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In this article: \nStrategies for growing your business in a “down year.”\nStrategies to prepare for increased demand during recovery\nAdditional resources to help with financial struggles\nOne of the biggest strategies small business owners are continuously trying to implement is how to grow their business. After all, business growth means that you are gaining success and more profits. \nBut what happens when the economy takes a turn for the worse? It can be difficult to continue growing or even to maintain your current level of profits during a recession or “down year.” \nThroughout this article, we’ll go over the best strategies for growing your business during an economic downturn, how to prepare for increased business as the economy recovers, and financial assistance resources you can reach out to during crisis situations. \nWhat strategies can you implement to grow your business when the economy is slow?\nGrowing your business really comes down to two things: getting new customers and having the resources in place to acquire and maintain new customers. The following strategies can help you accomplish these goals. \nImprove your cashflow\nCashflow is crucial to a thriving business, whether during a thriving economy or a recession. You need to pay your bills and operating expenses in order to gain new customers and you need that incoming profit from new customers to continue paying your operating expenses, and the cycle continues. \nA cashflow strategy should come well before an economic downturn if you have an established business. And if you are just starting out, you should have a plan to keep your incoming cashflow strong, especially through times of economic turmoil. \nCheck out this article: \n6 common small business cash flow problems and how to solve them\nFind ways to reduce costs\nThis strategy comes back to cash flow and having enough money to put towards your other growth strategies. Finding ways to reduce unnecessary expenses will help you allocate those funds towards improving the function and outlook of your company. \nDo an audit of your current expenses and determine what you can reasonably cut down to improve your spend in other areas. If you have an office or brick-and-mortar location, some common places that you can try to reduce costs include:\nUtilities: reduce your electric, water, and sewage costs by utilizing more renewable energy strategies\nInternet and phone plans: these companies are always trying to keep competitive quotes, so ask around for better pricing\nGo paperless and reduce the use of office supplies\nCut down on “luxuries” in the workplace, like expensed meals, trips, and more\nKeep marketing your business\nOne place where many business owners hurt themselves during a recession is marketing. When money gets tight, the marketing and advertising budget is often the first thing to go. But how do you expect to gain new business if you aren’t getting your name out there and keeping people informed? Cutting off marketing can cause a vicious spiral that can hurt your business even more than it already is.\nThis is especially important during a time like a global pandemic when people are more cautious about visiting businesses and staying at home more. \nRather than shutting off your marketing efforts, you need to get creative about how you can reach your customers during this time. Think about what they are going through and how your product or services can help them. Use that to appeal to them and gain their business. \nUse resources like social media, your website, and Google ads to help get your name and promotions out there. \n(Image)\n\nHow can you better prepare for increased growth as the economy recovers?\nAs the economy moves into a recovery and growth phase, it's crucial to prepare for the influx of business that will occur. What can you do to prepare for that increased demand?\nExploit opportunities to reduce costs while the demand is low\nYes, this is important here too. Before the recovery phase begins, you can look for opportunities to reduce costs that will help you to prepare for the increased growth that will occur. \nLook for some of the following opportunities in your community:\nCommercial rentals at a lower cost (you may even be able to use this to negotiate a deal with your current landlord)\nDeals on equipment \nUpgrades in software, internet plans, marketing campaigns, etc., due to the lower demand\nDon’t take on too much too fast\nIt’s an exciting time when the sales leads are constantly flowing in, but it’s important to be realistic in the amount of work that you can handle. Don’t accept every lead that walks in the (real or virtual) door, or if you do, set realistic expectations for your clients of when you’ll be able to get to their project. \nYou may have to turn down some business during this time, and that’s okay. It’s better to turn down a couple of leads that you don’t have the capacity to handle than to take on too much and not deliver on the work that you’ve promised. Just know your limits and be smart about the work that you take on. \nContinue your marketing efforts\nWe will always recommend you keep up your marketing efforts, even if it’s just finding \nfree ways to market your business\n within your community. \nEven as demand increases, it’s important to keep up marketing efforts that revolve around brand awareness and maintaining your online visibility. The high demand won’t last forever, and you’ll want to have continued business growth as things slow down again. Tasks like social media posting, email marketing, and SEO can all help with your long-term marketing strategy for gaining new customers. \nYou may also like:\n\nWhy small business email marketing should be your top priority\n\n\nTop social media strategies for small businesses\n\n\nThe small business marketing success guide\n\n\n15 free tips for better local search rankings\n\nWhat resources are available to help small businesses during economic struggles?\nIf you are struggling to keep positive cashflow or need help financially supporting the influx of business as the economy starts to recover, there are resources available that you can reach out to. \nA few options that can help in an economic downturn or emergency situation:\n\nSBA Disaster Assistance\n\n\nSBA-associated grants\n\n\nEconomic Injury Disaster Loan\n (EIDL) Program \nTalk to your bank about a \nsmall business loan\n\nSeek out small business investors\n

How to grow your small business in a slow economy

In this article:\nStart your own online order and delivery service\nUse alternative third-party services\nKeep up on your marketing efforts\nDuring the COVID-19 pandemic many businesses were forced to adapt to new methods of reaching their customers, primarily online. Restaurants were especially impacted by this, as most restaurants across the country had to close their dining rooms during statewide shutdowns. \nHowever, this may be a silver lining, as moving to online orders, curbside pickup, and delivery services has helped many restaurants continue to serve their local communities and many employees to keep their jobs. And as the recovery continues, these additional services and offerings can help restaurants to maximize revenue and customer satisfaction.\nIt’s important to continue to leave online and to-go services available for those who are still taking precautions and for those who just want to easily order with the tap of their fingers. \nSmall businesses that move toward “omnichannel” or “unified commerce” sales models, with multiple avenues for customers to order, pay, and receive product, will be able to weather financial and socioeconomic storms better than those that stick with traditional sales models.