up to five categories for your listing.
There could be other online directories in your area, but these will give you a good start. Encourage your customers to post a review, even offering them a discount on their next product or service when they do.
Be sure to set a reminder to check your listings every so often for accuracy -- and monitor those customer reviews. A negative rating provides insight into how to make improvements and gives you a chance to turn around an unhappy customer.
Shari Willman
Marketing and Product Manager
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