Showing posts with label Citation Building. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Citation Building. Show all posts

How to Improve Your Local Businesses Yelp Ranking

Are you wondering How to Improve Your Businesses Yelp Ranking? If you run a local business like Restaurant or Home Services, Yelp should be an essential centerpiece of your local business internet presence.
yelp

Yelp was founded in 2004 by former Paypal employees, Russel Simmons and Jeremy Stoppelman, at the startup incubator MRL Ventures. It was initially an unsuccessful email-based referral service, but was re-launched on the basis of unsolicited online business reviews in late 2005. Since Then, Yelp continues to be the go-to resource for millions of visitors looking for information about local businesses.

Some Interesting Yelp Facts
  • Average monthly unique Yelp visitors: 142 million
  • Number of Yelp monthly unique desktop visitors: 79.5 million
  • Number of Yelp monthly unique mobile visitors: 78.9 million
  • Number of Yelp monthly international (non-US) visitors: 31 million
  • Number of claimed local businesses on Yelp: 2.1 million
  • Number of local advertisers on Yelp: 90,000
  • Yelp total revenue for Q1 2015: $118.5 million
  • Number of Yelp reviews (cumulative): 77.3 million reviews
  • Percentage of new Yelp reviews from mobile: 35%
  • Number of deals live on Yelp: 80,000,
  • Number of food orders Yelp is generating weekly: 10,000
  • Number of daily calls to businesses generated from the Yelp mobile app: 200,000
  • Number of daily directions to businesses generated from the Yelp mobile app: 200,000
  • Largest reviewed category on Yelp: Shopping (23% of reviews)
  • Largest age group in US on Yelp: 35-54 (36.4% of reviews)
  • Largest education level demo in US on Yelp: College (60.2% of reviews)

Is your business doing all that it can to attract new customers from the ever-growing audience on Yelp? Whether you’ve been active on Yelp in the past or you’re starting a new business, this article will help you Improve Your Businesses Yelp Ranking.

Get Started on Yelp

Let's first go through the process of claiming a Yelp listing and filling out your business information.

If your business is relatively new, the very first thing you’ll want to do is see if it has already been listed on Yelp. Chances are it already listed on Yelp, If listed follow this steps to claim your business listing.

So go ahead and search for your business’s name. Once you find it, click the link that says “Work here? Claim this business.”

Claim Your Business on Yelp

Take time to create a complete profile. Fill out all of the information fields including location/address, hours of operation, detailed business description, website address, and contact information. Enhance your profile with pictures. When things change (like seasonal hours or adding/eliminating services), make it a priority to update your Yelp profile.

If your business has not been listed on Yelp yet, go to: https://biz.yelp.com/signup/new

For more information on creating your business account on Yelp, be sure to visit the Yelp for Business Owners section of the site.

Here’s how to take your Yelp presence to the next level.

#1: Immerse yourself in Yelp—read the profiles of your competitors
Before you start fiddling with your own Yelp profile, I highly recommend you first get a lay of the land.

Search Yelp for your direct local competitors and click through to their profiles. Take a close look at those with 4+ star ratings and those with 3 and below.

Try to distinguish the differences between those who are thriving on Yelp and those who are not. Do their photos set them apart? Does their website link lead to an impressive site or one that turns traffic away?

Can you start to see patterns in the types of things mentioned in their reviews? Try to pin down what your local market values highly and what prompts them to leave a poor review.

Learn from all of your snooping around and leverage your competitive research to ensure your own success on Yelp.

#2: Start with the essentials: Complete your business’s Yelp profile
The first step to getting your Yelp presence on track is to ensure you’ve got the essentials nailed down. Having a fully featured profile that gives visitors all of the info they seek is a must.

Be sure to complete these essential pieces of your Yelp profile:

  • Name and category: You’d be surprised how many businesses leave a typo in their name or mis-categorize their listing. Double-check this. It’s the most important piece of your listing!
  • Detailed address and phone number: Include your street address, along with any important notes about landmarks or cross-streets. Recently changed address? Update your contact info right away.
  • Include the link to your website and menu: This is crucial for converting more visitors into customers. If a Yelper clicks over to your website and likes what they see, they’re much more likely to become your customer. Restaurants: Make sure your website has an online menu. That can be linked here as well.
  • Quality photos: Nothing hurts your Yelp profile more than a blank photo area. Populate this with quality photos. More on this in a moment.
  • OpenTable.com reservations: Does your restaurant take reservations via OpenTable? You can connect this here.
  • Important info: Be sure to accurately fill out all of the info here, like your hours, price range, parking info, outdoor seating, etc. This info can make or break a customer’s decision to choose your business over the competition.
  • About your business: Although this tab is somewhat hidden behind the Reviews section, it’s important that you fill this out thoroughly. This extra info could be the tipping point that convinces customers you’re what they’re looking for.