\nWhy don't some restaurant owners want to work with Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Grubhub?\nIf your restaurant isn’t providing online ordering or delivery services, now is the ideal time to start. Some restaurant owners have been averse to starting online and delivery services because they don’t want to work through the big three third-party platforms: DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub, which may increase your reach but they take a healthy bite of what can be very slim profit margins.\nAdditionally, many restaurant owners are averse to giving control over the customer experience (and quality of food) to someone outside of their control. It can hinder the customer’s view of the restaurant if food takes too long to arrive or is cold and soggy when it does. \nSo, are there other options?\nCheck out this article: \nWhy (and how) you need to put your restaurant’s menu online\nAlternative options for restaurants to sell online that don’t involve DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub\nYou don’t have to use one of “the big three” to get your food selling online and delivered to your customers. While they can make it easier for new restaurants, or restaurants new to delivery, to get their name out there, you do have other options. \nThe first of these is to offer online ordering and delivery services directly from the source: your restaurant. \nYou may also like: \n9 reasons your restaurant needs online ordering and delivery services\nStart online restaurant orders and delivery services on your own\nYou don’t need a third-party to offer online ordering and delivery services. If you have a website, a point-of-sale (POS) system, and employees that can drive, you have the means to start these services on your own. \nIt might take a little more work in the beginning to get everything integrated and working properly and to train your employees on their new responsibilities, but in the long run this could save you money. And it keeps everything in-house and under your control. \n(Image)\n\nSome things that you’ll need in order to offer online and delivery services:\nWebsite or online ordering platform—most modern POS (Point Of Sale) systems and/or online “shopping carts” have some way to integrate online ordering capabilities\nHigh-speed internet to ensure that you are receiving the orders as they come in\nDrivers and method of transportation for them (even if it’s their own vehicle)\nBags and takeout containers\nGo deeper: \n\nHow to get your restaurant started with delivery or carry-out\n\nThe 5 best DIY websites for small businesses on a budget\nWant to keep it “old school”? Telephone ordering can still work for your restaurant\nIf you have the capacity to take phone orders, this can still be effective, though most younger customers now will expect an online/mobile/app-based ordering system. \nIf you don’t have the capability or desire to go online for some reason, setting up a dedicated phone line and publishing your call-ahead/takeout/delivery order number far and wide can allow customers to call in their orders and either pick them up or ask you to deliver them. \nThis has been the model for lots of Chinese and pizza restaurants for decades, and with the increased demand lately for ordering ahead, you could still add profits and satisfy more customers’ wants in this way while keeping control of the entire process.\n(Image)\n\nOther third-party platforms for restaurant ordering and delivery\nIf starting all of this on your own feels like too much, there are other third-party companies you can use to allow online ordering and delivery for your restaurant. These are some great alternatives to DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. \nPostmates\nPostmates used to be a third-party online ordering and delivery service similar to “the big three,” but it was acquired by Uber in 2020. It's still run separately and fees may be a little better. Postmates is a little less common in certain areas of the U.S. This can be a good and bad thing. If your market isn’t familiar with Postmates, it could take a little extra marketing to get your name out there. But if Postmates is really common where you are, then it could bring in a lot more business. \nGet started at \npostmates.com\n. \nChowNow\nChowNow is another third-party online ordering and delivery solution that can help your restaurant get food out to your customers. ChowNow has an online ordering app and website similar to the other solutions out there, but they’ll also create a branded app specifically for your restaurant that customers can download and use to reorder their favorites with ease. \nInterested in this solution? Get started at \nchownow.com\n. \nOne awesome feature of ChowNow and Postmates is that they can integrate online ordering with your Google Business listing. That means that customers could find you on Google and be provided with a link to order online, without having to sign into another app. As long as they are already logged into Google, the process is seamless. \nUp your marketing game\nIf you’re trying to get away from using popular apps and solutions that have big marketing advantages, it’s important to compensate for that. You’ll need to hone in your marketing strategy to reach customers in new and innovative ways. \nFirst, make sure your current customers know that you are providing online ordering and delivery services. Get the word out with newsletters, \nsocial media posts\n, and sharing the news on your website. \nIn order to reach new online customers, you’ll need to invest in some small business advertising. That could be \nGoogle Ads\n, \nsocial media advertising\n, \nbillboards\n, and more. \nFocus some marketing efforts on \nSEO\n and building a good online reputation so your restaurant shows up when people are looking on places like Google, Yelp, and Bing. \nHere are a few helpful marketing guides to get you started:\n25 free local advertising ideas for small businesses\n5 ways to promote your restaurant on Google\n\nHow to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business\n\n

Restaurant alternatives to DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub for online ordering and delivery

In this 6-minute read:\nIs Twitter right for your business?\nBenefits of Twitter for small businesses\nHow to set up your business Twitter account\nWhat to post on your Twitter profile\nHundreds of millions of people are connecting and sharing things on Twitter every day. This is a great opportunity for businesses to gain awareness and improve their online visibility. \nNot sure if Twitter is right for your business? Learn more about how Twitter is good for businesses and how you can create your business Twitter account throughout this guide. \nIs Twitter a good fit for my business?\nNot every social media platform is going to be the best fit for every industry. To see if Twitter is a good fit for your business, find out where your customers are spending their time on social media. \nSome questions you can ask yourself to determine whether or not Twitter is right for you:\nWill Twitter be useful for your business?\nWhat are your goals for your social media accounts and can Twitter accomplish these?\nHow can Twitter help small businesses?\nHow can Twitter help you market your business?\nConsider these questions as you go through this article to help you determine if Twitter will work for you. \nBenefits of using Twitter for business\nTwitter has more than 300 million active users and will help your business connect with new audiences and spread brand awareness. \nHere are some awesome benefits that Twitter can provide to any small business. \nTwitter Ads for businesses\nTwitter has some powerful targeting capabilities with their online ads that allow you to reach your intended audience. Select specific demographics and interests for your audience and show your ads only to those who match your criteria.