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In this article:\nDo the Instagram accounts you follow have fake followers? Are you following fake Instagram accounts?\nWhy would someone want to buy fake Instagram followers or create a fake profile?\nAre the influencers you follow buying fake followers?\nHow to spot fake Instagram followers and profiles (4 ways)\nHow to report fraudulent or unauthorized Instagram activity\nA report from Cheq (a cybersecurity company) determined that fake social media accounts and influencers cost advertisers around $1.3 billion of an $8.5 billion market for global influencer marketing. That’s a lot to be spending on fraudulent accounts. And the problem isn’t getting easier to solve. \nThe number of fake Instagram profiles and followers is always growing. It makes people suspicious of those influencers who are actually working hard to reach their own followers and it can be difficult to tell which accounts are fake, leading to unsuspected scams on users and businesses. \nThroughout this article, we’ll discuss the whys and hows of fake Instagram accounts so that you can better determine which of the accounts you follow are legit.   \nDo the Instagram accounts you follow have fake followers? Are you following fake Instagram accounts or profiles?\nIt is very likely that you’re following one or more fake Instagram accounts or an account with fake followers at the very least. In every trending industry or topic of interest there are tons of new fake accounts created every day. Sometimes Instagram is able to weed out the fake accounts and remove them, and sometimes the users with fake accounts are a little sneakier and able to bypass the basic fake account checks. \nWhy would someone want to buy fake Instagram followers or create a fake account?\nBefore we dive into the reasons someone would create a fake profile or get fake followers, let’s discuss the difference between “bot” and “bought” followers. \nBot, or robot, followers are typically generated by a type of software that helps influencers and businesses automate their interactions on Instagram. You might find that bot accounts start following or request to follow you, skewing your own real follower numbers on Instagram. On the other side of that, influencers may use bot accounts to follow their own profiles and boost their numbers. These bot accounts are generally used to help increase a users’ engagement rates like comments and likes. Sometimes they are using them on their own accounts to make their content seem more legit (with fake reviews and recommendations about their products), and other times these bots are used to make their own account appear more responsive and engaging with their audience by liking and commenting on their followers’ posts. \nBought accounts are just that—accounts that the perceived “influencer” paid for to raise their follower numbers. Followers that are purchased are generally fake accounts that have been created for the purpose of being purchased by users seeking to increase their followers. These are often bot or inactive accounts. \nOutside of fake followers, a user may create a fake account or profile in general, which in turn they get fake followers on. \nNow that we’ve covered the difference between those types of fake Instagram accounts, let’s talk about the reasons why someone would use fake accounts and followers: \nTo scam people into buying their products or services\nSometimes these accounts might have legitimate products that they are trying to market and they fall into the trap of purchasing followers as a marketing strategy. But more often than not, it’s users who don’t have a good quality product (or no product at all) that try to dupe someone into paying them for their product. \nTo scam unsuspecting businesses into partnerships\nInfluencers can get paid good money from business partnerships. They can share a review on a business’s product and generally have good referral discounts that their followers can get through their partnerships with specific businesses. But if an “influencer” has thousands of fake followers, then the business isn’t really gaining any benefit from the money they are spending with that person. \nTo get more real followers\nSometimes, buying fake followers is a ploy to get more real followers. It can make a newer account appear more legit, thus getting others to follow them. But if you find yourself in this situation, know that you’re going to have much better outcomes if the majority (or all) of your followers are real. \nDo the influencers you follow buy fake Instagram followers? \nYou could definitely be following someone who has purchased fake followers. It’s likely some of these accounts have popped up into your suggested accounts to follow and upon first glance, they totally meet the type of account you want sending content to your feed. \nIt’s pretty easy to purchase fake followers and become an “influencer” from the point of sheer number of followers. Just check out this article from Hubspot about \nbuying Instagram followers\n. \nAnother marketing agency, Mediakix, conducted their own \nstudy\n to determine how easy it was for users to purchase fake followers and become Instagram famous quickly. They were able to purchase up to 15,000 followers at a time without their account getting flagged. And it’s relatively inexpensive to purchase followers too, around $3-$10 per thousand followers. \nAnother \nstudy\n, from London’s Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP), found that even some of the biggest stars in entertainment have large percentages of fake followers. Of Ellen Degeneres’ 74 million followers, about 58 percent were