We’re about to give you key instructions to help get recognised by Google and help your potential clients find out about you. If you haven’t done this – do this now!
Back about 15 years ago, if you owned a business and wanted to be found by prospective customers you’d have to inform the yellow pages. A book that most people had in their house which was the go to resource for finding out your local chip shop or Argos. As technology grew, and the trees wanted their paper back, the hundreds of sites were set up on the internet to house this information for the public. In this article we’ll go through a few sites that you should really register on, most of which thousands of people use every day to find therapy business like yours.
Incorrect information hurts
As you’re probably aware, most people now Google something before even asking the person next to them. We find that sometimes a person’s interaction with a business normally will impact the way another person thinks of them. Imagine Google or Bing to be a friend that has already visited you, if they have incorrect information or display that information incorrectly, it might put people off getting in touch right? Having the correct data on such search engines is vital to properly represent your business.
Here are a few steps that won’t take you hours to complete to better inform people researching you on the internet!
-Pro Tip –
If you add or update your business on multiple business listing sites, make sure you’re providing the same company information across each directory.
Linked In
Gone are the days thinking about LinkedIn as a resource to find jobs, it also happens to be one of the most indexed websites in the world. Your place needs to have a home on its site, whether its to connect with other therapists, or to occasionally find a new client that happens to come across you during their busy working life.
Set yourself up on LinkedIn by navigating to https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/linkedin-pages, and click create your page, it takes 5 minutes to set up. Make sure to put a photo of yourself if you’re a one-man/woman band and accurately depict the services you offer. This 5-minute task that you might forget about now might gain traction a month down the line.
Apple Business Maps
Normally when we think of Apple, we think of the hardware they provide, but their apple maps program is the second most used mapping tool available today. In previous iterations, it didn’t have the client database to fully function as a useful tool. Register on the above.
How to – You’ll need an Apple ID, if you haven’t got one they are simple to create just click here to create or sign in – https://mapsconnect.apple.com/, you’ll then be presented with a dashboard that asks you to ‘Add a place’ (top right), simply enter in your business information, chose your categories (Counselling & Mental Health exists). You’ll then be prompted to receive a call to verify.
(Graphic provided from apple.com)
Tell Google you are a business
Google is the no-it-all of the internet, it probably knew what you did last summer (okay it’s not Facebook) but it wants to know more. Their verification process is a little lengthy but its completely worth it as it will guarantee you get you listed in search results.
Navigate to http://business.google.com, you’ll sign in to your Google account then create a ‘place’. They’ll need an address though so they can send you a bit of post that allows you to validate you are who you say you are. As soon as you are verified it opens up a whole world of options to you in their dashboard. You can then receive business reviews, upload photos, and opening times/contact information.
Yellow Pages (Yell)
Yes, you can still register on the Yellow Pages, they still exist they’ve just removed the ‘OW’ from Yellow and call themselves yell.com. They do free listings, available here, but if you want to impress you can pay for a listing that has extended features. They are currently listed at the base level of around £56 per month, including a full suite of marketing opportunities such as Google Ads and Social Advertising. For a monthly price, the yellow pages advertise your listing across the internet.
(Graphic provided from yell.com)
Bing
Very similar to the goliath that is Google, the same PIN verification process, easy signup. Just navigate to bingplaces.com. Many people, especially in the private sector, use Bing, it’s by default loaded on all Microsoft computers which equates to a huge reach in anything provided by the government. For example, college and university students are one of the biggest demographics that utilise bing as an everyday search engine. Having your therapy business registered on here is a must for anyone wanting to bring awareness to that audience
(Graphic provided from bing.com)
Reassure your audience
In conclusion, it’s really important to get your business and yourself as much as exposure as possible. The more locations you are ‘listed’ the more trust people have in you. Trust is everything for a potential client looking for help, it just reassures them of your services before they even meet you.
