Small business

Why Online Review Sites Are Beneficial for Small Businesses

glassesBy now, every company in the world has heard why they should claim their business page on review sites like OpenTable or Google+ Local. It helps improve SEO, and it allows customers to share feedback with your business. While these benefits are great for most businesses, claiming a business page on an online review site is actually more beneficial for smaller businesses, and here's why.

It provides an online presence.

Most small businesses have an even smaller budget, and this means that an elaborate website or online strategy is out of the question. But every business knows that a lack of an online presence can be detrimental to businesses, but that's where an online review site can help.

When a small business claims their page on a review site, the review site can fill in for the missing website. The review site can still provide information on the company, pictures of what the company has to offer and generally provide everything that a regular website could provide, all for much less of an expense.

It provides insight into your competition.

Online review sites allow you to truly get to know your competitors. You can easily peruse their pages on these sites and see what their customers are saying about them or see what promotions they're offering. Knowing all of this can help you to make smarter marketing decisions when it comes to your own company. You can then implement strategies and tactics that will help you better compete.

It generates interest.

Small companies don't have the budget or marketing materials to generate interest in their brand the same way more established companies do. But because so many customers are already using these popular sites to find businesses in their area that offer the products or services they're looking for, joining an online review site can help to generate interest in your brand. You will already be sitting in front of an audience that is in or near your location and interested in the products or services you have to offer. Generating interest in your company really cannot get any easier.

It improves SEO.

Yes, online review sites help improve the SEO of most companies, not just small businesses, but improved SEO through online review sites is important to small businesses. As a small business, you typically don't have the same amount of information floating around the Internet about your company. You don't have other sites linking back to your website, you don't have a large amount of website traffic hitting your site, and you certainly don't have access to every important keyword for your industry.

With an online review site, your SEO can be improved. You will now have another website to link back to your own website, which can improve traffic. You will be able to add more relevant keywords about your business, which will help search engine crawlers index your site appropriately. And because of this, you will have a better chance of getting your site and your online review site listed on the search engines to help extend your reach and visibility.

Lizzie Lau is a freelance writer who combines personal opinions and research to create appealing and informative articles on various topics.

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