suspicious. Other stars included Kourtney Kardashian and her 80 million followers (of which 49% were suspicious), Taylor Swift with 119.5 million followers (again 49% were suspicious), and Ariana Grande with her 159 million followers (of which about 46% were suspicious). \nSo if you still don’t think that the accounts you follow are buying their followers, take a deeper look. The only way to know for sure if an Instagram account is real, or at least to have a better idea or whether the accounts you follow have fake followers, is to check them yourself. \nHow to spot fake Instagram followers and profiles (4 ways)\nSpotting fake profiles on Instagram doesn’t have to be difficult. More often than not, it just takes a couple of minutes to look deeper at someone’s profile to determine if the account is real or not. If you’re unsure about an Instagram account that you are following or want to partner with, run these checks on them. \n1. Check out their profile and/or followers’ profiles\nA real or fake account can be determined just by doing the glance check. Do they have a real photo of a person for their profile picture? Oftentimes a fake account will use an attractive person for their profile picture to draw in their followers (we’re not saying that all attractive profile photos are indicative of a fake account—it’s just one factor of a fake account). Likewise, they might be using a model or celebrity for their profile picture. \nAlso, look at their posts, photos, stories, and content. Does it seem like a real account? Or is it a lot of the same thing shared over and over again?\n2. Check the comments and engagement on their posts\nThe promise in their bio or content may also seem too good to be true. Check the comments on their product posts to see if anyone has ever said anything negative about their product. If everything is all unicorns and rainbows and there’s no indication of even one upset customer or any questions about the legitimacy of their products, that’s a definite red flag. \n3. Check their followers’ engagement numbers\nBeyond just checking what the actual content of the comments say, check to see how many people are actually engaging with this user’s posts. If they have hundreds of thousands of followers and only a few people are actually commenting on their posts now and then, a lot of those followers are probably fake. A common stat for engagements on Instagram posts is about 1 out of 10 followers will comment or like a post. \nIt’s also important to note however that likes on Instagram posts can be bought, too. So if you’re already suspicious of an account and they have a ton of likes with little to no other engagements, then they might have fake followers. \n4. Check their account with social media tools\nThere are several social media tools that you can use to run Instagram accounts through to do a quick check to see if they might be fake. Some tools, like \nSocial Blade\n, will run a report of when an account acquired their followers. If on a normal day that user gets 5-10 followers and then all of a sudden on one day they have 10,000 followers, then they probably paid for them. \nYou can also use tools like \nFakeCheck\n and \nSocial Audit Pro\n to run audits on followers to determine the number of fake followers an account has versus real ones. \nSo, the next time you follow or seek influence from an Instagram account with a large following, take the time to be a little suspicious and give them a good once over before determining that they are the real thing. \nYou can use the “report” feature on Instagram to flag scams and fraudulent activity\nInstagram doesn’t allow content containing the following, and all may be reported by clicking the three dots to the top right of a post and then using the “Report” feature:\nSpam\nNudity or sexual activity\nHate speech or symbols\nViolence or dangerous organizations\nSale of illegal or regulated goods\nBullying or harassment\nIntellectual property violation\nSuicide or self-injury\nEating disorders\nScam or fraud\nFalse information\nInstagram is said to review all reports within 24 hours, and an account may be pulled if it receives 3-4 reports. Of course, these are just estimates based on Instagram’s current rules, and are subject to change.\nIf you run a business, you need to pay attention to your online reputation and reviews\nOnline reviews and engagement are important for all businesses, whether they’re on Instagram or not. Most online platforms like Google My Business, Amazon, Yelp, and other review platforms have a way to report or flag reviews. If you’re pretty sure a review is fake, or it breaks the rules of the review platform, you can report it or flag it for review and the platform admin may decide to remove it. This can take several weeks, so don’t expect the review to disappear immediately.\nJust be careful about doing this too often, because your account can be suspended if you are unjustly flagging reviews. (Don’t flag legitimate reviews just because you don’t like what they say, for example.)\nGo deeper: read our complete guide to\n \nremoving fake reviews\n

How to spot fake Instagram followers, profiles, reviews (and how to report them)