#3: Create a strong photo gallery
Most businesses on Yelp only have a couple of poorly shot photos, usually uploaded by visitors. Some businesses don’t even have one photo posted. This is a huge opportunity for your business to stand out!

Hire a professional photographer to shoot a handful of engaging photos that inform visitors about what they’re in for when they visit you. Show off your décor, your food (or products) and the overall customer experience.

Important tip: Include a photo or two of the front of your business, or what your customers will see as they drive by and approach. This makes it tremendously easier for new customers to find you and walk in.

#4: Recognize the value of your customer reviews
We all know that positive reviews on Yelp add a tremendous amount of social proof for your business, not to mention increase your all-important star rating. But customer reviews actually hold much more value than that.

Positive reviews can be leveraged outside of Yelp. You can grab some of the best quotes and feature them on your website, citing the reviewer’s first name. This reinforces the social proof when visitors take that extra step to check out your website.

Believe it or not, negative reviews present a valuable opportunity for you as well. Whether you agree with the critique or not, negative reviews bring up points of concern about your business that you may have overlooked. Use this constructive criticism to improve your customers’ experience.

#5: Respond to reviews
I’m surprised more people don’t take advantage of this incredibly valuable tool Yelp has provided business owners. You, as the business owner, can publicly respond to any review placed on your business profile.

Now, before you start firing away at every bad review that comes your way, stop and consider a more strategic approach.

If you choose to respond to a comment, do it calmly and respectfully. The key here is to show that you care. Thank the reviewer for their feedback, and point out things they may not have been aware of, or explain how you plan to fix or improve whatever it is they were complaining about.

Respond to positive reviews as well! Thank them for coming in and for their kind words. Use this as an opportunity to highlight the hard work you’re putting toward a great customer experience.

The bottom line is, your visibility as the owner within the Reviews section will do a lot to set you apart from your competition—mainly because nobody else is doing it!

Yelp provides advice and info for business owners regarding responding to reviews here.

#6: Track and use metrics in your Yelp dashboard
Now it’s time to really dig in and take your Yelp presence up a notch.

Business owners on Yelp gain access to detailed behind-the-scenes metrics about their business’s performance on Yelp. These metrics were overhauled and improved in March 2012, so if you haven’t logged in recently, you should definitely take a look.

Here you can gather key insights about your Yelp presence. You can track the amount of traffic your Yelp profile receives and also see how many times your business showed up in search results on Yelp.

Tracking “User Actions” gives you an even closer look at how visitors are engaging with your business on Yelp. Actions include things like clicks to your website, mobile check-ins, photos uploaded, etc.

You can use the info gathered here to inform your decisions on things like “When is the best day of the week to run a special?” or “How important is having a mobile website for my visitors?”

#7: Try running a 'Yelp Deal'

if you want to both drum up new business and improve the visibility of your company's listing in Yelp's search results, consider running a "Yelp Deal." Basically, Yelp Deals function like Groupon or Living Social deals. You can offer a discount that Yelp users claim through the site (for example, a $20 gift certificate for $10). Yelp then promotes your profile to a wider audience in an effort to generate revenue via deal purchases, resulting in greater visibility for your company.

Although Yelp keeps 30% of the discounted price, Yelp Deals make your listing more attractive to visitors, and could prove to have a solid return on investment, especially when you use your Yelp metrics to guide the timing of your Yelp Deals.

#8: Take advantage of Yelp’s additional resources
You can find quite a bit of helpful resources on the official Yelp for Business Owners section as well as the Business Owner’s Blog, where you can stay on top of the latest tools as they become available.

