New business or an existing business, a digital presence has become a necessity. Though some may argue that there are people who prefer coming to the shop, there are many benefits of having a digital presence, such as learning about a business on the website, its social media page or Google Maps, find out the hours of operation and also directions to your office.  Put in simple terms digital presence is “showing your business online”. But you might think then what is digital marketing? As the name mentions, digital marketing is promoting your brand/ business using various channels on the internet.

In simpler terms, users can easily reach out to you with the help of digital presence, and with digital marketing, you can reach out to an enormous number of users. If you would love to take your business to the next level, start with focusing more on having a strong online presence.

The majority of the business owners would have come across the business listings, but are not quite familiar with the advantages they offer in terms of marketing and customer acquisition if the business pages are properly optimized. You have a huge opportunity to reach new customers through business listings every day. For example, imagine someone gets an emergency repair at home so they take their phone, and do a Google search for “home improvement repairs in (your city name),” and look at the map to see which one is closest. He/she might be less than a block away from your office.

Elements that constitute Business Page Listing –

• Business name
• Working Hours
• Clickable Phone Number
• Business title, description & images
• Service/ Product Name and Price
• Business Category

Benefits of Local Listing –

• Can boost local SEO
• Google Maps can channel thousands of potential customers toward your business.
• Will appear at the top of the page in this Google Search.
• Builds credibility because you can get your business verified with the help of local listings
• Helps increase online authority by creating backlinks

Local Directory Listings –

Though many of your potential customers search on Google or other search engines for information related to your home improvement business, a large portion of them get in touch with local business through local business directory listings. So keeping this on the mind, it’s good to make sure that your business is available on a large number of directory websites.

Elements that constitute Local Directory Listings –

• Business Name
• Phone Number
• Address
• Category
• Service offering

Online Forums / Question- Answers Websites:

Another best way to improve your search engine rankings is to frequently post content related to your website on online discussion forums. Customers will be able to post their questions and concerns in the company’s discussion forums and the company staff or designated individuals will respond to customers’ questions and concerns.

This can play a big role in creating a big impact in terms of awareness. Getting your brand on social media can help hook customers with its visual content, say for example you are a home improvement contractor, people would check Pinterest, Instagram, etc, for DIY ideas, this is where your brand can create a good impression.

Any certification can be beneficial for your business. With a BBB accreditation, you can appear on their website all the crucial information related to your website. A BBB accreditation upvotes the customer’s confidence, hence helps you in getting quality leads.

Elements that constitute a BBB accreditation website:

• Business name
• Contact information
• Category
• Links to websites and social media
• Duration of accreditation
• A quote request feature
• Reviews

Benefits of a BBB accreditation

• When you have a perfect website that is user friendly and has all the crucial information, then a BBB accreditation additionally will help your website reach out to a large number of people and build credibility.
• Helps develop trust
• You can access analytics and measure. A BBB accreditation can help by offering valuable analytics that can move your business forward.

Here are a few hacks to help you stay on the top of the game:

1. Good Website Structure – Having your website designed with a very easy and simple layout does wonder. The structure is the backbone of everything else put up on your website. Think from your customers’ point of view and make sure your website has everything that would like to know. And, also make sure to provide easy navigation for users to access your website.
2. Increases Responsiveness – The major advantage of customer responsiveness is that you gain trust and make them believe that your company is dedicated to serving user needs. Always be available and reachable for customers by providing quick responses.
3. Don’t Ignore Blog Articles – Setting up a blog page on your website can boost your search rankings. Also, it helps in adding credibility to your brand. People while researching a service often have a look at your blogs to get an idea. If your blog page consists of information that people can rely on, then no doubt you’re likely to gain more leads.
4. Online reviews –While researching for services that your business provides, many people actually look at the reviews. Positive online reviews will help you to optimize your customer experience better. The right digital marketing strategy can help you to gain more consistent and effective reviews that drive business your way.