Name, Address, and Phone Number might appear to be the most remedial of SEO tasks, but you will not believe how many businesses drop the ball on their very own listing. Search engines appreciate accurate information, and if you can list your Name, Address, and Phone Number, you will be rewarded. If you can’t, well, let’s just say you will be punished!
NAME
I know it sounds simple, but please state the name of your business. “The Name of my business is (fill in the blank). The Name of my business is Website Help. On the front of my store, it says “Website Help.” On my business cards, it says “Website Help.” On my answering machine, it says “Website Help.” You get the point? Whatever you named your business, simply use it. So many times we run into situations where a business owner will say the name of his business is “East Coast Solutions.” You call them up and the phone says, “Hi, you have reached Joe’s where we find east coast solutions for you. Imagine having a great conversation with someone telling you all about East Coast Solutions, and they give you a business card that reads, “Joe’s.” This confusion happens all of the time. In a human interaction, you will not trust the owner or person. Search engines treat them the same way. They distrust them and punish their search listings. Use your business name and not the catchy slogan you so proudly created. If you use a DBA, use the name you want the shop to be known as and not Carl’s DBA Rita’s. Just say Rita’s. One Name!
ADDRESS
My business, Website Help, is physically located at 123 Easy Street in Garner, NC. Anywhere I list my address on the World Wide Web; it should read 123 Easy Street Garner, NC. I provide a service that can truly help people all over NC and in neighboring states, so how will people in Durham, Raleigh, Apex, Tennessee, Virginia, and South Carolina find me? The way not to do it is by listing an address for Website Help in Durham, Raleigh, Apex, Tennessee, Virginia, and South Carolina. If your brick and mortar are at 123 Easy Street Garner, NC then list it as that address. You confuse Google, Yahoo, Bing, and all the search engines when you try to game the system. Here is a great way to see how this works: Invite a stranger to your house, find out where they live, give them your real address, and as a convenience, provide them with an address close to where they live. It will be easier for them to find you in a place they are familiar with, right? Absolutely not! The stranger and even a friend will be extremely confused. How do you think the search engines react when they see multiple address listings for one business? Unfortunately, this is one of the most common mistakes made by many businesses looking to reach a larger audience in multiple cities. Don’t do it. Just list the address where your shop is located. If you move, change it!!!
PHONE
If you want people to reach your business, list a phone number you are willing to make public and more importantly you are willing to answer. Once you make it public, DO NOT change it. That is right, do not change the number of your business. If you opened your business as (555) 555-5555, it should stay (555) 555-5555. Search engines love accurate, working phone numbers, and people love accurate, working phone numbers BECAUSE they can reach you. If you have to change your phone number, contact Google, Bing, Yahoo, and all the major search engines and directories to make sure they have your info.
***If you are going to use Search Engine Marketing (SEM) or Pay Per Click (PCP), make sure your SEM provider can “Proxy” your telephone number. By providing a proxy, Search Engines do not see the phone number listed by the SEM provider to track telephone calls, so once the campaign is over you will not have to change your Phone number.***
It may sound simple, but check for yourself. Does your business accurately list one Name, one Address, and one Phone number? I hope so!
If you have questions or if you want to know more information, please contact us.
Thanks,
Chris Williams/ Customer Service Representative
