Lately, I have talked with several local business owners that had never heard of several potential business sources that I consider essential.  These are very intelligent and busy people that simply don’t have time to keep up with the latest internet trends so I don’t fault them.  However, any local business that is not in tune with their presence on the following websites is probably leaving money on the table:

1. Yelp – http://yelp.com
Yelp is a free service that allows anyone to write an unbiased review of your business that is available to the public at any time.  Do I have your attention yet?  To stay up to speed on your Yelp page, use the site’s search function to find your own company and click the large red button that says, “Claim This Business.”

2. Local Search
- http://google.com/local
- http://bing.com/local
- http://local.yahoo.com/
Local search is the most likely way that internet searchers will find a small brick and mortar business.  All of the major search engines have expanded the capabilities of local search to include directions and reviews, another source of information about your company that you’ll want to closely monitor.  All the search engines have similar functionality to Yelp that allows you to claim and enhance your business listing.

3. Analytics – http://google.com/analytics
What good are all these new sources of business if you can’t measure the results?  Google Analytics is free and easy to install on almost any website.  In addition to always asking your new customers how they found out about you, it’s important to have solid numbers about how people find you online.  If you need help, installing analytics is a minor project that can usually be completed in a couple hours.

What other internet services do you consider essential for local businesses?