\nMonitor your brand\nWith Twitter, you can monitor brand mentions and see when people are talking about your business. Those are the perfect profiles to connect with to help you grow your social media presence. \nCommunicate with followers\nWith direct messaging and responding to Tweets, you can communicate directly with your followers and grow your brand awareness. Engaging on social channels is how you can grow your following and get your business in front of more people. \nDrive traffic to your website\nSharing blog articles from your website and even just listing your website on your Twitter profile will drive more traffic to your website. Twitter users often check out the websites of the brands they follow on Twitter to learn more about them. \nSee how Twitter can help your business? Continue on to learn how to add your business to Twitter. \nHow to create your business Twitter account\nWe’ll get right to it. Follow these steps to set up your business profile on Twitter. \n1. Sign up on Twitter\nGo to twitter.com and click “Sign up.” Add the following information:\nName (use the name of your business)\nCell phone number* or email (just click “Use email instead” to add your email)\nDate of birth (this isn’t public on your profile)\n*You have to use a cell phone number if you choose this option because Twitter will verify your account with a text message. \n(Image)\n\nWhen you click “Next” Twitter will give you some options to customize your experience with personalized ads. This personalization can be convenient for seeing what other businesses in your industry are doing for their ads. \n(Image)\n\nClick “Next” again, and Twitter will allow you to update your information if you need to. Then just click “Sign up” and Twitter will ask you to verify your phone or email. \n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nYou can edit the phone or email that you entered or hit “OK” to finish the verification process. Enter the verification code you received and click “Next.”\n(Image)\n\nThen you’ll need to set up a password that is at least 6 characters. Record this somewhere so you don’t forget it. \n(Image)\n\nChoose a profile picture for your account. Your business logo is perfect here. \n(Image)\n\nAdd a description of your business next. Be sure to keep it under 160 characters. \n(Image)\n\nNext, add interests that will help generate your feed with relevant topics. Choose things that are relevant to your business that you can Retweet and share to build up your following. \n(Image)\n\nNext, based on your interests, Twitter will show you some top profiles that you can follow. Select a few that you feel will provide good content for your business account to share and follow. \n(Image)\n\nClick “Allow notifications” to get notifications when someone follows your business, Retweets your content, direct messages you, and when relevant news is posted. \n(Image)\n\nNow you have officially signed up for Twitter! The next steps will help you set up the rest of your account. \n2. Update your Twitter business profile\nNext, you’ll want to add things like a cover photo and your website to your Twitter profile. Go to your profile by clicking on your profile photo in the left menu bar. \n(Image)\n\nThen select “Edit profile” to update your information.\n(Image)\n\nThis will allow you to update your profile and cover photos, change your name, update your bio (this is the description you entered in the signup process), add your location, add your website, and edit your birthday. \nBe sure to scroll through this window and add your website so followers can learn more about your business. Then click “Save” when you are done. \n(Image)\n\n3. Start Tweeting\nNow that your Twitter business account is set up with relevant interests, information, and photos, it’s time to start Tweeting. \nSelect “Tweet now” on your profile to get started. \n(Image)\n\nNot sure what to Tweet? Read on to get a few tips about the best content for businesses to share on Twitter. \nWhat to post on your business Twitter profile\nYour business Twitter profile is now set up, so it’s time to start Tweeting and sharing content like crazy. Tweets don’t last long, so it’s important to have someone dedicated to your Twitter account to regularly Tweet for you. \nThe average lifespan of a Tweet is less than 18 minutes because there is a constant stream of fresh new content. Unless your Tweet gets tons or Retweets, people won’t likely see it after that 18-minute period from the time you post it. So keep at it!\nHere are some great things for your business to Tweet or Retweet:\nIndustry news. Do a search on Twitter and Retweet relevant industry news that your followers should know about\nShare photos of new products or services\nShare promotions and discounts (with photos!)\nShare blog posts from your own website with a short punchy description\nBe sure to use relevant and trending hashtags to help your Tweets to show up for more people\nAsk questions and run polls\nRetweet, Retweet, Retweet–we cannot stress this last one enough. Retweeting is the best way to get more followers and increase your business’s presence on Twitter\nSources:\n
\nhttps://moz.com/blog/when-is-my-tweets-prime-of-life\n

How to create a business Twitter account

In this article:\nFree resources with marketing tips for your salon\nFree resources with the latest industry news and trends\nFree resources to help your salon grow your client base\nOwning your own salon business is a lot of work, and everything that goes into just getting started can create several challenges. Not only do you have to keep the lights on and the everyday aspects of the business running, but you also need to advertise and market your hair or nail salon to get new customers. \nKnow this: you are not alone. Salon owners and experts all over the world have shared their experiences and knowledge to help others like you on their journey toward entrepreneurial independence. And we’ve taken the time to gather some of their blogs and online resources to provide you with a library of knowledge as you get your business started.\n1. ProBeauty.org\nThe Professional Beauty Association has a helpful library of free resources for salon owners, including articles and videos on starting a salon, managing employees, insurance issues, marketing, setting income goals, and much more. Check out PBA's \nresource library\n.\n2. Salon Owners Collective\nSalon Owners Collective is an online community that was created to inspire and empower salon owners worldwide. It is their mission to help salon owners turn their dreams into a reality that can last a lifetime. \nThey put together podcasts with successful salon owners that they interview, share marketing tips, and even offer a few freebies like a strategic marketing planner and their “Freedom & Profit Formula” for growing your salon. \n3 must-reads (or listens) on Salon Owners Collective:\nHow To Become A #Marketingboss\n\nThe Ultimate Guide To Turn Likes Into Bookings\n\n\n6 Steps To Get Your Salon To Stand Out On Social Media\n\n3. Salon Plaza\nSalon Plaza is another online community that offers resources for helping dreamers become salon owners. They offer franchising opportunities to salon professionals and help with everything from finding a location to marketing the business. \nWith dedicated professionals sharing their expertise to help get your business off the ground, there is plenty of good to be found here. Even if you already own a salon or don’t want to become a member of this organization, their blog has tons of great insights you can gain from. \n3 must-reads on Salon Plaza:\nStudio Salon Advertising Strategies That Work To Grow Your Base\n5 Ways To Keep Salon Clients Loyal When Moving To A New Location\n\nFor Salon Pros: How To Create A Killer Facebook Ad That Works!