AC ONLINE: Local Business Should Build an Online Strategy

A couple of years ago, local businesses had a chance to establish themselves online and gain an advantage. Now, if your business is not engaging customers online, you are at a disadvantage!

The major advantage Armstrong County businesses have is their costs are equal or lower than most areas of the country, especially if their product or service can be sold beyond the local region.

Over the next decade, I predict many local businesses will either flourish or flounder based on how they manage their Internet presence. This is already the case in many industries and for many locations in the country.

It’s one thing to have a website; it’s a completely different thing to have that site is generating revenue for your business. Services industry businesses, which are the majority of local businesses such as restaurants, need to be very concerned about their online image. Referrals still rule locally, but the tide is changing. Led by sites like Google, and Yelp, customer ratings and comments are increasing or decreasing business like never before. Customers have never had more influence and businesses have never before been so powerless.

Here are five steps I recommend all local business do.

1. Establish some form of an online presence. - A simple website is good to start.
2. Type you business name and industry into Google. - You definitely want to hold the top two places on first results page; however, the more the better.
3. Make sure customers or potential customers can contact you. – Make sure the people who find you can also contact your, by visibility listing you’re phone number, email, and possible a contact form on your site.
4. Create a way to monitor your business online. – You want to know you’re website stats, and see what people are saying about, monitor your competition, on a weekly basis.
5. Look into ways to promote yourself online – Make sure you’re listed in business directories first, and then consider placing ads online. Creating an email list of customers is highly recommended.

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