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Solo's blog provides the resources that microbusinesses, solopreneurs, freelancers, and other super-small businesses need to start, operate, and grow.

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In this article:\nClaim your Yelp listing\nUpdate your information\nPost photos\nGet and respond to reviews\nOffer deals and discounts\nAdvertise on Yelp\nPromote your Yelp listing off Yelp\nIf you own any type of beauty salon, including super-small, one-person businesses and you're not listed on Yelp yet, what are you waiting for? Ninety-two percent of consumers who use Yelp make a purchase within a week of visiting this review platform. But how do you get your Yelp listing in front of that 92 percent?\nJust like with any online platform, there are several ways you can enhance and promote your business’s Yelp listing. \nClaim your Yelp listing\nThe first step is always going to be claiming your Yelp listing. (Check out our in-depth tutorial for creating and \nclaiming your business listing on Yelp\n.) Sometimes Yelp will generate unclaimed listings for businesses that users search for frequently, and so you’ll want to do a search for your business on Yelp before creating a listing to make sure you don’t already have one. From there, you can begin the claiming process. \nClaiming the Yelp listing for your salon gives you full access and control over it, allowing you to make changes, keep your information up to date, and respond to customer reviews, which brings us to our next point. \nKeep your Yelp profile updated\nThe place where small businesses like salons fall short in their online marketing is keep their online listings up to date. With the sheer amount of people who use Yelp (more than 178 million every month), it’s absolutely crucial to make sure your information is correct and up to date. You want customers to be able to find you, right?\nHere’s a list of the type of information that you’ll want to keep updated on your salon’s listing:\nBusiness name\nService category\nAddress\nPhone number\nWebsite\nEmail\nHours (this especially—you don’t need a bad review because your hours were incorrect)\nServices offered\nPayments accepted\nParking information \nWi-fi availability\nPrices\nThe more information you can provide, the more likely you are to get a call to schedule that hair appointment. Consumers want to know as much information as they can before making a commitment, especially when it comes to their appearance. So if a competitor is offering more information about their business than you, they might just win that customer. \nPost lots of photos\nThis step in promoting your Yelp listing is incredibly important for hair and nail salons. Customers don’t just want to take your word for it that you know what you’re doing. They want a portfolio of proof! The more examples of your work that you can show to potential customers, the more opportunity you have to reel them in. \nReally make that extra effort here to post some good quality photos. Fortunately, we live in an amazing age of advanced technology where most of our phones have high quality cameras built right in, so this shouldn’t be too difficult, and then you can post them directly in the Yelp app. \nGet and respond to Yelp reviews\nReviews are powerful. Better make sure your salon is reaping the rewards of that influence. \nBy acquiring new reviews on Yelp, your listing has a better opportunity of showing up above your competitors. The number of reviews you have and the freshness of those reviews (how recently they were received) will help you stand out. \nResponding to these reviews really important, especially when you get the occasional get a bad review. Consumers want to see that you are responsive and take accountability. If someone left a bad review saying how disappointed they were because their nails smudged as soon as they left the salon, and you responded by inviting that customer back in to get their nails fixed free of charge, not only will they be satisfied, but others will be impressed too. \nIt’s not always easy to get new reviews, though, because happy customers don’t always think to leave them. Read our in-depth article on \nhow to get more reviews\n.\nOffer special deals and discounts\nEveryone loves to save a few bucks. Take advantage of that by promoting sales and great prices on your Yelp listing. \nAnother offering that Yelp has is \nYelp Deals\n. Yelp has a platform that allows you to promote discounts and gift certificates to entice customers to choose your salon over another one. These offers are prepaid vouchers that the customer purchases from Yelp, and then Yelp pays your portion of the sale to you each month. \nAdvertise on Yelp\nYelp has a great \nsmall business marketing\n platform that can help get your salon in front of even more potential customers. Yelp ads have three main benefits:\n1. Targeted local advertising\nYou can target customers searching for your services in your city. Yelp places your business in front of those who are searching and have the intent of making a purchase. \n2. Premium placements\nWhen you pay for Yelp’s premium placements, they’ll list your salon on competitor pages and at the top of relevant search results. \n3. Multiple platforms\nBecause most of Yelp searches are conducted on mobile devices, Yelp promotes your salon across all platforms: desktop browsers, mobile browser, and their mobile app. \nPromote your Yelp listing outside of Yelp\nTreat your Yelp listing like you would your storefront or your website. Direct customers and potential customers to your Yelp listing so they can see your reviews, photos, and all of the work that you have put into it. Maybe someone is still in the “considering” phase and they need to see that Yelp listing one more time to push them over the edge. \nHere are a few ways you can promote your Yelp listing outside of Yelp:\nAdd a Yelp icon or badge to your company website\nPlace a Yelp sticker in your store window\nGet a sign that encourages customers to “check-in” to your store on Yelp’s mobile app\nSources:\n