\n\n4. Sola Salon Studios\nSola Salon Studios provides salon professionals with fully-equipped studios and everything that they need to start their own salon. With this organization, beauty professionals can become an owner of one of the franchises, and Sola does everything they can to ensure success. \nBecause they’ve helped more than 400 salons get started across the United States, they have a pretty large knowledge base that they can pull from to create sweet resources for salon owners like you. \n3 must-reads from Sola:\nHow To Create A Salon Business Plan: A Blueprint For Success\n3 Ways To Grow Your Salon Business\n10 Instagram Tips For Beauty Professionals\n5. Modern Salon\nModern Salon\n is all about keeping you up to date on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty industry. Get new tips on trending styles, colors, the best extensions to use, and so much more. \nModern Salon wants to help beauty professionals every step of the way, whether you are just starting out or you are a seasoned expert. They offer educational articles and inspiration to help you find yourself in the industry. \n3 must-reads on Modern Salon:\nCommunicating To Your Clients About Hair Wellness\nThe Best & Worst Thermal Tools For Thinning Hair\nTop 3 Tips For Achieving A Great Undercut\n6. American Salon\nAmerican Salon \nstarted 141 years ago and has adapted over the years to be one of the best beauty magazines there is for helping salon owners like you. With more than 1.4 million readers, they are committed to providing valuable content that helps you succeed. \nWhether you are a hairstylist or nail technician, they provide tons of articles catered specifically to building your salon, trending styles, and marketing. They also have several videos and podcasts to show you new tricks and styles. \n3 must-reads from American Salon:\nHow Salon Owners Can Make The Most Of Back-to-school Season\n3 Ways To Use Salon Technology To Attract And Retain Talent\n5 Reasons Why You Should Create An App For Your Salon\n7. Beauty Cast Network\nBeauty Cast Network was created to help place beauty students and professionals find their roles in the industry and to help salon owners find the right stylists for their team. They are a career placement network. \nBut beyond their core goal, they also offer several sweet resources for salon professionals all across the board. Split into four categories: employers, professionals, schools, and students; their blog is all about offering the most helpful advice specific to each reader. \n3 must-reads on Beauty Cast Network:\n\nHire top talent in the beauty industry\n\n\nRethinking your marketing – how you can raise prices without losing clients\n\n\nHow to handle a dissatisfied client\n\n8. Millennium Systems International\nMillennium Systems International offers technology solutions to help salons and spas with online booking, payments, marketing, setting goals and conversions, security, resource management, educational courses, and much more. \nMillennium is very familiar with “the business side of beauty” as the like to put it. Beyond their software solutions, they have great articles that can help you to grow your salon. \n3 must-reads from Millennium Systems International:\nWhat Does The Texting Trend Mean For Your Salon Or Spa?\n4 Tips To Keep Your Hairstylists Healthy And Happy!\nTop 3 Business-boosting Metrics For Salon And Spa Goal Setting\n9. Behind the Chair\nBehind the Chair strives to keep salon owners and stylists everywhere up to date with the latest industry news, from new products and trends to advice from the top stylists. Get inspiration with their galleries, find great tutorials, and get formulas for your clients’ favorite hair colors. \n3 must-reads from Behind the Chair:\n3 Sectioning Techniques For A Brighter Money Piece\n3 Cutting Techniques For Softer Texture\nMen’s Haircuts: 4 Tips For A Seamless Taper & Fade\n10. Solo's list of free online business listings\nWe've gathered a list of (more than) \n25 free online business listings\n where you can include your salon. Grow your customer base and show up better in local searches.\nBe sure to check out some (or all) of these resources to continue increasing your knowledge on what you do best!\nAs you improve your trade and impress your clients, be sure to remind them that you appreciate their online feedback, and stay on top of replying to all your reviews.

10 free online resources for hair and nail salons

In this article:\nWhat is local SEO\nWhy local SEO is vital for small businesses, sole proprietorships, contractors, freelancers, and more\n15 free (and low-cost) tips and tools to climb small business SEO rankings\nIf you want to sound smart at your next gathering of local business owners, just start throwing around terms like “maximizing local SEO!” \nSEO refers to the steps you take to improve your business’s ranking in search results, wether they are on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Safari, Firefox, or any other search engine, in addition to mobile search results. \n \n\nLocal \nSEO adds an extra dynamic. If you run a brick and mortar business, you also want to make sure search engines know you have a physical location they should direct customers to. If you're a freelancer, sole proprietor, microbusiness, solopreneur, or similar business, you definitely need to keep an eye on how you show up in search results relative to your product or services.\nIt stands to reason that the higher your business ranks in these results, the more traffic your website and online review profiles will get, and the more new customers will find you in local searches.\nWhy local SEO is vital for small businesses\nFor local, small businesses, you might assume that how they rank on web searches may not really matter. But you’d be wrong. \nNowadays, almost everyone searches online when looking for nearby places to eat, lawyers to hire, mechanics to trust, and dentists to visit… along with every other local service or retail business. In fact, according to a Google report, \n“near me” searches\n have increased by 200%.\n\nSo it’s vital that you do whatever you reasonably can to show up, and show up well, in local searches. \nFor small businesses, this primarily means taking the basic steps to set up your profile completely and correctly on online review sites like Google, Yelp, Facebook, and TripAdvisor, in addition to making sure your website is up to snuff and you are engaging where appropriate on social media.\nFor the purposes of this article, we will get some valuable advice from one of the experts in the SEO industry, and touch a little on the more technical tips that more advanced, tech-savvy business owners might employ. \nBut mainly we’ll go over the basic steps that should be no-brainers for every local business owner who wants to rank higher in local searches, get seen by more potential customers, and make more money.\nDo small businesses really benefit from local SEO tips?\nSEO is a critical part of a successful digital marketing strategy, even for microbusinesses, sole proprietors, and similar businesses. Small businesses should make sure they have successful location data (proper address, phone number, and business name) on Google My Business and other top business directories like Bing Local and ReferLocal.”

