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Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

Because local online business directories offer a swift route to refer the ideal businesses in town, more people are using the Web to search for local businesses. And because of this shift in preference among consumers looking for businesses, local online business directories have become very powerful local marketing tools. Whether you’re a construction company proprietor, a hairdresser, a dentist or a life coach, an online business directory can help you acquire new customers and grow your business.

A local marketing research founds out that costumers looking for local business service use local online directories to get swift results. It’s a fact: the businesses that local costumers find on online directories get call or walk-in visit more than 50% of the time. So how can you ensure that the phone number being dialed or business visited is yours and not your competitors’? By listing your business on as many online directories as you can.

Many online business directories wage a free listing; it’s important to get listed in as many directories as feasible. Note that paying for a listing can increase your chances of appearing on top of the search results on directories, but there are other ways you can appear on top without paying a dime.

Top 10 UK Online Business Directories

1. Yell.com

Leading the way is Yell.com with the highest number of monthly visitors at 6 million plus a month; however, currently the site doesn’t let a free listing include pictures and business description. Paid-for listings are their main focus and the costs range from GBP300-GBP600 depending on your business category.

Recommendation: the free listing is good but don’t be afraid to invest on a paid listing because of their massive number of users.

2. Qype.co.uk

Qype.com.uk covers all business categories. Qype’s users are actively rating and recommending businesses. Getting inside this community offers any business a tremendous advertising opportunity. You can publish pictures and business description (which can near your listing higher on search results) for free unlike on Yell. The GBP50 a month paid-for business listing Qype offers is also a wise use of your advertising money if you want to increase your leads with less effort.

Recommendation: complete your business listing with pictures and description; if you have the advertising money; don’t hesitate to go for a paid listing.

3. HotFrogUK.co.uk

Despite being a young online directory in the United Kingdom and its one-of-a-kind name, Hotfroguk.co.uk has gained very good reputation on Google in terms of PR. The site offers free service without limiting your capability to add as much business information.

Recommendation: don’t waste time and list your business now while the site is free.

4. Vivastreet.co.uk

Vivastreet.co.uk is not an online directory; instead, it’s a free local classified ads site. Vivastreet has monthly users of over 1.2 million and they rank very well on Google. The site is very good in promoting events or special offers. But your free directory listings don’t remain on the site for too long (they’ll expire so you need to update regularly).

Recommendations: use the site to advertise your business events or your special offers.

5. City-visitor.co.uk

City-visitor.co.uk is a well established online directory but with an aging design. The free business listing that they offer is good enough for citation on Google Places. The site’s paid-for listings will try hard to persuade you to purchase into their directory, but I’m not convinced of the value or return.

Recommendation: the free business listing is okay, but you might be wasting money for their paid-for listing.

6. FreeIndex.co.uk

The site has all the potential to succeed as online business directory in United Kingdom. FreeIndex only offers free directory listings; they don’t purchase a list of basic business information. Each business listed on FreeIndex has been added by the business owner, which what makes it so powerful in influencing Google rankings. And FreeIndex also offers a lead-generation service for local businesses.

Recommendation: list your business for free but explore the lead generation options as they could establish good at generating new customers.

7. Bizwiki & AccessPlace

Bizwiki and AccessPlace are two separate directories but they exchange information; if you list on one directory, you’re automatically listed on the other! Their combined monthly audience is approximately 700,000, and you can list your business for free with extra information including photos, service description, opening hours, etc.

Recommendation: go for free listing and generate some positive individual reviews to get to the top.

8. Yelp.co.uk

Yelp is large in the US; Google recently tried to purchase them for a reported US0m! Yelp is been in the United Kingdom for only 2 years but managed to grow from 100,000 to 500,000 users in 1 year. Yelp is known primarily for their restaurant reviews but they cover all business categories now. The site puts great importance on good reviews, and to get good reviews means to interact and master how Yelp’s online community works.

Recommendation: it will be a major force soon so list for free now and begin generating some individual reviews.

9. Bview.co.uk

Bview.co.uk is focused on promoting special offers from local businesses—they’re not the regular online directory. So the point is to list your business for free and advertise your special offer too. Still quite London-centric, their local vouchers are distributed to a number of other sites and mobile apps, and they get a great response.

Recommendation: great lead generator with discount vouchers so list for free, add a voucher and move for the phone to ring.

10. ViewLondon.co.uk

Viewlondon.co.uk is a directory dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment businesses: bars, clubs, pubs, restaurants, venues, etc. They now cover most major cities in the UK and are growing rapidly. You can list your business for free and add lots of extra information. Viewlondon.co.uk also offers paid listing, which could be costly but a lot of business owners who tried it have been happy with the service.

Recommendation: entertainment business owners should not pass the opportunity to list their businesses here; testing the paid listing options is suggested too.

Conclusion:

Online business directoriesare indispensable local business marketing tool. Local business owners must list their businesses on these free directories and focus their efforts on getting directory users to leave sparkling reviews in order to reach the top of these free directory listings search results. Aside from learning how to perfect your online directory listing, don’t be afraid to spend your extra advertising money on leading directories too. But make sure you check all doable options you have—it’s a competitive market!

More Business Articles

Have you ever dreamt of owning a successful home business? People all over the country are looking for more control over their lives by starting a home business. Home business success is becoming more and more recognized as times go by.

Success stories abound of people who have started home based businesses that have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Home business success is more achievable and saint because it saves the begin up and the overhead costs associated with running a commercial premise.

Home business success is within your grasp if you can comply with these 21 simple steps;

Get a physical location within your home to host your business. It can be a separate room, the garage, the attic or anywhere that can hold your business equipment and enough for you to work comfortably in.

