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In this article:\nMost businesses don’t claim their listings on popular review sites\nThey’re missing out on opportunities to attract and engage customers\nClaiming your business listings is free and surprisingly simple\nSomeone posted an online review about your business. Now what?\nAs we explained in other articles, we highly recommend responding to every review—positive, neutral, and negative. You can’t do that unless you first claim your \nonline business listings\n on popular review sites like Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.\nYou also can’t control how your business information appears if you don’t claim your listings, and worse yet—what if someone else claims your page? Plus, your listings will still exist whether or not you claim them. It just makes sense to claim what’s yours.\nman leaving online review on laptop for claim your business listings\nPlus, research shows that businesses that claim their listings on multiple online business reviews sites make more money!\nThe bad news about online review sites: \nOnly 33% of of all Yelp listings and 44% of Google listings have been claimed, and only 23% of businesses keep their listings on these sites current. \nThe good news about online review sites: \nClaiming your listings is free and easy. Claiming your listings already puts you ahead of most local businesses who ignore their online presence.\nLet’s walk through some of the basics for claiming your listings. \n1. Start with the claiming your listings on the biggest online review sites\nBefore claiming a page on every review site under the sun, it’s good to prioritize. For most local businesses, it’s most important to \nclaim your business on Google\n and \nYelp\n. It’s not hard to see why:\nGoogle:\nNearly half of Google’s 3.5 billion daily searches are local.\nThe search engine serves 2 billion active search devices every month.\nAbout 20% of Google searches are related to location (e.g. Google Maps). \nYelp:\nNearly 180 million people access Yelp reviews on desktop or mobile. \nCustomers have posted a whopping 163 million reviews on Yelp. \nIt’s not just for restaurants: People use Yelp to shop for products, find professional services, search for a salon nearby, and much more. \nStart by claiming your pages on these two behemoths. From there, \nclaim your business on Facebook\n, which ranks #3 nationally for local business traffic, and then move on to industry-specific sites like \nTripAdvisor\n (hospitality), and \nOpenTable\n (restaurants). \n2. Claim your business listings\nReady to claim your listings? It’s always free, but every site has its own unique process. Below, we’ve listed our step-by-step guides for claiming your pages on some of the major sites:\nGoogle My Business\nYelp\nFacebook\nTripAdvisor\nOpenTable\nFoursquare\nRefer to our \nfree business listings\n article for many more!

Start here to claim your free business listings on review sites like Google and Yelp