You might consider advertising your business on Yelp. While I firmly believe you can find great success on Yelp using the free techniques described above, purchasing advertising placements on Yelp brings a few interesting benefits, like:
  • Removal of competitors’ ads on your business page 
  • Enhanced photo slideshow 
  • Video on your profile
Closing your Business Yelp account?
There are some very simple steps that you can follow if you want to close your Yelp account.
  • Login to your Yelp account. 
  • At the bottom right corner there is a link called “FAQ”. Click on this link. 
  • You will then have the option on clicking on “How to close my account?” This can be found in the Help section of the website. 
  • Click on the words “Click here” that are highlighted in blue. You will be sent to a page that has a form for you to fill out about closing your account. This form will be sent to the Yelp support crew once you have filled it in. 
  • Select “Help me use Yelp” then “Close my account”. Then you should write a short message about the fact that you would like o close your account. When you have done this you can click on the “Send” button and the information will be sent to the Yelp Support team. 
  • Go to your email account associated with your Yelp account. You will receive an email notification at the email address that you specified during the sign up process. Click on this link. If you are unable to click on the link simply copy and paste it into the URL. This link exists to confirm the deletion of your account. Once you click on that the process will be complete.
What do you think? Has your business found success from its Presence on Yelp? Let us know in the comments section below!

How do I get a Profile Canada Business Listing?

How do I get a Profile Canada Business Listing?


BEFORE YOU START: Profile Canada is free to list your business but not to respond to reviews. Go to profilecanada.com/grow-your-business for more info. 

Add a Business to Profile Canada: 

  • Go to www.profilecanada.com.
  • What is your relationship to this company? Select: 
    • I’m the owner of this company.
    • I work for this company.
    • I don’t work here, but I’m acting on behalf of this company.
    • I’m a user of Profile Canada improving the business listing.
  • Add Key Business Info:
    • Name.
    • City.
    • Address.
    • Postal Code.
    • Business Phone.
    • Website.
    • Business Description:
    • Toll Free Number.
    • Fax Number.
    • Email.
  • Search and Select your Business Category.
  • Answer Survey Q’s:
    • What is your top online marketing challenge?
    • Are you currently working with an SEO provider?
  • Create your Profile Canada Account:
    • First Name.
    • Last Name.
    • City.
    • Email.
    • Password / Confirm Password
    • Enter CAPTCHA text.
  • Click Submit Info and Create Account.
  • Confirm Profile Canada’s Verification Email (check all email categories).
After confirming your email, your account will remain pending until reviewed by website moderators. Once reviewed and approved, your listing will be published by Profile Canada.

Fix an Error on your Profile Canada Listing: 

Follow the same steps as above. Moderators will review your Profile Canada Listing Update, and apply it to the existing listing.  

How do I get my business listed on MapQuest?

How do I get my business listed on MapQuest?


BEFORE YOU START: If you are an American looking to create a MapQuest business listing, go to https://listings.mapquest.com, and complete the submission form. Input fields on MapQuest.com’s listings page doesn’t have province or postal code options for Canadian business owners. 

Step 1: Add your Business to MapQuest

  • Go to https://help.mapquest.com.
  • Enter your company email (gmail) account and create a password.
  • Create a subject for the message (i.e new business listing).
  • Enter Your Name.
  • Select the reason for this report: “Add New Business.”
  • How does the business currently appear on MapQuest: It does not.
  • Description – (full description of issue).
    • Business Name:
    • Address: City, State / Province, Zip.           
    • Business Phone:
    • Owner’s Name:
    • Business Email:
    • Number of Locations:
    • Website:
    • Featured Message:
    • Business category:
    • About Us:
  • Upload Attachment: Company Logo

Step 2: Fix an Error on your MapQuest Listing. 

  1. Go to  Mapquest Help.
  2. Select the most appropriate issue:
    • Feedback/ Questions on new www.mapquest.com  
    • Business Listings on MapQuest.
    • Residential Map / Address Errors.
    • Problems Creating a Route or Getting Directions.
    • Help with Mapquest Mobile Apps.
    • Help with the New Route Planner
    • My Account.
    • Help with MapQuest Bookings Reservations.
    • Help with Classic.MapQuest.com
    • send feedback about mapquest business city pages
    • Report abuse
    • Help with Travel Blogs
    • All other questions or issues
  3. Enter Your company email:
  4. Create a message Subject:
  5. Enter Your Name:
  6. Additional Description:
  7. File upload (optional):
*If you selected the issue “Business Listings on MapQuest”
  1. Select the reason for this report:
    • Incorrect Business Information
    • Add a new business
    • For an update or removal request- How does the business currently appear on MapQuest
    • Place has permanently closed.
  2. For an update or removal request- How does the business currently appear on MapQuest
    • Name,
    • Address,
    • Phone Number.

