Posted By: Scotty Spielman
The ice, snow, sleet, hail, frost and other assorted winter ills are grudgingly giving way and soon the world will be born anew.
As you’re taking stock of the changes that are going on in the world and thinking of attracting new customers just now emerging from the long hibernation of winter, it’s a good idea to take stock of your web site and social media sites, too. The last thing you want is incorrect or outdated business information.
Studies have shown that four out of five shoppers lose confidence in a business if they spot something wrong with their website—it could be a simple typo, it could be an incorrect address, hours of operation or just reference to an oil change special that expired during the cold war. Or, maybe the information they’re looking for is simply too hard to find.
According to Google, more than 50 percent of mobile users are looking for basic information when they search for your shop or services. They want an address, phone number, directions or all of the above. Make sure they can find them.
Here are some simple things you can do to make sure all your info—everywhere—is updated and correct.
Google yourself. Googling yourself or your business is the easiest way to find out what information is out there about your business on the world wide web. You may even learn a thing or two.
Claim your Google business listing. Google is by far the largest search engine; make sure the information about your business is correct. Claiming it will allow you to change it if is not.
Every time your business name comes up—whether through a review site you hadn’t heard of, chamber of commerce site or whatever—make sure your Name, Address and Phone number (NAP) is correct. It sounds basic, but studies have shown that up to 95 percent of business web sites have some inaccurate or outdated info.
Get in synch. Make sure all your social media sites, business web pages and the like are similar in color and branding. They don’t have to look exactly the same, but customers should be able to tell what belongs to you and what doesn’t. The more cohesive your brand is across channels, the more professional you will look. Remember to include you NAP wherever you can—customers often link directly to one of our subpages, not just your home page.
Test the links. No, we’re not talking about golf. Hyperlinks, for one reason or another, can go bad. Make sure your customers can navigate your site and get to the areas they need to get to.
A little spring refresher might take you a bit of time, but it’ll be worth it in the long run. You want to make sure your business is bright and open to potential customers—like a fresh spring flower, ready for the warming sun.
What other refreshers can you think of? Let us know in the comments!