The Importance of Verifying the Accuracy of Your SMB’s Online Listing Information
In today’s competitive marketplace, building trust with new clients is essential to creating future growth opportunities. Today’s tech-savvy customers rely heavily on the information they find in local search listings concerning products and services and place extensive trust in the information they find.
Data from a recent search optimization survey from technology firm Uberall revealed that nearly half of small businesses fail to ensure the accuracy of basic data in online listings. These inaccuracies not only translate to lost opportunities but could even drive a wedge of mistrust between SMBs and customers.
The Essential Role of Building Trust with Your Customers
Studies show that customers place extensive trust in the information they find when conducting searches for local businesses offering the products and services they need. From basic data concerning a business’s location and contact numbers to reviews from other customers, this information plays a huge role in an SMB’s ability to connect with new clients.
But what happens when the information users locate about your startup in local listings is inaccurate or missing entirely? Chances are good that a potential customer encountering a wrong number or website address when searching may not be willing to go digging for the right information. This is especially true in highly competitive markets and will likely lead to a wide range of missed opportunities for new business.
Common Inaccuracies Encountered in Online Listings
Most of the information which is missing or inaccurate in a business’s online listing profile includes essentials such as:
- Operating hours
- Website address
- Physical address
- Phone numbers
When this information is inaccurate, your SMB can easily miss out on customer engagement via site traffic, online orders or calls for more details about a service.
Keeping Your Business’s Listing Information Updated
Fortunately, correcting any errors in these items and updating your information for accuracy after launching a newly optimized website, changing your phone number or moving to a new location is fairly quick and easy. One of the best starting points to check your startup’s listing and make any necessary corrections is to log on to Google’s My Business tool to create or manage your startup’s profile. In addition to correcting basic contact information, this tool allows you to:
- Share new promotional offers with prospective customers
- Customize opening hours for seasonal changes
- Manage your reputation by responding to customers who leave reviews and more