How do I get my Business Listed on Foursquare?




How do I get my Business Listed on Foursquare?



BEFORE YOU START: It is free to create a Foursquare listing for your business, but not to manage it (if you live outside the U.S). If you wish to login and respond to reviews, you have to claim your Foursquare listing. 

Step 1: Submit Business Info to Foursquare.

  • Go to foursquare.com and click signup to Foursquare.com. Create an account.
  • Go to business.foursquare.com
    • Search for your business, and select “cant find place, add listing.”
  • Add your place to foursquare
    • Enter info: Company Name, Address, Cross Street , City, Province / State, Postal Code, Country,
    • This place is inside another place, answer yes or no.
    • Adjust the pin on the map so it is over the front door of your place.
    • Add your Twitter handle (if available).
    • Select your business category.
    • This place is a private venue, answer yes or no.
    • Click Save
IMPORTANT NOTE: All business added to Foursquare for free are reviewed and published by site moderators. Free listings will take some time to appear online. If you are working on behalf of a business, show progress by taking a screen shot of listing submission thank you page, and share it with the business owner with a message stating “Your Foursquare listing has been submitted, it is pending moderator review before being published.”
Once Foursquare moderators publish your submission, send the link to the owner to check out.
foursquare-33

How to Claim your Place on Foursquare.

After adding your place to foursquare, you can now claim it. Note: To claim a place you must pay a one time fee of $20 USD.
  • Search for, and select your Company (added to the foursquare database in Step 3)
  • Check box “I’m the owner”, and click “get started.”
    • Add a contact and billing details – Foursquare listings cost $20 USD for companies outside of the U.S.
  • Foursquare team will follow up to complete the claim process, and give you a login so you can manage your listing.
foursquare6

How to Fix / Update a Foursquare Business Listing 

If your business Foursquare listing has been claimed, then get login access to the account, and update the business information manually. If not, then you need to create a user account and suggest an update (need to be reviewed by foursquare moderators before updating). 
  • Create a Foursquare user account.
  • Search for and select your business on Foursquare’s homepage search bar.
  • Select the “suggest an edit” button at the top of the profile.
    • Update all inaccurate information.
    • Add any missing information.
    • Click submit.
Important Note: If you are updating Foursquare on behalf of a business, you can show the listing progress while you wait for moderators to publish your requested changes. Take a screenshot of the thank you message, share it with the business owner, and state “Your updated business info has been submitted to Foursquare, and pending moderator approval prior to publishing.”

How do I manage all of my Business Directory Updates?


How do I manage all of my Business Directory Updates?



BEFORE YOU START to update one of your business directory listings, check them all. When listing info is incorrect it is usually due to human error, or contact info change like moving to a new office, or getting a new phone number etc. This means the error is more than likely on other listings as well.

Step 1: Compare each directory listing against your profile.

  • Go through all your directory listings, line by line, and compare the info to your company profile (contact info, and assets).
  • Look for any errors, or discrepancies between the listing and your company profile.
    • Incorrect contact information: Address, Phone Number, Email, etc.
    • Outdated imagery: Promotional materials, logo’s, etc.
    • Broken links: Website, social media, etc.
Pro Tip: Use a free software like Airi to do this for you! She never blinks, and won’t miss a thing.

Step 2: Take Note of all Errors in a Doc.

Create a document (or Google Doc) and write down each error, and discrepancy you discover.
  • Directory Listing 1 URL: www.directory1.com/mylisting
  • Error: (info found on directory)
    • Update: (info that should be on directory)
Note: Directory updates can take a while to publish if you do not have login access. By taking note of all errors in a document, you have something to reference when checking the status of your updates.  

Step 3: Review Directory Assets.  

After all errors are noted, take a few minutes to review the assets used on each directory.
  • Is the directory displaying an old version of your logo?
  • Do you have new product or service images to add?
  • Does the directory offer the addition of extra assets? (videos, menu’s etc)

Step 4: Submit and Complete Directory Updates.  

Every Business Directory has a different process for submitting listing updates. If possible, login and make the changes yourself immediately. If not, suggest an edit as a “user” or through the directory’s update process. Site moderators will review your submission and make the change if they feel it is accurate. If you are making a big change (address or email or phone number) it may take a few tries, as site moderators want to make sure the request is legitimate before changing a business’ contact information.