\nhttps://blog.yelp.com/news/study-92-consumers-using-yelp-make-purchase-visiting-platform/\n
\nhttps://www.reviewtrackers.com/blog/yelp-factsheet/\n
\nhttps://moz.com/blog/new-data-reveals-67-of-consumers-are-influenced-by-online-reviews\n

7 ways to promote your hair or nail salon on Yelp

In this article:\nHow-to guide for claiming your Nextdoor business page\nNextdoor is a social networking service for neighborhoods where users can exchange information about local goods and services and share other useful tips for their area. Businesses can join in their neighborhood network by getting listed on the website for their location. \nLocal business listings on website directories like Nextdoor help businesses improve their online reputation and create more opportunities to gain new leads. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of adding your business to Nextdoor.\nHow to add your business to Nextdoor\nTo get started, you can go to business.nextdoor.com. \nStep 1: Create an account and search for your business\nThe first step to adding your business to any online directory is to see if your business already has one. Sometimes businesses get automatically added to directories when they’ve been around for awhile, and you never know if a previous marketer or owner of the business set up a listing before you did. \nThis first step helps to ensure that you don’t create a duplicate listing (which can cause confusion for users and the search engines). \nTo search for your business on Nextdoor, you’ll need to go to business.nextdoor.com and click either “Sign Up Free” or “Claim Your Free Business Page.” Each of these options will take you through the same process if you don’t already have a business account on Next door. \n(Image)\n\nSelect the business type that describes your business best. Most will probably fall under professional business, but if you’re an independent contractor you might select neighbor for hire. \n(Image)\n\nClick “Sign Up” on the next page and then follow the prompts to create your account. Add your first and last name, email, and password. \n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nOnce your account is created, you’ll be brought to the page where you can search for your business. Enter your business name and address into the form and click “Search.”\n(Image)\n\nNextdoor might then list out several businesses that could be yours. If you do see your business listed, click it and proceed to Step 3 to claim your listing. If you don’t see your business, click “Create a new business page with this name” at the bottom of that window.\n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Create your business page on Nextdoor\nOn the next page, you’ll need to confirm your business address and click “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nThen, add your business’s contact information, including email, phone number, and website. \n(Image)\n\nLastly, select the category for your business and then click “Create a new business page.” You can add more than one category here too. \n(Image)\n\nAfter you click create, Nextdoor will prompt you with the option to Start for Free or See Pricing for their premium plans. For your basic listing, just click “Start for Free.” You can always opt for their premium plans later if you feel this platform will help your business get leads. \n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Claim your business listing on Nextdoor\nNow that your business listing is created, you can claim it to make sure you have ownership of it and can lock out other people from making edits to your business page. \nIf your business was already listed when you searched for it, click on your business and follow the prompting to claim it. You’ll need to have Nextdoor text or call your business phone. They wil then provide you with a code that you have to enter on the next page that appears. Enter your code and click submit, and your business will be claimed. \n(Image)\n\nIf you just created a new listing, your business is automatically claimed. Congratulations!\nStep 4: Fill out your listing page\nOnce you’ve claimed or created your business, you’ll be taken to your Nextdoor dashboard for the listing. \n(Image)\n\nFrom here, go to “Your Page” in the left menu and start filling out your business page. \nAdd a logo and cover photo, your business information, additional categories, your story, and more photos if you have them. The more information you can include, the more helpful the listing will be in guiding potential customers your way and in helping with your local search engine rankings. \n(Image)\n\n
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\n(Image)\n\nLooking for other free listings that you can create for your business? Check out our guide: \n25 free business listing websites for small or local businesses\n   \nAfter you’ve created a business listing in an online directory it’s easy to leave it be and forget that it exists, especially if it’s one that you don’t need to actively manage for leads. However, it's important that you regularly monitor your online listings and make sure to keep them current, especially if it's a platform that allows reviews from customers.