What are the best freelancing sites and platforms to get you started in your freelance work? Let’s have a close look at the pros and cons.\nFreelancing as a career has really taken off over the last couple of years (especially remote freelancing amidst the global coronavirus pandemic). More and more people want to break away from the mold of working a typical day job, clocking in each morning and clocking out each evening. Working for yourself allows you to determine your own schedule and start to do more of what you truly enjoy. \nThe beauty of doing freelance work is that anyone can do it. There are opportunities for freelance jobs in most industries and at all skill levels. You don’t need to have any special skills to get started in freelancing (though it certainly helps you to get higher paying jobs). In this article we’ll go over the best freelancing sites and include some tips for starting your career.\nBest freelancing sites and platforms to get you started in your freelance work\nCheck out the best freelance platforms to begin your freelance career and start working for yourself. \n1. Toptal\n(Image)\n\nToptal\n touts itself as one of the best freelancing sites, having the top 3% of freelance talent available in business, design, and technology, which makes it very appealing to business owners who need specialized skill sets to complete certain tasks. Some of Toptal’s clients (who hire freelancers) include the Cleveland Cavaliers, AirBNB, Motorola, and Calm. As a freelancer on this platform you would have access to opportunities with big name brands.\nThe way that Toptal is able to provide the top talent is through their freelancer application process. There is a screening process for each type of freelancer and you have to prove that you really are in the top 3% of talent available by performing tests in your field of expertise. \nTypes of freelance work available: Developer, Designer, Finance Expert, Project Manager, Product Manager\nPros:\nWork with large brands\nMore opportunity for skilled work\nYou can work remotely\nYou don’t have to pay to find work on Toptal\nCons:\nSome people don’t like the screening process\n2. Guru\n(Image)\n\nGuru\n has been bringing freelancers and businesses together since 1998 from their offices in Pittsburgh, PA and Noida, India. Their platform is one of the best freelancing sites because it is built on trust as they provide a transparent and secure environment for their clients and the freelancers that work with them. \nTo become a freelancer on Guru, all you need to do is sign up and create your free profile. Then you can start bidding on jobs and begin working. \nTypes of freelance work available: Programming, Design, Writing, Translation, Administrative, Business, Finance, Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Legal, Education, and more\nPros:\nEnsure that freelancers get paid for work completed\nYou can leave feedback for your clients, and they can leave feedback for you\nEasy to stay organized on their platform\nAdd-on app and Chrome extension available\nCons:\nRelatively high fees taken out of earnings (With most of these platforms, generally a portion of client’s pay goes to the platform before you get your cut, but some take more than others)\nFake clients sometimes get approved (be careful of scams)\nYou have to pay to get your bid higher on the list for competitive jobs\n3. Freelancer\n(Image)\n\nFreelancer\n is the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketing site, according to the number of users and projects on their platform. Over 53 million employers and freelancers throughout the world use this site to find freelancers and freelance work, making it one of the best freelancing sites for you to consider.\nTo start freelancing through Freelancer, you need to complete your profile by selecting your skills and expertise, uploading a professional photo, and completing their Verification Center checklist. Once that’s done, you can start browsing through jobs, writing pitches, and working. \nTypes of freelance work available: Freelancer has over 1800 different categories of work available, so you’re likely to find something that you can do here\nPros:\nEasy communication with potential clients\nMultiple money withdrawal options (ACH, Paypal, and more)\nGet jobs quickly\nCons:\nFake clients can get through\nBecause there are so many categories available, you may have to do a lot of searching to find the quality of jobs you want to take\nFees taken out of freelancer’s pay are high (many refuse smaller projects due to this)\n4. Fiverr\n(Image)\n\nFiverr\n has worked to create one of the best freelancing sites, a platform where buyers (clients) and sellers (freelancers) can easily communicate and review one another. This allows new buyers and sellers to create a reputation for themselves on the site and gain new relationships through the trust they build with their partners.  \nTo get started, you can sign up for free, create your Gig, and wait for clients to submit an order for your work. Fiverr works to ensure that each freelancer is paid on time, every time. \nTypes of freelance work available: Designer, Developer, Writer, Video Editor, Musician, Voiceover Artist, Social Media Marketer, and more\nPros:\nYou don’t have to bid on jobs, you can wait for buyers to come to you\nCons:\nDifficult to get started on the first few Gigs without previous reviews on the platform\nFiverr takes a 20% cut of what the buyers pay\n5. LinkedIn\n(Image)\n\nLinkedIn\n is a social networking site devoted to helping people connect with other like-minded professionals, whether that’s to find a new job, promote professional services, or simply to gain insights from others in your industry. \nYou may not think of LinkedIn as one of the “best freelancing sites,” but there are a couple of different ways you can get freelance work from your LinkedIn profile. The first is to optimize your profile for the type of work that you want to do. List your skills, experience, and any portfolio items you can. Employers and business owners are always using various softwares to seek out individuals with the skills they need to complete certain jobs within their companies. So