How do I get my Business listed on Apple Maps?

How do I get my Business listed on Apple Maps?


BEFORE YOU START: To create an Apple Maps business listing you need an apple ID. Once you have an apple ID for your business, you can begin to create your business listing!
Create an Apple ID for your company:
  • Go to Apple.com and create a company Apple ID
  • Enter company email
  • Create / confirm temporary password
  • Enter first name, last name, and birthday
  • Select and answer 3 security questions
  • Select country
  • Enter CAPTCHA -> Continue
  • Find the confirmation email and enter the verification code to confirm your company Apple ID

Step 1: Store contact info, product descriptions, and marketing materials in a single document.

Take the time to do this once, as a result, you will save hours of searching overtime. Most notably, you should have everything in one place, so you can easily share accurate – up to date – assets with coworkers and employees.
Pro Tip: Use a Google Doc to store, and share your company info and assets. Check out Airi’s Company Info Doc.

Step 2: Go to Apple Maps.

  • Login with your new company Apple ID (email and password).
  • Select your language preference.
  • Select add my business.
  • Read and agree to the terms of service.
apple-maps-setup-step-2

Step 3: Add your Business.

  • Search for your company, near your city.
  • Select add a new place.
  • Choose place status. 
  • Enter country. 
  • Choose primary, and two alternative categories. 
  • Enter phone number.
  • Do you accept Apple Pay? (Yes or No).
  • Continue

Step 4: Select Verify Later.

This will allow you to skip the verification process and finish adding your account details. 
apple-maps-setup-step-4

Step 5: Complete your Apple Maps Profile.

  • Enter full business address.
  • Move the map PIN to the front door of your building.
  • Enter operating hours.
  • Add website and social URL’s.
  • Continue. 
apple-maps-setup-step-5

Step 6: Respond to Apple’s Alert.

Respond to alert: “Answer a call” Coordinate a verification call from Apple to your business. Apple will ask that you prompt an automated call to your business, write down a pin number and enter it online to confirm your location.
  • Call your location to ensure someone will be available to answer Apple’s verification call.
  • Instruct the individual to stay near the phone, and to write down the PIN Apple provides.
  • Prompt the verification call, wait 5 minutes, and call back to retrieve the PIN.
  • Enter PIN to confirm your location / phone number.
  • Note: any remaining alerts from apple will not hinder publication.
apple-maps-setup-step-6

How do I make a 411 Business Listing?


How do I make a 411 Business Listing?



BEFORE YOU START: to create your 411 business listing, know it is free to create, but not to manage. If you wish to login and respond to reviews, contact 411 through their advertising center. 
411-login

Step 1: Submit your Company Info to 411.ca  

  • Enter your Company Phone Number
  • Add Business Details:
    • Business Name
    • Business Address
    • City
    • Primary Business Category
  • Add Personal Contact Info
    • First Name.
    • Last Name.
    • Phone Number.
    • Email Address.
    • Click “Yes, I agree”

411-3

Step 2: Chat with 411 to complete & publish your listing.

  • A 411 moderator will call your personal contact number to review and verify your information. 
  • Within 10 days your business listing will be published on 411. 
  • Reminder: To login to your listing and respond to reviews contact 411 through their advertising center.
411-email

Step 3: Claim your 411 Business Listing.

Once your listing has been reviewed by moderators and published, you have the opportunity to claim & manage your listing.
  • Search for and Select your company through 411 search.
  • Click “Are you the owner of this business? Click here.” – you will only see this message if the listing is unclaimed.
  • Enter your personal contact details once more, and submit.
  • 411 moderators will be in touch to verify the claim of this listing. “We just need to confirm your details over the phone. We’ll be in touch within 10 business days.”

Step 4: Update your 411 Business Listing.

If you business has an upgraded your account, get login access to the listing, and update it directly. This will save you from the time of having moderators review & publish the change, By logging in your changes will update immediately.
  • Search for and select your company through 411 search bar on the homepage.
  • Click the Green Edit button beside “Notice incorrect or missing info?” – usually near the logo.
  • Add any missing details, and update any incorrect info.
    • Business email
    • Company Website
    • Business address
    • Company phone number
    • Business Description
    • Categories
    • Features
    • Languages
    • Business Hours
    • Certifications and Associations
    • Brands
    • Ways to Pay
    • Parking Details
    • Accessibility & Amenities