How to claim your listing on Nextdoor (step-by-step walkthrough!)

In this article:\nWhy list your business on Foursquare\nHow to create and claim your business listing on Foursquare\nWhat to do next\nFoursquare is used by more than 50 million people each month. Consumers join Foursquare to find the best local businesses and share what they love about their favorites. \nStill not sure how Foursquare can help your business? Read on to learn how you can help improve your online visibility by listing your business on Foursquare.  \nWhy should you list your business on Foursquare?\nFirst, we just want to express how important it is that you list your business across multiple online directory sites. These directory listings, also known as citations, help search engines verify your business information from a bunch of trustworthy sources. \nThe more directories you have your business listed on (with the correct information), the better opportunity your business has to rank well in the local search engine results. \nGo deeper: \n15 free tips for better local search rankings\nFoursquare is a popular directory site that you should list your business on, not only for potentially better search engine results, but for the other benefits that it can offer your business. \nBenefits of Foursquare for your business:\nFoursquare users love sharing information about their favorite businesses, from tips for other customers to reviews that promote what they love\nYou can send offers and promotions through Foursquare\nYou have the ability to track customers’ behavior and give them rewards for engaging with your listing on Foursquare\nFoursquare turns its platform into a game by rewarding users with badges or naming them the “mayor” of a hot spot for engaging with different businesses\nFoursquare syncs with other social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook\nHow to create or claim your business account on Foursquare\nGet started on creating and claiming your business profile on Foursquare with this step-by-step guide.\n1. Create a Foursquare user account\nThe very first thing you’ll need to do is create a user account on Foursquare. Go to the \nFoursquare City Guide login page\n and click “Sign Up.”\nCreate a new user with at least your email, first name, birthday, password, and gender, and click “Sign up.” Or sign up with Facebook or Google.\n(Image)\n\nOnce you’ve completed the signup process, proceed to the next steps. \n2. Check to see if you already have a Foursquare listing\nDirectory sites like Foursquare often collect data from other sources and could already have your business information listed on their website. Before you create a Foursquare listing for your business, it’s important to check if your business is already listed so you don’t end up with two potentially conflicting listings on the same platform. \nGo to \nbusiness.foursquare.com\n to search for your business on Foursquare. Type in your business name (or previous names if you’ve ever gone through a name change) and the city where your business is located.\n(Image)\n\nWhen you click “Search,” Foursquare will show you whether or not your business is listed. If they did find your business, you’ll see a screen like the one below. You can then click “Claim My Business” to get access to your listing. If the business displayed isn’t yours, then select “Not your business? Click here.”\nIf the business listed is not yours, then do another search with a variation of your business name, and if it’s still not there, that means you can start fresh and create a new listing. \n(Image)\n\nIf the business displayed is your business, after you click “Claim My Business” Foursquare will take you through a three-step verification process.\n3. Claim your business on Foursquare\nFirst, you need to check that you are the owner or working on behalf of the owner to claim the listing. Check this box, then click “Get Started.”\n(Image)\n\nNext, you’ll need to validate ownership by entering your business phone number. Foursquare will use this number to verify that you are a real person who is connected with the business. \n(Image)\n\nThe last step of the verification process is to pay $20 to get immediate access to your business profile. \nPlease note:\n Foursquare allows you to list your business for free (see #4 below), and if you’ve been in business a while it’s likely you already have a listing created by customers or by Foursquare importing data from other platforms. However, if you want full control of your listing you need to “claim” your business, which Foursquare currently charges $20 for. This is optional, but once you’ve done this, you will have full access to edit your listing, add photos, update your info, add links to your social media pages, and use Foursquare’s marketing and customer management tools for your business. \n(Image)\n\n4. Create a new listing\nIf your business is \nnot\n on Foursquare, then go to \nbusiness.foursquare.com\n to get started on creating your listing. Log in to your account and click “Get started now.”