Online Business Adaptation for Physical Storefronts

More and more, local small businesses (yourself included) are having to adapt to an online world. For restaurants or other physical venues, that means combatting a more virtual experience with online marketing, including websites and even online directory marketing.

The internet has brought its challenges to physical locations, since staying comfortable at home has been made so much easier with the internet. For some businesses or consumers, this allows for an almost entirely online experience: video streaming for entertainment or education, books published on internet applications, or online recipes for dinner. Where does this leave storefront-based businesses? As sports strategists would say, a best defense is a good offense. Learning to combat online businesses with your own online presence will revolutionize your business strategy.

Make sure your physical store location is on the map -- Google Maps! Google My Business allows you to search for a physical street address, enter your business, and put your business’s information on their online database. This allows for people to search for your particular business and be able to find where it is. Linking your website (which we will discuss below) to your listing allows consumer to directly access more information than just the listing will provide, and legitimizes your business listing to internet browsers, as well.

While you may think that you are now done with your internet transformation, it doesn’t stop there! Make sure your restaurant is listed in other locations as well. Customers will often use specific websites or applications, like an online yellow pages app, like TapYellow.com. They prefer to use these because of their streamlined and user-friendly interface, as well as they are specifically meant for yellow pages entries. These useful applications will help consumers see your local business, find out where it is located, see online reviews, and even get step-by step directions for how to get there. For those just visiting the area, or just moving in, even the most well-known local business can benefit from online yellow pages. Most of these sites will even allow you to advertise your business, which features your business as the top result, effectively advertising your business services first to those searching for similar stores in your area.

This part of your online presence is crucial! Building a website will boost your online presence dramatically, and therefore the physical presence of customers. By building a website, online directories can link your website to their listing, and there you can display all your business’s information to your advantage. With a website, you can invitingly show where your business is, the values and culture of your business, what your business provides, and other things like special deals or events. It is an opportunity to show off and allows customers to get an idea of what your business is like. A high-quality site usually indicates they'll have a good customer experience in your store, whereas the opposite will indicate a a cheap business, which may be good, if you have the best prices in town, and don't care much about customer experience. Basically, you are putting yourself and your business up for display in a webpage that you control.

While you control the content of your website, there are a few things to keep in mind! Keeping the website effectively organized for optimal performance is crucial. Make sure your site is user-friendly, and positively displays your information in the best light possible. For many businesses breaking into internet marketing, the best way to ensure effectiveness is to find a local online marketing business to help build your website, improve its performance, and give your online marketing presence the professionalism to match your business. It's ok to admit that there's someone out there that can do that part of your business better than you. Chances are, if you're reading this, someone like Yellow Pages Digital or a number of other web designers and local SEO agencies can do a much better job than you can.

As you proudly watch the online reviews add up, along with your customers streaming in your doors, your internet presence will boost your business and your profits. By continuing to manage your online presence, both on your website and on online directories, you will be able to positively advertise and grow your business from the internet, and turn your previous competition into your biggest ally.

The internet has brought its challenges to physical locations, since staying comfortable at home has been made so much easier with the internet. For some businesses or consumers, this allows for an almost entirely online experience: video streaming for entertainment or education, books published on internet applications, or online recipes for dinner. Where does this leave storefront-based businesses? As sports strategists would say, a best defense is a good offense. Learning to combat online businesses with your own online presence will revolutionize your business strategy.

Make sure your physical store location is on the map -- Google Maps! Google MyBusiness allows you to search for a physical street address, enter your business, and put your business’s information on their online database. This allows for people to search for your particular business and be able to find where it is. Linking your website (which we will discuss below) to your listing allows consumer to directly access more information than just the listing will provide, and legitimizes your business listing to internet browsers, as well.

While you may think that you are now done with your internet transformation, it doesn’t stop there! Make sure your restaurant is listed in other locations as well. Customers will often use specific websites or applications, like an online yellow pages ap, like TapYellow. They prefer to use these because of their streamlined and user-friendly interface, as well as they are specifically meant for yellow pages entries. These useful applications will help consumers see your local business, find out where it is located, see online reviews, and even get step-by step directions for how to get there. For those just visiting the area, or just moving in, even the most well-known local business can benefit from online yellow pages. Most of these sites will even allow you to advertise your business, which features your business as the top result, effectively advertising your business services first to those searching for similar stores in your area.

The internet has brought its challenges to physical locations, since staying comfortable at home has been made so much easier with the internet. For some businesses or consumers, this allows for an almost entirely online experience: video streaming for entertainment or for education, books published on internet applications, or online recipes for dinner. However, where does this leave storefront-based businesses? As sports strategists would say, a best defense is a good offense. Learning to combat online businesses with your own online presence will revolutionize your business strategy.