you may find that businesses start reaching out to you for your services. \nOn the other side of that, you can join job groups and browse through the open positions that are available in your field of expertise and start applying (a lot of these can be freelance work too). \nTypes of freelance work available: Anything you can find\nPros:\nLinkedIn acts a professional resume for you\nIt can bring job opportunities directly to you without even searching\nCons:\nMany employers on LinkedIn are seeking out individuals who will work as employees for their company, and not freelancers\n6. Upwork\n(Image)\n\nUpwork\n is one of the big dogs in this category and is definitely in the group of best freelancing sites. Upwork’s mission is to create economic opportunities to help people have better lives. They want to give individuals the freedom to work for themselves and do the type of work they most enjoy.  \nTo join Upwork as a freelancer, you just need to create your free profile and start bidding on jobs. Upwork has fixed-price protection where clients pay for the project and then your earnings are released to you as certain project milestones are completed. \nTypes of freelance work available: Developer, IT, Designer, Sales, Marketing, Writing, Translation, Administrative, Customer Support, Finance, and more\nPros:\nUpwork screens clients\nTime tracking capabilities\nSecure payment collection\nFeedback and rating system so you can see others’ experience with the clients you want to work with\nCons:\nA lot of competition for higher quality jobs, which sometimes forces freelancers to lower their bids to stay competitive\nHigh fees taken from client pay before you get your cut (20% of the first $500 and then 10% until you hit $10K in earnings, after that it goes to 5%)\n7. We Work Remotely\n(Image)\n\nWe Work Remotely (WWR)\n is a freelancing platform that specifically caters to those who want to hire or work remotely. Since 2013, they have been connecting businesses with freelancers in remote positions across several different industries. Some of the world’s leading tech companies use this platform. \nTo use the platform, you just have to start looking through jobs. And when you find a job you want, you just need to fill out the application for the job. No sign up necessary. \nTypes of freelance work available: Programming, Design, Management, Finance, Product Development, Customer Support, and Other (several different types of jobs fall under this category, like SEO, Researchers, Recruiters, and more)\nPros:\nGreat for people looking for remote opportunities\nFree\nCons:\nNot the most user-friendly platform\n8. SimplyHired\n(Image)\n\nSimplyHired\n is a job posting site, similar to Indeed, so not all of their opportunities are independent contract and freelance work. But you can find some good remote and freelance opportunities if you’re willing to put in the work for it. \nThe easiest way to find freelance work is to type “freelance” or “independent contractor” in the search bar and see what opportunities are out there. \nTypes of freelance work available: All kinds\nPros:\nYou work directly with the client (so the platform doesn’t take a cut of your pay)\nSearch through local opportunities\nCons:\nIt may take longer to find good freelancing jobs since all job types can be listed here\n9. PeoplePerHour\n(Image)\n\nPeoplePerHour\n started in 2007, and their goal is to connect freelancers with clients to help them break the 9 to 5 mold and work more flexible hours doing the things they enjoy. \nTo get started on PeoplePerHour, you have to apply to become a certified freelancer. Once your application is approved, you’ll get access to projects and job listings and can start providing your services to new clients. \nTypes of freelance work available: Programming, Writing, Translation, Design, Digital Marketing, Video & Photo Work, Business, Music & Audio, Marketing, Branding, Sales, Social Media\nPros:\nSecure payment options (PeoplePerHour makes sure you get paid for your work)\nApps available\nRatings system available for buyers and freelancers\nCons:\nA lot of competition for jobs\nHigh fees are deducted from your pay\nNot the best customer support\n10. Solidgigs\n(Image)\n\nSolidgigs\n will email you job alerts for “the best 1% of freelance jobs on the web.” Right on their homepage you can enter your email address to get the process started. \nThe way it works is Solidgigs scours the web for top quality freelance gigs and then sends them to your inbox for a monthly fee. You can do a 30-day trial for $2 and then pay $19/month after that to continue to get new leads for jobs. This takes away the need to spend hours searching for these opportunities yourself. \nHere’s what Solidgigs offers you when you sign up:\nHand-pick gigs daily\nWeekly gig list from approved companies\nFreelance courses and tools\nInterviews with successful freelancers\nTypes of freelance work available: All types\nPros:\nSolidgigs helps weed out a lot of the scammy jobs out there and sends you the legit opportunities that they’ve found\nCons:\nSolidgigs is still fairly new so there isn’t a lot of information about the platform yet\n11. FlexJobs\n(Image)\n\nFlexJobs\n seeks to provide freelancers and individuals with the opportunity to strike out on their own and work from the comfort of their own homes and offices. FlexJobs finds the best remote opportunities available so that you don’t have to. \nThis is a service that you have to pay for. They have a 1 week ($6.95), 1 month ($14.95), 3 months ($29.95), and 1 year ($49.95) option. All you need to do is sign up, pay for your plan, look through the jobs on their site, and start applying. \nTypes of