We’ll touch more on these techniques below.\nImprove local SEO ranking by claiming and completing all of your free online business listings\nBefore you can “optimize” search engine results, you have to make sure you actually \nhave\n results. This starts with \nclaiming your free business profiles\n on Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and any industry-focused sites (like OpenTable for restaurants, for example).\nClaiming your listings is free, easy, and absolutely crucial, yet less than half of small businesses have bothered to take this step. Plus, research shows that businesses that claim their listings on multiple online business reviews sites make more money! \nFollow our easy, step-by-step tutorials to claim your profiles:\nHow to claim your Google My Business listing\nHow to claim your listing on Yelp\nHow to claim your TripAdvisor business profile\nYou also need a website. Yes, you. Businesses with websites perform better in local SEO than those without. \nThere are hundreds of low-cost sites that will help you create a simple, clean, professional-looking website. We like Wix and Squarespace, but you should have a look and see what speaks to you. \nThey offer easy templates and high-quality images and layouts for you to choose from. We’ll talk about optimizing your website’s SEO a little later.\n\nIn addition to the big review sites like Yelp and Google, you should also take advantage of free national and local business directories and listings. Be sure to read our post, \n25 free business listing websites every small or local business should be on\n, and get clicking.\nBoost local business SEO by filling in all “optional” fields and adding next-level info\nWe go into more detail in our article \nThe top 5 things every small business should include in their Google My Business listing\n, but the gist of it is you need to complete every field, make sure your name, address, phone number, website, and email are listed correctly, and add additional info (like menus for restaurants) and high-quality, web-optimized images to help you stand out from the crowd. \nAll other things being equal, the local business result with more information, images, and relevant detail show up higher in local online searches. \nMake sure you use appropriate keywords and variations thereof in your business description, company boilerplate, or whatever the particular review platform allows. \nThis content is part of searchable terms for web browsers and if you include the keywords you want to be listed for here, you can improve SEO. (More on keywords below.)\nPro tip: your website should also prominently list all of the above info for the same reasons, and include links to your review site pages.\nEngage your customers via online review sites to improve local SEO\nHopefully you have already claimed your business profiles and have started to engage your customers on review sites. Apart from showing good manners, this makes good business sense. \n\nReplying to reviews\n, both positive and negative, shows that you take your customers seriously and are committed to improving your products and services.\n\nBut there’s more to it than that. Chatmeter.com said that Google has confirmed “responding to reviews improves your local SEO.” Improving your local SEO means you get seen by more customers searching for businesses like yours.\nPlus, research shows that businesses that regularly respond to their online business reviews earn more revenue!\nTo improve local SEO, optimize the performance of your website and make sure it’s mobile-friendly\nSo, you decided to build a website. That’s great! You’re way ahead of nearly half of small businesses, who still don’t have a website. \nHowever, throwing up a simple page that lists your phone number, address, location, and email address, while far more effective than nothing, isn’t going to cut it if you want to maximize local SEO. Let’s address some common website issues:\nMaximize website load speed and fix any broken links\nDo you know how fast your site takes to load on desktop and mobile? You should. You only have a couple of seconds before today’s impatient users will give up on your site. \nRun tests using both desktop and mobile devices and use your web hosting company’s recommended tips for optimizing page load speed.\nEvery hyperlink you include on your site should be functional (and rather than just pasting in some random URL, you should use “anchor text” that includes keywords you want to be associated with). \nSometimes these links “break” due to the referred webpage expiring, being removed, the other site forgetting to renew, etc. \nIf there are broken links on your site, search engines will punish you in search rankings. \nOptimize your site for mobile, and don’t use gigantic images\nFar more people today search the web via mobile than on desktop or laptop. A quick and easy thing you can fix is to make sure all your images and pages are optimized for mobile display, and that you don’t have huge, high-resolution images hogging all the bandwidth. \nTry to shoot for less than 100K for larger background images, and under 50K for other images. With the free image optimization tools available today, this is a piece of cake. \nCompanies like Wix and Squarespace will also automatically create the “mobile version” of your site when you build your site, if you desire.\nBonus tip: Google offers a handy, free tool to \ncheck if your website is mobile friendly\n.\nRegularly confirm your site is actually up\nThis might sound silly, but do you have a way to know if your website is actually up and running? \nThere are many reasons why your site might go down, from failing hardware (such as routers or servers) to problems with your web hosting service, or maybe you even forgot to renew your ownership of your domain (some of our writers have been there… done that). Make it a practice to regularly check your website’s heath and function. \nMake sure your site works with and without the “www” in the URL\nOne sure way to drive off potential customers is if they see an error page when they type (your business name).com into a browser window. \nIf you haven’t already, be sure to set up a 301 redirect for the non-www version of your URL. (Google “how to set up a 301 redirect” and pick your favorite platform.)\nYou might also want to snag the .net, .co, and/or .biz versions of your business URL and redirect them to your main site as well. \nParking a domain and redirecting any traffic it gets costs a few bucks a year and you can capture more customers that way. \nRemember, there are other search engines besides Google\nGoogle is the current 800-pound gorilla, but you should pay careful attention to how your business’s results are displayed on \nall\n the various search engines. \nYou may be cited or referred to in other people’s blog posts, social media content, local free business listings, reviews, etc. and if those results are inconsistent or incorrect, it can confuse search engines, and your incorrect information may be pulled up in certain searches. \nThis is especially true if you have moved locations, changed your phone number, or modified your website URL without performing a 301 redirect. \n\nAll of the listings you can control should be consistent, have phone numbers listed in the preferred format of each search engine (for example, is the area code prefix listed with parenthesis or without?). Do the email “contact us” links listed function correctly and launch your email software? Does your website load correctly when you click on your business’s link?