In this article:\nHow to claim and create your Bing business listing (2 ways)\nWhat you should do next\nBing currently holds around 3% of the market share for search engines, which may not seem like a lot. But when you consider the billions of people that do internet searches every day, that means that Bing still gets hundreds of millions of searches daily.\nDon’t limit the opportunities for your business by leaving your Bing listing unclaimed. Follow the simple steps below to get your business added to and claimed on Bing. \nHow to create and claim your Bing Places business listing\nLet’s get to it!\nStep 1: Log in to Bing\nThe first thing you need to do is create a Bing account, or sign in with your Google account (we recommend the latter as it will speed up the process). \nLogging in with Google will allow you to important any existing Google My Business listings that you own directly onto Bing without going through their verification process. Pretty sweet, right?\nGo to bingplaces.com to sign in or sign up. \n(Image)\n\nSign in with Google, if you are able to, otherwise, select one of the other options for signing in: Facebook, Microsoft, Work Account, or create one. \n(Image)\n\nWhen you get signed in, Bing will prompt you to finish setting up your profile, feel free to finish this by adding your phone number and email or just click save and move on. \n(Image)\n\nWhen you click save on your profile information, Bing will take you to a screen that allows you to import your business from Google or claim and add your business manually. Follow the steps below for each of these options. \nStep 2 (Option 1): Import your Google My Business listing to Bing\nIf you don’t own a Google My Business listing, or don’t have a Google account, then skip this step and go to Step 2 (Option 2). \nIf you do own your business’s Google My Business listing, this is the faster way of claiming your business listing on Bing. Click “Import from Google My Business Now.” \n(Image)\n\nA new window will then pop up from Bing and prompt you to continue to Google My Business. This window shows what you should do once you get to Google. \n(Image)\n\nMake sure you select the Google account that is associated with your Google My Business listing. \n(Image)\n\nClick “Allow” on the next screen to grant Bing access to your Google My Business listing. \n(Image)\n\nYou’ll then be brought back to Bing and prompted to “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nBing will then show you that your business has successfully been imported into their directory. Your listing may show “Not verified” because Bing places each listing under review before publishing them. \n(Image)\n\nWhen you click “Go to dashboard” there will be a little sliding bar that shows you when your listing will be published. \n(Image)\n\nIn your dashboard, be sure to “Sync with Google My Business” so that whenever you update your Google list, your Bing listing will automatically get those updates too. \n(Image)\n\nYour Bing business listing is now done! Just wait for the review process to complete and your Bing listing will go live. \nStep 2 (Option 2): Manually claim or add a new Bing Places account for your business\nIf you don’t own your Google My Business listing or have access to the Google account that does, then select “Claim or add your business manually.”\n(Image)\n\nNext, fill out the information in the form provided: business type, country, and phone number OR business name and location. \n(Image)\n\nBing will do a search for your business in their directory. If it is in their directory, you’ll see your business listed and be given the option to claim your listing. If your business has ever had a name change or other information change, it may be outdated, so look for the best match and click “Claim and edit details.” \nIf you do see your business, we urge you to claim and edit it so you don’t create duplicate listings. \nIf none of the businesses displayed are yours, then click “My business is not listed in the search results.”