Lost and Found: How Findable Is Your Local Business?

Sometimes, no matter how much you try to refine your business model, you might feel as if you’re stuck and revenue numbers just won’t budge. If you’re wondering what you’re doing wrong, the answer might be that you’re just not being found by your customers, especially on the local level. We at Little Jack hold the unconventional belief that one needs to be found by the customer before other favorable interactions can ensue. This is why we’re going to spend the next month telling you about various ways to get discovered by your client base.

If you’re not doing these things, chances are you’re not being found

Take control of your customer reviews.

The new generation of online consumers trust websites like Yelp! and Angie’s List to tell them where in their neighborhood to go next. Businesses with dozens of reviews are the rock stars of local search, so try to incentivize your customers to review your business online. If you’re unlucky enough to have received poor, or even lukewarm reviews, you should take the helm and claim them as your own. For more details, see our post on managing negative feedback while continually smiling.

Claim your place on Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing.

All of these mapping services have the option of creating an account at that address, with your business’s contact information and website. You should claim your location on all 3, to ensure that when someone lazily searches for “X near 60601,” you’ll be one of the blips on their map instead of being a nothin’, no-good nobody.

Use local keywords.

An obvious point, yes. But just because you have “chitown” in your domain name doesn’t mean that Chicagoans will be able to find you. On the actual content of your page, you should occasionally use your location in combination with your main keyword. Just don’t repeat it too much or your website will begin to sound spammy. (There’s only so many times someone wants to read “Chicago sock manufacturing”.) Ride the fine line, and get found.
If you take care of these three things, you’ll be ahead of the majority of small businesses online (surprising, no?). Pat yourself on the back and eat a whole pint of Ben & Jerrys. Also, join us next week as we delve deeper into the process of getting found!
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