\nOptimize local SEO with accurate, comprehensive website keywords, meta description, and title\nCarefully consider and understand the keywords you want your business to rank for and make sure you’re including them in your website build, including your search engine title, slug, meta description, H1/H2/H3 tags, etc. \nThe title is the actual link that a search engine displays, or the “name” of your website, and the meta description is the small block of text that is displayed below that link. H- tags is shorthand for “headline” or “headers” that attract more emphasis from search engines. For example:\nThis is an H1 tag about improving local SEO.\nAn H2 tag about boosting small business SEO looks like this on our template.\nOr if you want less visual (and local search engine) attention, try an H3 header.\nA good exercise is to type out every variation you can think of relating to your business and the services or products you offer. \nFor example, a pet grooming service near Chicago might use the keywords “pet groomers in Chicago,” “Chicago pet groomers,” “pet groomer in Chicago,” “dog groomer in Chicago,” “Chicago dog groomer,” “Chicago dog groomers,” “Best pet groomer in (Aurora or whatever suburb you want to target)”… you get the idea. \n\nConduct searches for all of these terms and pay attention to how your higher-ranking competitors have their sites listed, their titles, meta descriptions, and keywords. See if you can improve yours.\nRemember, don’t just stuff these keywords in a long list at the bottom of a webpage or try to hide them in the code, and don’t repeat terms over and over in a non-organic way. \nSearch engines like Google are getting very sophisticated and you will actually be punished for keyword stuffing or other “90’s era” methods for trying to boost SEO without doing the work or building any value.\nImprove local SEO by setting up social media accounts\nOnce you have a good website built and have optimized your business listings on all the major review sites, you should also create social media profiles for your business on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (if applicable), and maybe LinkedIn. \nYou may have noticed that, in addition to a business website, almost every company has an official account on all of the major social media sites. They are doing this for a good reason. \nReview sites aren’t the only places people engage with companies and write reviews, and you can derive benefit from meeting your current and potential customers on these social media sites. The more active you are in multiple types of online communities, the more you have a voice (and the better you will show up in online searches).\nCreate a company blog or create other original web content to climb local SEO rankings\nIn addition, you should consider creating regular content on your website, such as adding a blog. \nThe value of a blog may not be apparent to, say, a hairdresser or a dentist or an auto repair shop, but you’d be surprised how much SEO value you can get if you have interesting insights into the industry, valuable tips, funny stories, or other content that interests people.\nThe more people talk about you (and ideally, link to your site or content) on multiple online locations, the more “valuable” you become to search engines like Google and the higher you will start to rank.\nAdding a feature like a blog to your site also gives you the ability to focus on specific keywords/ideas without needing to update your main website pages all the time.\nCaveat: you must commit to regular, fresh content on your blog and/or social media sites. You can’t just create your accounts and then never post anything again. This will bring you no value at all and may actually hurt you.\nBoost your small business website’s SEO with link-building\nOnce you have your review site profiles, website, social media accounts, and possibly a blog up and running and healthy, you can work to maximize link-building.\nLink-building is the practice of getting other sites, social media users, etc. to include functional links to your business profile and/or webpage. \nSometimes you can pay “influencers” to include your website link in one of their posts, but for small businesses this is usually not the most cost-effective way to build these “backlinks.” \nIdeally, you should be producing not only a top-quality product or service, but you should also be creating interesting, relevant, regular content for your website, social media channels, and/or blog. \nIf you can spend some time each week working on some fresh, interesting content, and post it regularly, you can start to get noticed by “more important” websites, influencers, and business listings.\n\nThe value of this is, when you first create a new website, you have basically zero “domain authority.” Unless someone specifically types in the name of your business exactly, they will probably not be able to find your business on a search. \nHowever, as your business has more time being listed on the indexes of various search engines, and you consistently maintain accuracy and quality in your site, you will start to climb the rankings. \nWhen people from other, higher-domain-authority sites notice your content and post links to it, then effectively some of their value or “authority” is added to your site, which tells search engines to bump you higher in the rankings. \nThis is why, if you try to purchase a link placement from a site with a domain authority of 40 or above, it can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars per link.\n“Hook” media and influencers by creating compelling stories based on your data or expertise\nOn a budget? There are free ways to build links, and they may be more inherently valuable since you “earned” them instead of “buying” them. \nYou might try to work with local news/media outlets to get mentioned, with a linkback to your site. And, if you can work a little extra to get a URL mention from websites you respect in your industry, your business will start to rank higher in local search results.\nWhen creating a “hook” for local media, you might consider conducting some quick research on your customers’ preferences. \nJust as a quick example, if you run a local coffee shop, and national coffee day is coming up, you might prepare a quick blurb containing interesting statistics you can pitch to local news media or industry websites or forums you follow. Like “Did you know that X% of people prefer decaffeinated coffee?” or “Despite the ‘living healthier’ trend, our sales show that sales of pastry have risen X% over the past year.”  \nIf you’re in a college town, you might find some interesting trends something like “our study shows that late-night coffee sales go up X% during finals week” This is the kind of content that is catchy, is a quick story with minimal research on your part, and which people will link to, talk about online, share, and upvote. All of this engagement improves local SEO.\nLocal SEO is a broad and complicated topic, and the more you learn the more you realize you don’t know. If you take the steps outlined above you will be off to a good start. If you think you have the chops to dive deeper, \nGoogle’s SEO starter guide\n has some good info. 