\n(Image)\n\nBoth options will redirect you to the same form, but if you select a pre-existing business listing, then the information will already be filled out for you. So make edits to the existing information or add your new business information to your Bing listing. \nFirst, add your business name, phone number, and address (make sure these are the same that you use across all your online listings). \nIf you have a website, be sure to add that here too. \n(Image)\n\nNext, select the best category segment and category for your business. You can add multiple categories, and once you have these added, you will need to select a primary category. \nAdd your business description and click “Next.”\n(Image)\n\nNext, you will need to indicate whether or not Bing should show your address to customers. If you have a physical storefront where customers can come in to see you, then you should select “Yes.” This will help you show up better in Bing’s search results. \nIf you have a service area business where you go to your customer and are using a satellite office or employee’s home for your address, you should select “No” to hide the address. \n(Image)\n\nThen you will need to enter contact information for your business. This will have an email address option, so make sure you enter an email that customers can reach you with. \nYou can also enter information for the following social accounts:\nFacebook\nTwitter\nYelp\nTripAdvisor\n(Image)\n\nThen be sure to add plenty of photos to your Bing listing. Photos of your location, logo, and branding will be helpful for customers to recognize and find you. If you sell products or serve food, images of those would also be great to include here. \n(Image)\n\nNext, add your hours so customers will know when you are open and available. \n(Image)\n\nThe last section of your listing is for menus and pricing. If your business is a restaurant, be sure to include a link to your menu and online ordering if applicable. \nOnce that is done, click “Submit” to complete your Bing listing. Proceed to Step 3 to verify your listing.\n \n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Verify your business listing on Bing Places\nBing provides four options for verifying businesses in their directory: phone verification (by text or phone call), email, and mail. Phone verification will only be an option for your business if it was already listed on Bing and your address didn’t change. \nEmail will only be an option if you have are updating an existing listing and have an email on the domain of the listing’s website. For example, support@solo.co. \nProceed through each option to see how you can verify your business listing on Bing. \n1. Phone call\nWith this option, Bing will place an automated call to the phone number on your listing. They will provide a code that you will need to enter once you click “Verify now” and receive the call. \n(Image)\n\n2. SMS/text\nYou’ll only be able to do this option if you have the ability to receive text messages for your office line. Click “Verify now” to receive a text message to verify your Bing listing. \n(Image)\n\n3. Email\nEnter in an email address you have access to that is on your website’s domain. Then click “Verify now” to get an email to verify your Bing listing. \n(Image)\n\n4. Mail\nIf you are unable to complete any of the previous methods for verification, you’ll need to have Bing send you a piece of mail with a verification code. This can take 5-6 business days to reach you. \nBing will send the code by mail to the address you listed, so make sure you can receive mail at your address before doing this. \nWhen you receive the code, just log back into your Bing Places account and enter it on your business listing to finish your verification. \n(Image)\n\nFinished claiming your Bing business listing? Here’s what you should do next\nNow that your listing is complete on Bing, there’s a lot more that you can do to improve your online visibility. But don’t get intimidated—we have a couple of great guides with some free tips to help you improve your local search engine rankings. \nLocal SEO: 15 free tips for better search rankings\n\n25 free business listing websites every small or local business should be on\n\n

