Start 2017 off the right way! 
One easy way to set yourself up for a great year of online marketing in 2017 is to make sure all your online info is up to date. We’re talking directory listings, Google Maps, Angie’s List… Basically, wherever your business is listed on the Internet. Having consistent, accurate information about your business across the web is a fundamental component of your overall web presence. Double-checking that all your details are correct is worth the effort if it means you have a solid foundation for the rest of the year. So get to it!
And if you need more convincing, keep reading.

What Happens If Your Info Isn’t Updated?

Keeping outdated information online is terrible for your business on two fronts.

1. Customers Get Confused:

If prospective customers don’t have the right details about your business, they’re likely to get confused and move on to another company for their needs. For example, if you recently changed your phone number and didn’t update it on all of your listings, a prospective customer might come across the wrong one and be unable to contact you. That’s money down the drain.

2. Search Engines Penalize You: 

Search engines like Google want to present the most accurate, up-to-date information to their users. That’s how they keep users coming back, after all. To this end, they continuously cross-check information from different sources across the web to verify everything is correct. If they detect a discrepancy in your online data, they’ll flag your listing for potentially incorrect information. And if there are enough discrepancies, your listing may be suspended, which means you won’t appear in search results. If this happens, your business’s web presence will plummet.

As you can see, neglecting to update your information is a surefire way to run your efforts into the ground. If you want to establish a solid foundation for your online marketing in 2017, you need to start with up-to-date information.

How Can You Tell If Your Info Is Up to Date?

If you’ve been good about keeping track of all the places your business is listed, then you may be able to double-check your online information yourself. These are some sites to start with, but this is by no means an exhaustive list:

• Google Maps
• Bing Local
• Yelp
• Manta
• Better Business Bureau
• Angie’s List
• Citysearch

You can also do a Google search for your business name and location and dig through the search results. This will help you track down any other listings you might have forgotten or weren’t aware of. The whole process of finding your listings and verifying the information could take less than an hour or up to several hours—it all depends on how quickly you can find your directory listings.
However, there’s another option: Let Prospect Genius run a WebFax® report for you. We’ll conduct a comprehensive audit of all your online listings and find any errors that exist. Then, with our CleanSlate™ program, we can make the necessary corrections so you can spend your time and energy elsewhere.

What Kind of Information Needs to Be Updated?

Customers and search engines alike are looking for generally the same information. If any of these details have changed, update your listings accordingly:

• Phone number
• Street address
• Company name
• E-mail address
• Website URL
• Business category
• Service offerings

Alternatively, if you’re a Prospect Genius client, let us know about your real-life changes and we’ll make the corrections online for you. It’s better if all of the updates come from one place. Not only does that ensure consistency, but it also satisfies Google’s preference for listing management to come from a single IP address.
Now that you know what’s at stake and what you need to do, updating your online information should be a no-brainer. So kick off your online marketing in 2017 the right way by making sure your web presence is in good shape for the year to come!