Local SEO: 15 free tips for better search rankings

More than ever, free business listing sites like Yelp, Facebook, and Google My Business are how customers find your business, even for super-small local microbusinesses, pop-ups, solopreneurs, freelancers, contractors, and more. Basically, the web has become a goldmine of free advertising and exposure for small business owners thanks to these dozens of business listing sites.\nTo help business owners such as yourself, we’ve compiled a list of \nover\n 25 free online communities, directories, and any free business listing sites where you should have a profile. Read the short descriptions below each site and decide which platforms you want to be listed on.\nRemember: the more you choose, the greater your online footprint and the easier it is for customers to find your business and spend money with you. In fact, research shows that businesses that claim their free listings on multiple sites earn more money. Enjoy!\n(More than) 25 free business listing sites for your local business\n1. \nYelp\n\nThe third most popular review website on the web, Yelp is used daily by millions searching for local small businesses, especially restaurants.\nGuide: \nHow to claim your business on Yelp\n2. \nGoogle My Business\n\nShoppers use the most popular search engine for information about and directions to local stores. For everything. It’s the main street of the web. According to Google, 50% of all the mobile consumers who use Google for \nlocal searches\n in a day visit the businesses they search.\nGuide: \nHow to claim your Google My Business listing\nGo deeper: \nRank higher on Google local by optimizing your Google my Business listing\n3. \nFacebook\n\nMore than 1 out of 7 people on the planet are on Facebook, and they’re actively checking out the 65 million plus local business pages listed on the biggest social network ever. Creating a Facebook presence for your business takes five steps. Read our step-by-step guide: \nHow to create and claim your Facebook business page\n.\n4. \nTripAdvisor\n\nAnother top five review website, TripAdvisor’s 415 million monthly users have smoke coming from their keyboards — over 535 million reviews have been published on the site. Your small business, especially if it’s in the hospitality space, is missing out on a windfall of digital awareness and feedback if you’re not on TripAdvisor.\nGuide: \nHow to claim your business listing on TripAdvisor\n5. \nTwitter\n\nWhy is this on our list, you might wonder? True, Twitter might not “sell” your customers to come into your shop, but it surfaces to the top in searches and presents one of the easiest and fastest ways for customers to reach out to you. It’s also a location-based tool that lets you search for customers in your area.\nLearn \nhow to create a business Twitter account\n.\n6. \nInstagram\n\nA \nrecent study\n shows 82% of customers research before they come into the store to buy. Today, especially if you’re marketing to younger demographics, photography-based Instagram is a visual invitation to come in and see for oneself.\nGuide: \nHow to create an Instagram account for your business\n7. \nYouTube\n\nSome people don’t have time to read reviews, scroll through a website, or comb through social media posts. A video is easy. Just hit play. A YouTube video (even just one) is a solid \nsmall business marketing\n vehicle to reach over 30 million customers who are watching almost 5 billion YouTube videos a day.\n8. \nFoursquare\n\nFoursquare has a passionate following of 55 million monthly \nlocal small business\n fans. They check-in, share where they are, and leave tips for others to follow. Without a filled-in profile on Foursquare, SMB owners are missing out on helpful user-generated information about their business.\nLearn \nhow to list or claim your business on Foursquare\n.\n9. \nLinkedIn\n\nIt might seem like LinkedIn only matters for national or global brands, but a local business can show researching consumers more of who they are, from owners to employees. Use LinkedIn to present yourself as a reputable, well-connected owner with years of relevant experience, especially for finance-based businesses.\nRead our step-by-step guide: \nHow to create a business LinkedIn account\n10. \nYahoo\n\nWe know Google reigns supreme in search, but Yahoo is still used by \n1 billion\n potential small business customers people every month. Why? For some, it’s preference. For others, especially Firefox web browsers, it’s the default on their machine. Similar to Google My Business, Yahoo partners with Yext (below) to display local small business listings in search results.\n\nCreate and claim your Yahoo business listing\n.\n11. \nBing Places for Business\n\nWith slightly more users than Yahoo, Bing is Microsoft’s search engine. \nBing Places for Business\n is where small business owners can access their local listings. Every Microsoft computer’s default web browser is Internet Explorer and searches with Bing, so it’s worth your time to set up your business information for Skype, Office, Xbox, and Surface tablet users.\nFollow our step-by-step guide to \ncreate and claim your Bing business listing\n.\n12. Angie’s List (now \nAngi.com\n)\nOriginally created to review local contractors, the online directory has grown to be a go-to repository for crowd-sourced online reviews. It’s free for small business owners to register on \nAngi.com\n). If you offer home services, Angie’s List is highly recommended to reach local customers.\n13. \nYellowpages.com\n\nAccording to the digitally re-invented Yellow Pages’ website, \n60 million people\n still search for businesses on its directory. It’s free to \nclaim your business’s “yp Profile.”\n14. \nSemrush\n listing management tool\nNow, technically this is free, but only for a trial period. But we feel this service might be worth the small price you pay. Semrush is known for their keyword research and search engine optimization (SEO) tools, but they also offer business listings management. Semrush says, “Get your business data automatically distributed to the most authoritative directories on the Internet.” You can improve your rankings on Google’s search results, local pack, map results and more. Visit \nSemrush\n to start your free trial of their business listing management tool.\n15. \nBetter Business Bureau (BBB)\n\nThe Better Business Bureau (BBB) has been vouching for marketplace trust since 1912. It’s the number one website for reporting scams and other quackery. It’s free to have your business listed in the nonprofit organization’s database. Simply search for your business and if it’s not there, follow these steps to \nadd your business to BBB\n. Highly recommended for local law firms.