How to create and claim your Bing business listing

How to respond to bad reviews [with examples]

In this article:\nWhy your small business should be listed on Manta\nHow to add your business to Manta\nWhat you should do next\nManta is one of the largest online resources for small businesses. You should definitely keep this free listing site on your digital marketing checklist. \nManta’s directory gets millions of visitors each month, all searching for local services. Because of this, Manta is constantly working to improve its platform to better serve you and your customers. \nWhy get your business listed on Manta?\nIf we’ve said it once, we’ll say it again–you should list your business across several different online directories. That is a major benefit of using Manta, because it’s a free directory that is so easy to add your business to. \nAdding your business to several online directories helps send trust signals to the search engines as they verify your info across multiple authoritative sites, which helps you to rank higher in the local search results. \nBeyond that, Manta has some pretty cool capabilities for you to take advantage of:\nFree listings scan that allows you to check your NAP consistency across several directories (more on this later)\nDrive more customer traffic to your website\nPromote your small business\nConnect with other small businesses and share insights\nHow to add and claim your business listing on Manta\nLet’s get your business added to Manta. \nStep 1: Check to see if your business is on Manta and if it isn’t, add it\nOn every directory you add your business to, it’s important to check if there is already a listing for your business. Sometimes a previous owner or another employee may have created one, or the directory may have pulled data from another source. \nEither way, always check. \nGo to \nmanta.com\n and type in your business name and city. \n(Image)\n\nOn the next screen, if you see your business, click “Do you own this business?” That will automatically begin the claiming process. \n(Image)\n\nIf you don’t see your business in this list, click “Add Business” at the top of your screen. \nFill out the form on the next page, including the following information:\nCompany name\nCompany address\nWebsite\nPhone number\nClick “Add My Company.” \n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Update your business information on Manta. \nWhether you added your company just now or it already had a listing, you will then be brought to your business page and shown a screen that asks you to check your business information. Click “Yes” if your information is correct or “Edit Info” to edit your business information. \n(Image)\n\nNext, select a photo for your banner photo, or choose to upload your own later. These are usually pulled from your website if Manta has access to it. \n(Image)\n\nThen, add or check your website to make sure it is correct. Click “Yes, list this as my website” or “No, I don’t have a website.”\n(Image)\n\nThen, update your business hours and click “Yes, use these.”\n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Sign up for Manta\nAfter you’ve completed filling out your business information on Manta, you’ll be prompted to sign up so you can save your updates and publish your company. \nYou can connect with Facebook, Google, or register with your email. \n(Image)\n\nOptional Step: Check your online directory listings\nManta has a cool tool (very similar to Yext) that allows you to check several of your business’s directory listings across multiple sites. It will tell you if your business name, address, and phone number (or NAP info) are all consistent across these sites. \nNAP consistency is super important, as it helps Google and other search engines verify your information across multiple authoritative sources in order to rank you higher on their platforms. \nCheck your listings and make notes of those that have errors so you can fix them later. Or you can pay Manta to fix them for you by clicking “Fix All Errors.” They charge $99/month to update and maintain your listings on more than 70 online directories. \nIf you’re not interested in that right now, simply click “Not right now” and you will be redirected to the dashboard for your company profile. That’s all! \n(Image)\n\nOkay, you’ve claimed your business on Manta. What’s next?\nNow that you’ve completed your Manta business profile, there’s a lot more you can do to enhance your online visibility. \nCheck out these two guides for some great next steps:\nLocal SEO: 15 free tips for better search rankings\n\n25 free business listing websites every small or local business should be on\n
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How to create and claim your free business listing on Manta

