In this episode of Actionable Marketing In Minutes we talk about outdated information and how to get rid of incorrect info on the internet.
Use the player below to listen to this episode, or the download link to load it on your device for listening later. You can also find our RSS feed by clicking here, or subscribe by email in the sidebar to the left.
Download our Marketing To Millennials eBook here!
Not able to listen? Why not read the episode transcript below:
Problem:
Have you ever done a Google search for your brand name and found inaccurate or completely wrong information about your business?
Maybe your company has moved to a new building or updated phone numbers and the old information is still showing in the search results.
In most cases, this inaccurate information will be shown on other websites that either mention or link to your business. Hopefully, you keep your website updated.
You may or may not have thought about correcting this information, but what you may not know is inaccurate or even slight variations of information about your business may hurt your rankings on Google.
When it comes to your online brand, consistency is important. Google wants to rank trustworthy and relevant websites.
Your name, address and phone number showing up consistently across the web is one of the main ways to establish trust in your business.
So, what do you do, if you see inaccurate information?
Solution:
First, let’s talk about these websites that are showing your information. In most cases, they are referred to as business directories.
There are very popular directories like “Google My Business” that display your business hours, phone number, and directions to your business -if you have a customer facing location.
There will also be industry specific directories that mention or link to your business.
So back to the question of what do I do if I see that information is inaccurate? In most cases, there will be a 3-step process.
6. Claim the listing.
7. Update information
8. Verify information
Claim your listing
In most cases, you will need to lay claim to your business. You’ll do this by creating an account with the directory and entering your main business information.
Update Information
You will then be allowed to make changes to your listing. Like updating name, address, phone number and adding photos.
After you have completed updating all the information –
You’ll need to verify your listing.
Now this is an important step. Because, even though you have just updated your information, the changes you’ve made are not visible in the directory or in the search engines.
In most cases, you’ll be required to verify your information or prove that it is your business and you have the right to make the changes.
Verification can be as easy as a phone call to your business, or in some cases a postcard with a code will be mailed to your address. Upon receiving the post card, you’ll need to log back in to the directory enter the verification code.
And that’s it. It will usually take a couple of days after that for the changes to show in the search results.
That was simple enough, right?
Well, while this process is straightforward, sometimes you’ll find that there are hundreds of websites that have the wrong information about your business. And claiming, updating and verifying each individual directory can be very time consuming.
Not to mention, you’ll need to manage the listings, reviews or comments monthly.
So, what do you do in that case?
9. You can pay for a service like Whitespark to help you find and manage this listing manually.
10. Pay for a service like Yext to automate the claiming and submission of the services.
11. You can hire a digital marketing agency to update and manage these for you.
Benefits:
Each of these options have their own set of pros and cons.
Either way, you’ll want to make sure your brand shows up consistently on the web, so your customers can find you and Google, Bing and Yahoo can trust the information about your business on the web. In the end, trustworthy websites, with relevant and helpful content will rank higher in the search engines.
We hope you’ve found this information helpful. Please connect with us on Twitter @DirectiveGroup or on LinkedIn. Let us know what you think and what you’d like to hear about next. And if you like our podcasts please share with your networks using hashtag #actionablemarketing.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:05 — 2.6MB) | Embed