\n(Image)\n\nFoursquare will take you to another page to search for your business once more. They just want to make sure you don’t create two listings. Enter your business name and city and hit “Search.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nWhen your business doesn’t show up, you’ll be given the option to add your business. Click “here” to get started and you’ll be taken to a page like the image below. \nEnter all of the required information. Even though it doesn’t require you to add your address or phone number, these are important items of information to add if you have a physical storefront where customers can reach you. And you will need to select a pin on the map for your location. \n(Image)\n\nClick “Save” and, if you wish, go back to step 3 of this section to complete the “Claim your business” instructions. These are the same whether you are claiming an existing listing or creating a new listing.  \nWhat next?\nNow that you’ve created and/or claimed your business listing on Foursquare, what’s next? As we mentioned previously, it’s important to list your business across as many online directories as possible. \nCheck out this list of \n25 free listings sites for small businesses\n. This will help you improve your online visibility and rank better in local search engine results. \nMake sure to keep track of your listings and reviews on all appropriate sites, and work to earn fresh reviews.

How to list or claim your business profile on Foursquare

In this post:\nHow many customers actually leave reviews online?\nWhat motivates your customers to leave a review?\nHow to get reviews from more customers\nWhat about customers who don’t leave reviews no matter what?\nIn today’s always online world, it feels like everyone has an opinion to share and an online megaphone to share it with. But while it’s true that everyone \ndoes\n have an opinion, fewer people share them online than some might realize.\nFor anyone who owns their own business, even  microbusinesses, sole proprietors, freelancers, gig workers, content creators, solopreneurs, etc., this should come as no surprise. Getting consistent reviews can feel like a monumental task for even the hottest spot in town. All too often it can feel like after spending your week helping hundreds of happy customers, you’ll still only end up with a handful of 1 star reviews.\nThe power and importance of online review sites is growing. So what can you do? Let’s start by looking at how people behave online.\nHow many customers actually leave reviews on review sites?\nGetting a review from a happy customer might sound easy on the surface. But the truth is, a customer has several hurdles to clear before posting a review.\nFirst, you have to make the customer happy (the easy part). Next, you have to hope they already have an account set up for a review site. Don’t bank on even the happiest customer taking the time to set up a new account just for you.\nFinally, even if the customer already has an account on a review site, it’s unlikely they write reviews for \nany \nbusiness.\nIn a study about online user behavior, \nJakob Nielsen named this phenomenon “the 90-9-1 rule.”\n Put simply, the rule states:\n90% of online users are lurkers (they read or observe, but don’t contribute)\n9% of users contribute intermittently\n1% of users participate a \nlot\n and account for most contributions\nThe 90-9-1 rule is familiar to anyone who works in social media marketing or related fields, but what does it \nreally\n mean? Does it mean that only 1% of your customers are likely to leave a review of your business?\nNot quite.\nWhich customers are likely to leave a review of your business?\nTo learn more about how the 90-9-1 rule and how it might impact local businesses, we decided to reach out to \nBill Johnston\n, an online community expert and the founder of \nStructure3C\n, who gave us some valuable insight pulled from his over 20 years of experience.\nHere’s what Bill had to say:\n“The 90-9-1 rule is one of the most often quoted and misunderstood ‘rules of thumb’ for social.\nFar too many people hear the rule and then assume, “Okay, so only 1% or 9% of my customers are the ones who will leave a review of my pizza place.” Which isn’t the case. \nThe 90-9-1 rule tells us 1% of users online generate a ton of the internet’s content, but to think that only 1% or 9% of your customers are willing to leave a review of your business misses the point of Nielsen’s findings and sets you up for failure.\nThe fact is, there are 2 sets of motivating factors for people to contribute online:\n1) Intrinsic — When the customer is motivated by altruism. They had a good experience, or liked you personally, or simply want to help other “people like them” find something great.