In this article:\nWhen is the ideal time to reply to customer reviews?\nShould you wait to respond, even if you have time now?\nPotential problems with replying immediately\nHow to reply to negative reviews\n5 time-saving tips for replying to online reviews\nOver the past few years, online review sites like Yelp, Google My Business, and TripAdvisor have become the de facto customer service platforms for many small businesses.\nToday’s customers, particularly millennials, are often reluctant to call you or speak to you about a problem in person, and choose instead to leave both positive and negative feedback on these popular online platforms instead (as well as via traditional social media).\n \n\nSo, should you respond to these online reviews immediately? The short answer is, yes, you should respond as soon as you possibly can. Let’s look at some potential issues.\nWill my business seem desperate if I respond immediately to reviews?\nUnfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), in the postmodern, tech-saturated world we live in, this is a real concern. Try Googling “how long should I wait to reply to his/her text” and see how many results come up. (Hint: it’s over THREE BILLION).\nNow, we understand that replying to an online review for your business isn’t quite the same as replying to a text from your crush, but there are some similarities.\nIn the case of online feedback, you have nothing to gain by playing hard-to-get with customers. You definitely want to be the needy, supportive one in this relationship, and show customers that you’re there for them immediately whenever they want you.\nHowever, today’s customers are also somewhat fickle. Not only do up to 80% of \nsatisfied\n customers never come back to purchase again from the business that satisfied them, customer engagement studies have shown that people expect a nearly instant response when they reach out online.\nIf they don’t get it, bad things happen.\nHarvard study shows companies that respond within the hour are 60 times more successful than those that wait 24 hours\nA Harvard study on online sales leads found that companies that attempted to reach potential customers within the hour of being contacted were almost 7 times as likely to get results as those that waited even one hour—and more than \n60 times\n more successful than companies that waited just 24 hours.\nOf course, a study on sales leads is not the same as the issue of responding to online reviews. However, the principle is similar. \nWhen customers reach out to you online with either a positive or a negative review, you have a narrow window to show them you care about what they think, and resolve any possible concerns or issues they bring to your attention.\nimage of man with paper bag on head with negative and positive reviews behind\nOne report states that 52% of customers expect you to reply to their online comments and messages within 7 days.\nWe would stress that your window for building real customer loyalty is a lot shorter than that. In simple terms, we recommend that you reply to online reviews as soon as possible, and definitely within a couple of days, max.\nWhy you should respond to online reviews ASAP\nWhen you reply to a positive review quickly and genuinely, you show your customers (and everyone else who is reading your reviews) that you value their feedback, that your customers are important to you, and that you are a responsive, responsible business owner.\nWhen you \nreply to a negative review\n immediately, express concern, and offer to fix the problem offline, you again show customers and review readers that you take any complaints seriously and are committed to resolving any issues that may arise.\nAnother reason you should respond to negative reviews as soon as possible is so potential customers can see both sides of the story before they make a rash decision based on a negative review.\nDon’t ignore bad reviews… use them as opportunities\nBy the way, don’t freak out when you get a bad review. Everyone, and we mean \neveryone\n, gets bad reviews occasionally. \nSome people are just jerks that can’t ever be satisfied, but some bad reviews may surface legitimate concerns that, if you’re smart, you’ll take to heart and use as an opportunity to improve your business and build customer loyalty. Lots of companies pay millions to get legitimate customer feedback, and a negative review basically does that for you for free.\nWhen you respond to a bad review, it gives you a chance to resolve a customer's concern and possibly win them back. And even if that customer isn't satisfied, other potential customers will see that you take complaints seriously and that may earn you their business.\nnametag with problem solver to resolve customer negative review concerns\n\nIf you aren’t responsive to customers, the review platform may punish you\nAnother issue is that review platforms expect businesses to be responsive to customers’ messages and reviews. \nFor example, Yelp will actually turn off some features of their platform for business owners who are not sufficiently responsive to messages, such as the ability for customers to request quotes, schedule appointments, and send messages.\nSo there’s yet another reason why you should make responding promptly to customers online a top priority.\nWhat if I don’t have time to reply immediately to reviews?\nThe reality is, your current and potential customers who choose to engage with your business online expect the same level of responsiveness from you in this virtual conversation as they would if they called or visited you in person.\nThis can create a real logistical problem for hyper-busy small business owners.\nHere are 5 tips that can help you respond more effectively to online reviews, even when you’re super-busy.\n1. Use reputation management software \nA good reputation management solution can save you tons of time by gathering all your online reviews from all the different platforms in one place for easy management. For busy small business owners, this can be a lifesaver. \n2. Forward any email alerts to your mobile device\nIf you use reputation monitoring software or Google Alerts that send emails when you get new reviews, be sure to forward those emails to your mobile device and set your preferences to notify you immediately with attention-getting “badges,” “banners,” and “alerts” (on Apple devices) that don’t disappear until you address them/resolve the alert.\nSince responding to reviews promptly is paramount, you should make this a top business priority.\n3. Establish FAQs and include them on your website and review profiles\nThere will always be lazy customers who ask questions even though you include them clearly in your FAQs, but a robust and well-vetted FAQ list can save a lot of headaches if people are mostly asking the same questions or bringing them up in reviews.\nAlso, including everything you should on your \nonline business listings\n can cut down on this type of query. \nRead more: \nThe top 5 things every small business should include in their Google listing\n4. Take a time management skills course\nIf you are constantly feeling swamped and overwhelmed, you may benefit from expert help. Consider taking a time management course, or reading or listening to self-help books on the subject. \nThere may be significant ways for you to be more efficient in your daily routine, which could leave you more time to reply to your reviews and improve customer loyalty.\n5. Hire more help \nIf you’ve done everything you can think of and are actually having trouble managing all your customer reviews or responding to queries, that’s actually a very good problem to have. \nHowever, if you have that many reviews, it likely means you’re doing well and can afford to hire someone or delegate part of this important task. \nSources:\n
\nhttps://hbr.org/2011/03/the-short-life-of-online-sales-leads\n
\nhttps://www.inc.com/tommy-mello/harvard-study-says-this-is-how-long-you-should-wait-to-respond-to-a-customer.html\n
\nhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/larrymyler/2016/06/08/acquiring-new-customers-is-important-but-retaining-them-accelerates-profitable-growth/#6ffaeaa26671\n

