More than ever, your potential customers are shopping and looking for a producte/Services online and as a business owner, you are probably aware (or should be for the sake of your business) that keeping accurate information about your business on multiple platforms is essential and the best way for your potential customers to find you.
Many of you are probably thinking, "Everyone knows my company, we've been here for 20 years." We can't say you're thinking entirely wrong, but a tourist who just passes by your place doesn't know about your decades-long reputation. Or maybe you're a car mechanic and you'd love to help a new family who has just moved to your town and their car has broken down, but unfortunately they can't find you online because you didn't take care of it? Your new generation of potential customers are always checking on their smart devices where they can find you, your opening hours, your address, reading online reviews, etc. And your loyal customers often forget what time you are open. You may read this with raised eyebrows, but nowadays you are obliged in some way to provide the web and, consequently, your loyal or potential customers with accurate basic information about your business.
We've explored why your business data needs to be accurate online, why it's important to keep it synchronised across platforms and how inaccuracy can affect the success of your business.
Data unification is key to your online success
Accurate information about your business online is crucial. Your company's postings on various portals and platforms, such as search engines, online maps and social networks, include basic information about your company, including your name, address, phone number, website and opening hours. Constant updating is an important factor in maintaining the accuracy of your information and, consequently, the credibility of your business. Consistent and unified information ensures that customers can easily find your business on all their smart devices and easily get in touch with you. Inconsistencies can confuse both your customers and search engines, which may even flag your business as a "frivolous company".
To maintain consistency wherever your business is published, you need to ensure that all information about your business is consistent across all platforms (as we've written, this includes basic contact information about your business, opening hours and additional content such as your logo, photos, keywords, products, services, etc.). Any inconsistencies can cause confusion and negatively impact your rankings and online reputation.
3 key disadvantages of inaccurate information and the consequences for your business:
1. Fewer interactions with your company.
Missing or inaccurate information can cause confusion and loss of business. If the information in your company's listings on platforms (e.g. Google) is inaccurate, your customers may end up in the wrong location, call the wrong phone number or visit you when you are closed. Studies have shown that which 73 % Consumers lose trust in a brand if they get lost on the way to a location because of a wrong web address.
2. Your company's reputation will be worse.
Inaccurate information about your business unit can damage your company's reputation. If a customer tries to contact you or visit your business and has difficulty doing so because of incorrect information, they may leave a negative review, which can damage your reputation and deter other potential customers. Studies have shown that as many 88 % customers trust online evaluations the same as personal recommendations. Therefore, consistency or maintaining accurate information in your business units' publications is essential to avoid these negative consequences.
3. Your business ranks worse in local search results.
Missing information about your business on different platforms can cause chaos. If the platforms are not sure which of your details (opening hours, address, phone number, etc.) is correct, they will in a sense "penalise" you and rank you lower in the search results. It is therefore crucial that your business information is synchronised (identical!) across all the digital channels where you are published. And of course, accurate.
How to get your business discovered by as many potential customers as possible in your neighbourhood?
Unifying your key business information improves your local SEO - local search engine rankings - and is the most cost-effective way to reach potential customers at key moments - when they are searching for a local business.
Local SEO focuses on optimising your local web presence, where the location of the search plays a key role. This means that you can drive more customers from your local area to your website, physical store or encourage them to call you directly - giving you more opportunities to showcase your product or service to a wider audience and increase your sales.
For example, if you are a beauty service provider and a potential customer types "beauty salon Ljubljana" into a search engine, don't you want to be on top of the local results before your competitor? Because if you're not at the top, your competitor - the closest salon - has just gained a new customer and you've lost them.
And here we come to the essence of optimising for local web searches, which gives you the power to be the first answer to potential customers' searches, or to make your business stand out in the search results offered on Google and other platforms. In addition to visibility and increased traffic, local SEO also contributes to an authority position in your area of operation, which leads to brand trust and ultimately to the desired brand loyalty.
Optimising for local search is important for your business because it helps you attract new potential customers and, over time, it allows you to deepen your business' relationship with existing customers because of the trust you have built with them.
Let customers find you before your competitors
To help customers buy your business found online before your competitors, you need an established presence with unified data across platforms. Finally, the accuracy of your company or business unit's publications can give you a competitive advantage in your industry. Ensuring that your data is accurate and up-to-date across multiple platforms can help you stand out from your competitors and attract more customers to your business, while online search engines like Google will rank you higher and show you higher in local hits.
In addition, regularly updating your posts can help you stay ahead of your competitors. Many companies neglect their listings, resulting in outdated or incorrect information, or worse: search engines have no information about their existence at all. By regularly reviewing and updating your business listing, you can ensure that your information is always accurate and up-to-date, giving you a competitive advantage over other companies in your industry.
Conclusion - the essence of it all
In short, keeping your business units' publications accurate and up-to-date is essential for the success of your business. This way, you provide potential customers with the correct information they need to contact or visit your business, help improve your online visibility and reputation, and stay competitive in your industry.
We therefore reiterate that it is crucial to regularly review and update your business unit publications to ensure that all information about your company is consistent and accurate across all platforms. By doing so, you can attract more customers to your business, improve your rankings and ultimately increase your revenue and business growth.
Need help managing your content online?
At Geosplet, we offer a professional solution to unify your data on all major channels such as Google, Facebook, Apple maps, Bing and our entire network of more than 30 digital platforms. Your job takes just a few minutes, we take care of the rest.
Contact us for more information. We are happy to help.
