So you’ve got a website and you’re waiting for the business to start rolling in. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen like that. If you don’t promote it and tell everyone what you do and where you are you won’t get noticed.
Whether you are a local or national business, the rules are the same.
Where do you start?
So many small business owners I talk to barely have the basic info to promote themselves. Often not even a business card! By far the most important requirements right from the start are:
- Website – whether you decide to try a freebie, Facebook or a professionally designed website, this should be your first port of call. Submitting your website onto the internet as soon as you can will give Google more time to find and index it, but it can months rather than weeks. The sooner it does, the sooner you will be searchable.
- Business cards – you never know who you might meet so take some wherever you go. If you need a recommended supplier local to Uckfield contact me.
What about inbound website traffic?
The Entire WEb – Upload your website here and within seconds you will have done all the major search engines in one go! The ones you do need to do individually are these top three:
Google Places – Google outperforms every other search engine by far, performing nearly 6 billion searches per day. Set this up using the appropriate keywords and you will get onto page one (Google Places listing, not your website), usually within a few weeks. It’s also a great place to receive customer reviews.
Bing – The next best alternative to Google. If people aren’t searching on Google they will probably be on Bing.
Yahoo – 3rd most popular search engine, with millions of searches per day.
And Blogging?
Why blog?
I write articles about local businesses. Articles for your blog are an excellent way to add new copy and if you promote it via social media – Twitter and Linkedin – with a good headline, it will attract attention, give you more website hits and possibly result in new enquiries. Fresh copy will also encourage search engines to move you closer to page one.
Free Directories
There are lots and this will take time. This is something I can do for you. Some examples:
Paid business directories promotional opportunities in Uckfield:
– yearly subscription (from £25). Give them a call to find out more 01825 760019 or email uckfieldvolunteer@gmail.com
– yearly subscription, includes free article submissions.
– Uckfield FM – regular opportunities to talk about your business on air free and paid advertising packages.
– Uckfield Chamber of Commerce. Local business networking organisation, with busy meetings 6 times per year and over 200 members.
If you know of any more please comment below and I will add.