How long should you wait before replying to an online review?

In this article:\nWhy small businesses should consider Yelp advertising\nHow does local business advertising on Yelp work?\nHow much does it cost to advertise on Yelp?\nLove it or hate it, Yelp is a big deal for small businesses. Yelp says that 82% of their users visit intending to buy, and 89% of those who do buy make those purchases within a week of visiting. So it might make good business sense for you to take advantage of advertising on Yelp. \nWhy Yelp advertising may be right for your small business\nIt may be worth it to your small business to budget for Yelp advertising, because not only do you get premium placement on the #1 local/regional website on desktop and mobile (according to a comScore report), but when you pay for advertising on Yelp, you get visibility on other platforms as well. \nMobile \n“near me” searches\n are increasing in popularity every day, with over 200% growth in recent years. And when you pay for premium advertising placement on Yelp, your ad can appear not only on relevant targeted local search pages on Yelp, but on your competitors’ Yelp business pages, as well as “other properties.” (Click \nhere\n to find Yelp’s master advertising terms and conditions.)\nAppearing on competitors’ Yelp business pages can be particularly valuable, since potential customers may not even be aware that there are other local options to consider in the category they’re browsing. If your Yelp ad shows up on a competitor’s page and you have a great star rating and reviews, customers might decide to visit you instead.\nNaturally, when you set up Yelp ads for your business, you get promoted across all Yelp platforms, including desktop, mobile website, and the mobile Yelp app.\nHow do I set up Yelp advertising for my business?\nThe first thing you need to do is \nclaim your business listing\n on Yelp. (Click for our easy how-to article.) This may sound obvious, but one study showed that less than half of online business listings have been claimed. Plus, research shows that businesses that claim their listings on multiple online business reviews sites make more money!\nAfter you’ve claimed your listing, you should optimize your profile by adding high-quality photos and other “next-level” info, as we discuss in our article, \n25 free local advertising ideas for small businesses\n.\n(Image)\n\nWhen your Yelp profile is as good as it can be, and you’ve confirmed the accuracy and completeness of your listing, then you can sign up for Yelp’s self service ads \nhere\n, or call Yelp’s business owner help line at (877) 767-9357 and ask them to walk you through the Yelp advertising signup process and send you a purchase order with information on on-Yelp and off-Yelp ad pricing.\nThen you can select your level of monthly spending and choose whether you want to participate in the Yelp Cost-Per-Click (“CPC”) Auto-bidding Program described briefly below.\nThere are lots of \nfree tools\n you can use to boost your Yelp success, but Yelp advertising is not one of them. It’s going to cost you. Let’s talk about expense.\nHow much does it cost to advertise on Yelp?\nThe cost for Yelp advertising is based on your budget, your preferences, and your local market, so we can only speculate about what it will cost for you. However, you can get an idea of how it works by reading Yelp’s master advertising terms.\nFor ads appearing on Yelp-owned pages, you’ll probably be using the Yelp Ads Cost-Per-Click (“CPC”) Auto-bidding Program. It’s complicated and variable based on many factors, but basically, when you sign up for Yelp advertising you can decide whether to participate in the auto-bidding program for ad impressions. \nIf another Yelp advertiser is competing for the same ad space based on multiple factors, then Yelp automatically bids up to your maximum monthly CPC budget, which you set and can modify at any time. If you win the “auction,” Yelp places your ad and you pay the final price per click based on the amount necessary to beat other advertisers.\nIf there are \nno\n competing advertisers in an auction, your ad is displayed and you pay the “minimum bid price per click,” up to your monthly maximum. \nFor advertising impressions \noutside\n of the Yelp-branded arena of ownership, Yelp “will deliver the Ad Impressions to enhance the quality and number of Clicks that Client receives from such properties. Yelp will not exceed the Client’s Maximum Monthly CPC Budget in any given month.”\nThis is important because depending on local competition and other factors, your CPC could easily be several dollars, and that can add up quickly. At a theoretical CPC of $5, if you get 500 clicks you’ll be spending $2500 a month.\nBut you can set a $500/month limit (or whatever works best for your budget) so if you get a ton of impressions and clicks rapidly, Yelp automatically will stop displaying your ad (and charging you for it), until the next month or whenever your max spending period rolls over.  \nIt’s important to remember that these are just “impressions” and clicks, not sales. But if you want to stand out in a crowded Yelp marketspace and increase your visibility to local customers, Yelp advertising could be well worth it for you.\nSources:\n
\nhttps://biz.yelp.com/advertise\n


62 articles found in “Reviews”

Start here to claim your free business listings on review sites like Google and Yelp

How to create and claim your Bing business listing

How to respond to bad reviews [with examples]

How to create and claim your free business listing on Manta

How long should you wait before replying to an online review?

Yelp advertising: an intro for small business owners

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