\n2) Extrinsic — When the user is acknowledged, rewarded or compensated\nGoing even deeper, though, I believe one of the following experiences is what motivates a customer to leave a review: \nThey’re really \nfrustrated\nThey’ve been \ndelighted\nThey \ngenuinely want to help\n others\nThey \nfeel passionate about the topic or product\n, and see themselves as a tastemaker\nThey are \ncompensated or rewarded\nMy advice to local businesses would be to think less about the 90-9-1 rule and more about how likely their customers are to have one of the types of experiences above.”\nWhat to do if you’re having a hard time getting reviews from your customers\nAs Bill explained above, it’s important for business owners to be aware of the 90-9-1 rule. But it’s even more important to understand what it means. \nYes, the majority of your customers will be online ‘lurkers,’ and thus unlikely to leave a review of your business. Still, you should always start by thinking about\n \nwhy\n a customer would leave a review.\nTake Bill’s motivators above and then ask yourself these questions about them:\nWhen and why are my customers feeling frustrated, and can I head off that frustration turning into a bad review?\nWhen and why are my customers feeling delighted, and are there things I can do to help them share their delight? \nWhy might a customer feel motivated to help me or my business?\nWho would feel passionate about my business and why? Are there connoisseurs who want to be associated with your brand, or be seen as an insider for discovering or promoting your business?\nIt’s against the rules to buy or offer something in exchange for reviews, but how can I show customers how leaving a review could result in a better customer experience?\nStarting with customer motivators is an extremely effective way to put your business in a position to get reviews. Use them as methods to identify areas for improvement or emphasis. \nThis will help you find even more success when following our tips on \nhow to get more reviews\n for your business like: using signage, making verbal requests, creating direct links to your review sites, and replying to all your reviews.\nPlus, recent research shows that businesses that regularly respond to their online business reviews earn more revenue!\nWhat about customers who still won’t leave a review of your business?\nWhile the 90-9-1 rule is often misunderstood and misused, it does still contain helpful insights. For example, no matter how hard you try, there will always be a significant number of users who simply will not leave a review online. \nBut just because a customer doesn’t want to leave a review doesn’t mean they don’t want you to know about their experience. And, of course, few things are more valuable to a business owner than understanding their customers.\nAnother helpful takeaway from the 90-9-1 rule is that you can’t rely on online reviews to understand how your customers actually feel. It’s why big businesses spend millions to survey and analyze their customers to know what’s working and what’s not. \nIt’s also why every small, local business should have a system to get direct feedback from all of their customers. Whether they’re someone who will leave an online review or not.\nWhy direct feedback works\nDirect feedback avoids many of the hurdles that prevent customers from posting on review sites. Signing up for an account, privacy issues, and not wanting to attach reviews to a personal profile — none of these prevent a customer from submitting direct feedback about their experience. \nYou’ll also find customers are more willing to provide “feedback” about their experience than a “review” of your business.\nDirect feedback can help prevent potential negative reviews\nMany business owners can testify—few things will motivate a customer to leave an online review like a negative experience. Providing an avenue for direct feedback can go a long way to prevent that.\nYes, some customers take to review sites simply to air grievances. But many others feel it’s their only option to resolve a bad experience. Instead, giving a direct feedback option gives an upset customer a much more effective method to share their frustrating experience with you. \nSome customers will ultimately still take to review sites, but you’ll be surprised at how many more would much prefer to “take it offline.”\nDirect feedback can lead to more good reviews\nA good direct feedback program can also help bring in more positive reviews for your business.\nFirst, it helps all your customers feel valued, listened to, and respected. Few things are more frustrating for customers than a business who takes them for granted. The simple act of asking “how was your experience today?” speaks volumes.\nSecond, gathering as much feedback as possible gives you a better idea about what is and is not working. This can help you focus on expanding the most popular parts of your business and improve areas causing frustration.\nFinally, if you’re using a direct feedback program that involves two-way communication (via email, etc), you can respond to positive feedback with a direct link to your review sites. Which makes it easier than ever for your happiest customers to leave you a review.