\n16. \nApple Maps\n\nWhile Android dominates the market with an 87% market share, iOS holds around 13% of that market share which is still over a billion users. The primary map app on iOS devices is Apple Maps, another free directory in which you can and should make sure your business is listed. You will need an Apple ID to create or edit your Apple Maps listing, but that’s free to create too if you don’t already have one. Get started at \nmapsconnect.apple.com\n. \n17. \nGlassDoor\n\nSometimes customers want to know how an employer treats its employees. Any type of research in this area will lead curious customers to GlassDoor, the number one review site for companies and employees. With over \n700,000 companies\n reviewed over 33 million times, GlassDoor is another stop local business owners should know about. Recommended for larger corporations. Companies are registered only when employees \nsubmit a review\n.\n18. \nBizJournals.com\n\nThe nationwide local business publication also offers a searchable \ndirectory\n of local private businesses. It serves 43 major markets in the US, each with its own website and tailored news. Bizjournals populates its company profiles from business data company \nOwler\n.\n19. Chamber lists\nAn extremely valuable local resource that is often overlooked is your city’s Chamber of Commerce. A hub for events, news, and networking, the Chamber’s website keeps a list of local businesses and members. It might be worth your time to get in front of the right local officials at the Chamber and participate in the free small business services. They exist for owners — the initiators of local commerce — to thrive.\nA helpful tool to find your city's Chamber of Commerce is the \nChamber of Commerce Directory\n.\n20. \nWhitepages\n\nWith over \n5 billion records\n, Whitepages is an enormous database of global people and businesses. One unique feature of Whitepages is its \nAPIs\n, which allow businesses to buy and use the company’s extensive data to build their own software. This means a WP listing shows up not only on whitepages.com but also across all of their API customers’ sites as well. Whitepages uses Yext to create listings.\n21. \nAlignable\n\nA new player to the industry, venture-backed startup Alignable claims to be the number one source of referrals for local small businesses, with over 22,000 communities networked on its platform. It’s free and easy to connect on \nAlignable\n once you \ncreate your Alignable business listing\n, and start receiving referrals from other local small business owners.\n22. \nManta\n\nAn established online listing community, Manta sees \n1,000 companies\n join its small business directory every day. This site is recommended not only because it’s easy to \nadd your company profile to Manta\n, but also because its time-tested presence carries considerable SEO benefits.\n23. \nYext\n\nIt seems like we’ve been waiting for this one, no? Yext is a one-and-done effort to get your company listed across almost every small business site mentioned in this article. As a one-stop shop, Yext lets you fill out the information for your business and voilà, you’ll be found “everywhere.” See how your company appears in Yext \nright now\n.\nGo deeper: \nHow to use Yext to improve your online business listings\n24. \nCitySearch\n\nCitySearch helps you find local business in your neighborhood. With a voting system, award badges, and special deals, CitySearch prioritizes fun. Locals recommend anything from restaurants to attorney offices to hair salons. Bolster your presence on the platform by \nadding your business to CitySearch’s database\n.\n25. \nMerchantCircle\n\nFinally, MerchantCircle allows consumers to search for local merchants by category. According to its website, the directory has over 2 million merchants on its site with over 100 million consumers visiting each month. \nClaim your business listing on MerchantCircle\n.\nThat’s 25 free business listings, but we’ve got more good stuff for you, so let’s keep going!\n26. \nEZ Local\n\nClaim your free listing on EZ Local. Build up your business’s online presence and check out some of the other features that this web directory site offers: social media management, custom web design, and more. Do a quick search first to see if your business already exists at \nezlocal.com\n. \n27. \nCitySquares\n\nCitySquares was created to help consumers find local businesses in their neighborhoods. Businesses can create a free profile on the platform in order to reach more potential customers. Get started at \ncitysquares.com\n.\n28. \nHotfrog\n\nHotfrog touts itself as the freshest local business directory in the United States. Consumers are able to search for businesses by city to find the most relevant places near them. You can easily add your business for free to their online directory in order to increase your online visibility. Hotfrog also has a \nblog\n to help keep you up to date on marketing best practices. \n29. \nShowMeLocal\n\nShowMeLocal houses over 22 million businesses in its online directory, and it also allows users to review your business. The more opportunity for customer reviews, the better your online reputation can become. Visit \nshowmelocal.com\n to add your business for free. \n30. \nBrownbook.net\n\nBrownBook.net allows your business to create an enhanced online profile with videos, images, logos, an about us section, and much more. Over 40 million businesses currently have profiles in BrownBook.net’s online directory, and that is always growing. Don’t miss out on this opportunity. \n31. \nCylex\n\nCylex offers free and premium listings in their online directory with the primary goal of connecting consumers to businesses. With over 1 million unique daily users on their site, this is a great opportunity to list your business and grow your online reach. Get started at \ncylex.us.com\n. \n32. \nChamberofCommerce.com\n\nAlong the lines of #19 above, this listing helps you find and appear in your local chamber of commerce listing, and their optional paid “premium” packages allow you to more easily get exposure to 25 million directory visitors a year, be found by potential customers in your local area, and drive traffic to your business website. Visit \nChamberofCommerce.com\n to get started.\n33. (Bonus) paid business listings to consider\nIn addition to the free business listings above, you might also look into paid services such as \nDun & Bradstreet\n (touted as “the most trusted online business directory”) and \nThumbtack\n (a great resource for contractors, gig workers, freelancers, and other pros, where you pay only when customers connect with you for your services).\nYou’ve claimed your profile on multiple business listing sites. Now what?\nOnce you’ve claimed your local business listing on as many free business listing sites as possible, what’s next? First, make sure you add as much information about your business as possible to each profile you’ve claimed. The more “alive” your listing looks, the more inviting your business becomes to curious customers. For sites that include reviews, make sure you \nreply to every review\n your business gets.\nYou might also like: \n25 free local advertising ideas for small business\n

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