freelance work available: All types\nPros:\nFlexJobs screens every opportunity before posting it on their site\nMoney-back guarantee\nSave time looking through jobs\nCons:\nNot all jobs are exclusive to FlexJobs and many can be found outside of their site\nSalaries are rarely posted\n12. Hubstaff Talent\n(Image)\n\nHubstaff Talent\n is a free service that connects business owners with freelancers that fit the needs of their jobs. All you need to do to get started is create your freelancer profile and optimize it with your skills and experience. From there, companies will find your profile and contact you directly about their job opportunities. You can also search through available job postings and start applying for new jobs. \nThis is a great way to just add another outlet for finding job opportunities and new clients. It’s free and business owners are already looking there, so why not?\nTypes of freelance work available: All types\nPros:\nTons of new jobs added each week\nFree to use\nTime tracking capabilities\nCons:\nBecause anyone can use it, there are a lot of low paying jobs to sort through, starting as low as $2/hour\nLimits to integrations\n13. CloudPeeps\n(Image)\n\nCloudPeeps\n started its journey in mid-2011 and officially launched in 2015 to help empower freelancers to start their own businesses and do their best work. Businesses can post jobs for free, but to search through and apply for jobs, freelancers must select on of CloudPeeps three plans:\nFree – 15% of what clients pay will be taken as a commission\nStandard ($9/month) – 10% commission for CloudPeeps\nPlus ($29/month) – 5% commission for CloudPeeps\nAdditional features are included with the paid plans too. Learn more on their \npricing\n page. \nOnce you’ve been active on CloudPeeps for more than 24 month and have invoiced over $5,000, you have the opportunity to become a Pro Peep and start earning higher wages on the platform. \nTypes of freelance work available: SEO, Social Media Management, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Graphic Design, Web Development, Public Relations, and more\nPros:\nFreelancers can offer packages that anyone can search through and purchase\nCons:\nExtensive process to create profile, and it must be approved by CloudPeeps before you can start looking through jobs\nYou are limited in how many jobs you can apply for each month depending on your plan\n14. Truelancer\n(Image)\n\nTruelancer\n is devoted to helping freelancers and clients find lucrative opportunities and partnerships through the jobs that are posted. While this platform features design and creative related jobs, anyone can find freelance work on Truelancer. The best part is, you can look through their available jobs before signing up on their platform.  \nTypes of freelance work available: All types\nPros:\nUser-friendly interface\nFunds are on hold from client until work is finished and approved\nCons:\nLimited support capabilities\nYou have to pay for credits to submit proposals\nTips for starting your freelance career in 2022\nThere has been a huge influx of gig workers, freelancers, and solo workers into the workforce over the past couple years. This can be a good thing, and it can also be a bad thing. \nGood, because businesses are becoming more used to working with freelancers and recognizing the benefits of hiring them. Bad, because competition can be fierce for some key gigs.\nIf you're just starting out, you need to decide whether you want to freelance part-time and work a "day job" to pay the bills until you build up your clientele, or whether you want to maximize your success by devoting yourself 100% to freelance work.\nYou can decide whether you are going to hold out for the jobs that pay you what you feel you're worth, or take a few lower or entry-level freelance gigs to get your name out there so people can see you're reliable, and then start moving up to the higher-paying gigs. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.\nIf you hold out for gigs that pay what you're worth, every job you get will build that reputation further. However, you may have to wait a while, or get referrals for a specific job when you're just starting out. With so much competition out there, expecting a company to hire a relative unknown is a big ask.\nIf you start working at first for lower-paying gigs, it can start bringing in the dough and getting you noticed, and you can develop working relationships with companies. However, it can be somewhat awkward after a while, when you need to raise your rates to pay your bills. Ideally you'll have developed a good working relationship and reputation by then, and hopefully you can keep working regular gigs with your go-to companies, but for closer to the rates you want to be earning.\nSome of the highest paying freelance jobs are based on specific skillsets. If you have a specialized skill that you can offer to customers, then you may be set to start making good money for freelance work. \nSome of the higher-paying freelance jobs include:\nContract and Corporate law\nDigital marketing consultant\nSEO optimization/marketing\nWeb design or development\nProgramming and software development\nCareer coach\nFinancial advisor\nTechnical or marketing copywriter\nYou may also like these articles:\n\nBest lead-generation sites for freelancers and contractors\n\n\nBest freelance jobs and tips to get started\n\nThere you have it: Our list of the top freelancer sites, plus tips for getting your career started. Get to work!

14 best freelancing sites (plus tips for starting your freelance career in 2022)

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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