Why most of your customers don’t leave reviews of your business (and what to do about it)

In this article:\nWhy Yahoo is still important\nHow to claim and create your Yahoo business profile\nWhat next\nWhile Yahoo has less than 2% of the search engine market share worldwide, that is still hundreds of millions of users that are searching on this platform each day. \nAs the default search engine for FireFox and a nostalgic search engine for many others, Yahoo is still very much a relevant place to list your business. \nWhy Yahoo is still important\nIt is crucial to list your business across several online directories to improve your local search engine visibility. These listings, also known as citations, help the search engines to verify your business’s information across multiple trustworthy sources. \nYahoo is one of these places. It has been around for more than 25 years and as such, it has become a habitual search engine for many of its users. Even though market share has declined for this platform, millions of people still use Yahoo each day. This means that it can provide a valuable opportunity for your business to get found. \nIt can be a little complicated to claim your business listing on Yahoo, but we’ve put together a detailed guide to help you out. \nHow to create and claim your Yahoo business listing\nFollow these steps to add your business to Yahoo and get it verified. \nStep 1 (Option 1): Search for your business\nGo to \nYahoo.com\n and search for your business. Like many online directories, if you have an established business, it is likely that they’ve pulled your information from other sources and added a listing to their directory. \nSearch for your business in the main search bar on Yahoo. If a business listing doesn’t show up to the right of the screen, be sure to try a couple of different searches–one with your city name, with old names if applicable, etc. \nIf you can’t find your business on Yahoo, continue to Step 1 (Option 2) to add your business to Yahoo.\n(Image)\n\nThe business listing will look like this. And the next thing you need to do when you find it is click “Verify your listing.”\n(Image)\n\nYahoo will then redirect you to a platform called Yext. Yext is a platform that offers services to help you manage and update your online listings. These are paid services, but we’ll continue walking you through the free way to claim your Yahoo listing in Step 2. \nStep 1 (Option 2): Add your business to Yahoo\nIf your business is not on Yahoo, that’s okay. You can go directly to Yext to add it. Just go follow \nthis link to Yext\n and continue with Step 2. \nStep 2: Verify your Yahoo business listing\nWhen you get to Yext, fill in your business information on the form that appears and click “Scan my listings.” \n(Image)\n\nWhen you do this, you’ll be taken to a page that shows your business information across several different directories and whether or not it’s correct or missing. \nNote: Don’t get distracted by this now, but make a note to come back and see which online listings you need to update for your business. \nJust continue by clicking “Fix All Errors.”\n(Image)\n\nThen make sure that all of your business information is correct in the following form. Make sure to enter accurate contact information to complete the process of claiming your listing. Click “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nNext, Yext will try to get you to buy into one of their premium plans. You’ll see a screen like this.\n(Image)\n\nScroll below these paid options until you see “Claim your Basic Listing only on Yahoo here.” This will allow you to claim your Yahoo listing for free. \n(Image)\n\nYou’ll be brought to a checkout page, where you can once again verify your business information and add a couple of additional items, including your website and a category for your business. \nComplete the form and check both of the boxes below it. Check the “I’m not a robot” reCaptcha, and then click “Place Order.”\n(Image)\n\nAfter this, you’ll be taken to a screen that informs you that Yext will be sending you an email shortly to confirm your account. \n(Image)\n\nLog in to the email you entered for your contact information. In the email you received from Yext, click “Confirm Email.” You’ll then be taken to a page to set up the password for your Yext account. Enter this and record it someplace where you’ll be able to access it. \n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nOnce you set up your password, you’ll be taken into your Yext account where you can see your Yahoo listing information. \n(Image)\n\nTo tell if your business is verified, click “Edit.” On the following screen, look to the right and check your “Yahoo Listing Status.”  If it already says “Opted in” then you’re done! \nIf this says you are “Opted Out” you will need to opt in.\n(Image)\n\nClick “Opt In” and then “Opt in to this listing.”\n(Image)\n\nYext will then give you instructions to verify your Yahoo business listing. You can upgrade to a paid service for immediate verification or choose one of the two free options: a phone call verification (also immediate) or official documentation (which can take up to two weeks). \nSelect the best option for your business. If you can do a phone call, we recommend this option, as it will immediately update your Yahoo listing. \n(Image)\n\nOnce that’s done, your listing is claimed on Yahoo! It may take a day or two to reflect the changes publicly on Yahoo’s search engine, but rest assured knowing that you’ve done the work to get it there. \nSources:\n
\nhttps://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share\n


How to create and claim your free business listing on Yahoo

In this article:\nBest free receipt tracking apps, with features, pros, and cons\nAny business owner’s receipt pile can quickly grow out-of-hand and become overwhelming to manage. And it’s important to make sure you have a good handle on receipts for business expenses and keep them well organized to ensure a smooth tax season (whether you’re the one taking care of your own taxes or not). \nThis article will cover some fantastic free options to help you organize and keep track of your receipts along with the pros and cons of each app.\n7 best free apps to track your business receipts (review of features, pros, and cons)\nEach of the following apps are free, however, some of them have additional add-ons that you can purchase or even desktop/in-browser solutions that you can subscribe to. \nExpensify\n(Image)\n\nExpensify allows you to scan in receipts by snapping a quick photo, making it easy to keep track of personal and business expenses. Sort and categorize your receipts or even send have the app email them to the right person who handles your expenses. \nExpensify also has a card that you can sign up for that can be connected to your business bank account. Using this card will automatically place your business transactions into app for easy management. (The card is part of the Expensify subscription plan which is $4.99/month per user and does not come free with the app.)\nFeatures of the app include:\nUnlimited receipt scanning\nExpense management\nTravel booking through Concierge\nApproval workflows\nMileage tracking\nReceipt integrations (Uber, Lyft, and others)\nAccounting integrations (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and more)\nCustom reports\nPros of the Expensify app\nEasy to learn and use\nSet regular reminders\nSaves time and money\nCons of the Expensify app\nConcierge pops up to give tips now and then, this could be annoying to some users (but it could also be super helpful)\nEmails from Expensify are sometimes duplicated\nAutomated receipt processing doesn’t always work, so make sure you check the categories when uploading your receipts\nWave\n(Image)\n\nPreviously Wave had an app called Receipts by Wave, but it has been incorporated into this Wave Invoicing app that provides an all-in-one solution for your business, from sending mobile invoices to managing expenses. \nYou can easily connect your bank accounts to the app to manage your transactions, and it has a Guest Collaborator feature that allows you to share access with an accountant, staff member, or business partner. \nPlus, if you need to send customer invoices, this is a free solution that you can start with. \nOther features of Wave Invoicing include:\nUnlimited receipt scanning\nAccounting reports\nInvoice data backed up and securely stored in the cloud\nPros of Wave Invoicing app\nFree\nEasy to use and understand\nProfessional-looking invoices\nAllows creation of new categories\nCons of Wave Invoicing app\nLimited capabilities with reporting\nPredictive categorizations aren’t always right\nFreshBooks\n(Image)\n\nFull disclosure: This app is only free for the first 30 days and no credit card is required to start using it. After that time, you will need to subscribe to keep using it. But that gives you a good amount of time to decide if you like it. FreshBooks has pricing options starting at $4.50/month.\nFreshBooks is another all-in-one accounting software for small businesses. The FreshBooks app allows business owners to take their invoicing, expense tracking, and even time tracking on the go.  \nFeatures include:\nTrack expenses by taking photos of receipts\nProfessional invoices\nAccept online payments\nClient conversations \nTime tracking\nPros of FreshBooks app\nEasy to learn and use\nReliable invoicing\nGreat customer service\nCons of FreshBooks app\nFreshBooks has multiple apps out there, the classic version and this newer one, and they each have some different capabilities. This newer app doesn’t have some features of the classic app\nDivvy\n(Image)\n\nDivvy touts itself as the world’s first free, fully-automated spending and expense management software. It allows you to track business expenses with real-time budget insights to help you avoid going over budget. \nYour entire team can have access to the app to be able to make quick requests and approvals for budgets, and it allows the accounting team to see and record expenses in real-time. \nFeatures include:\nAutomatically record and submit expenses\nItemize spending data\nGlobal currency compatibility\nOnline card generator\nIntegrations with accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, and more)\nPros of Divvy app\nIncorporate budgets for individuals and departments\nGreat customer support\nEasy to use and understand\nCons of Divvy app\nLimited capabilities with accounting software integrations\nShoeboxed\n(Image)\n\nIf you need something simple to just keep track of receipts and mileage, this could be just what you’re looking for. Take a picture of your receipt and let the app automatically pull all of your data like vendor, transaction amount, payment method, and date for you. \nFeatures include:\nUnlimited receipt scanning\nCategorize receipts\nCreate and send expense reports\nSoftware integrations (QuickBooks, Wave Accounting, Excel, Xero, and more)\nPros of Shoeboxed app\nEasy to use\nInvite multiple users\nSaves time and money\nCons of Shoeboxed app\nCan take a little time to load new receipts\nLimited functionality\nSmart Receipts\n(Image)\n\nSmart Receipts is another simple expense and mileage tracker. It also has fully customizable reporting capabilities so that you can easily keep track of your finances and/or send reports to accounting and business partners. \nFeatures include:\nUnlimited receipt scanning – take photos, import existing photos, import PDF receipts\nCategorize receipts – credit, edit and delete categories\nAutomatic exchange rate processing\nGenerate custom PDF, CSV, and ZIP reports\nAutomatic backups with Google Drive\nPros of Smart Receipts app\nEasy to use and understand\nSave time and money\nGreat for capturing receipts while traveling\nCons of Smart Receipts app\nLimited sorting/filtering capabilities\nAutofill data from receipts isn’t free (but this can be purchased)\nClear Scan\n(Image)\n\nThis app is for the people that still enjoy the DIY aspect of managing their receipts. It is simply a document scanning app. So you can take a photo to scan a document (or receipt) and then upload it to your file managing system–Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc. \nIf you send everything over to an accountant, this could also be a good solution for you. Just take a photo from the app and send it over. Then you have it stored in one place, rather than having to look through the photos on your phone if you need to resend it. \nFeatures include:\nCreate folders and subfolders for categorizing\nExtracts text from images\nBackup and restore data\nConvert images to PDFs\nPros of Clear Scan app\nQuick and easy to use\nGreat scanning capabilities for a phone\nCons of Clear Scan app\nContains ads in the free version\nScans aren’t always perfectly clear\nThere you have it! Good luck, and have fun tracking your receipts.\nSources:\n
\nhttps://www.trustradius.com/products/expensify/reviews\n
\nhttps://www.trustradius.com/products/wave-accounting/reviews\n
\nhttps://www.trustradius.com/products/freshbooks/reviews\n
\nhttps://www.trustradius.com/products/divvy/reviews\n
\nhttps://reviews.financesonline.com/p/shoeboxed/\n
\nhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=wb.receipts&showAllReviews=true\n
\nhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.indymobileapp.document.scanner\n

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