Home business success requires time. How much time are you willing to devote to your business to ensure it succeeds? You need to make a weekly schedule of all your activities at home, outside the home and decide where and how to place your business.

What do you like to do? What need can this fill for your future clients? Home business success stems from natural talents that fulfill needs and are nurtured into reality and later into riches. We can help you with ideas at the end of this article.

Go solo. The legal form of this is sole proprietorship. This is the easiest way to begin because you are the boss so the profits are all yours, the work is cheaper to organize, you enjoy some tax savings even though you need to notify the IRS for income tax reasons. You will ensure home business success because you will have to establish to yourself that you can succeed, hence you will be more driven to do so.

You can get more information on this from the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) publication MP25 about other business forms available. You can also seek further clarification by consulting an attorney.

Begin small, that is, begin with your own money. This is because you and your intent are still new and unproven so you might not remember for a loan or getting trusted investors.

Info, info info. Home business success is only doable with extensive research on your type of business. Visit your local library or book store and research information on the business that interests you.

Location, location, location. Find how the location of your home is zoned and what restrictions apply. Also reread your lease. Home business success here will depend on what your neighbors perceive so don’t upset them.

First things first. Before you begin anything decide on a business study and have it registered. This will keep your business study one-of-a-kind to you only.

See your business on paper first. Nothing ensures home business success like a well written business plan.  This plan covers all areas of the business. A good place to begin would be SBA publication #M925, The Business Plan for Home-based Business.

You need a number to refer you always. If you are alone you can use your Social Security number or Employee Identification Number (EIN) as the business number on official forms. However, when you grow and get employees or you change into a corporation, you must apply for an EIN. The IRS centre nearest you can supply you with Form SS-4 (Application for Employer Identification Number) for filling and later filing.

If you are planning to sell something, you need to find out whether you need to include income tax in the costing. Call your local tax bureau to explain the procedure on acquiring a income tax permit.

All cities and counties have their own regulations on obtaining the necessary license or permit to operate your kind of business. Consult City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce for this very important information.

How do you want people to see you? Good, of course. A graphic designer or a creative printer can make you look good on your business stationery, like cards, brochures and other business stationery. You can only ensure home business success if your first impressions last.

Separate your business money by shopping around for a checking statement with good and flexible services. A place to begin is at your local bank. Also find out about credit card services so that you can make buying from you simple for your customers. If the business can't have its own credit card then you need to set aside a individualized credit card for the business only. You can track your income and expenses this way to ensure home business success. Convenient buying procedures for your customers will accelerate your journey to home business success.

Records, records, records. Home business success will not materialize unless you keep meticulous records. You can begin manually with efficient records for record-keeping to track income and expenses, travel and mileage, correspondences, invoices, suppliers, clients etc. You will only reach home business success to the level that you keep your work records. Learn important information on record keeping from IRS publication # 583 Information for business tax payers.

The huge bad wolf. Familiarize yourself with the entire IRS stipulation for operating your business. You can actually save some money when using your home for business purposes by consulting IRS publication #587 Business Use of the Home. Other important forms are ;

Schedule SE (compensation of Social Security Self Employment Tax)

Schedule 104 ES (estimated Tax for Individuals)

You might need to file these when the time comes. Keep the IRS happy and your own home business success is assured.

Begin with the basics. List all the things you need to begin the business and then shop for affordable places to get them e.g. garage sales, classified ads etc. Beware of overspending here.

Are you reachable at all times? You can use your own individualized phone but the ideal is to get a separate phone line for the business. The intent is to track business call expenses. Have an answering organisation working when you are away. If your prospective customers can reach you at all times, they will assure your home business success, because you can respond to queries faster and stay ahead of competition.

Get a post office box to make your business look more official. Find out the rates especially bulk rates if you are doing bulk mail deliveries.  For packages, United Parcel Service (UPS) is cheaper than the Post Office.

How much liability can your home business take? Check with your homeowners’ insurance agent for a rider on your existing policy. You need to have sufficient individualized and product liability insurance. Shop around for the ideal deal.  You can save money on medical insurance by joining an associations’ group plan e.g. The National Association for the self employed on 800-527-5504. A home business success story can become a unsuccessful statistic because of inadequate coverage during the difficult times.

Clean up and shape up. Have a garage understanding and clear all accumulated clutter. Have a family meeting and organize the team so that the home keeps running efficiently while you work. Have a note book to record all your regular tasks. The most important ingredient for home business success is a work schedule that is disciplined and result oriented.

Home business success is achievable and the journey enjoyable because you are doing the work you love and making money as a consequence. 

In days gone by the tasks of the accountant was to wage tax advice and assist with compliance issues, however the role of the business accountant has now changed to encompass much more general business tasks, and accountants are now all round business advisers with many firms of accountants actively marketing themselves as such.

This diversification in to the more general business tasks doesn’t mean that accountants no longer wage tax advice and assistance with compliance issues since this is considered the “bread and butter” work, and to stop doing this would probably see many firms of accountants fail. This diversification means that your business accountant can now add value to your business and assist you in the day to day running of the business, assist in driving the business forward and helping with all aspects of the financial management aspects whilst helping you out with the year end compliance task and tax advice.

So what value added services do many accountants now offer that can assist your business? The amount of services is likely to vary even though favourite ones include;

i) Assisting in the preparation of management accounts

The financials are an important aspect of running a business and up to date and regular information on how the business is performing, i.e. a profit and loss account, and a regular statement of the financial position of the business, i.e. a equilibrise sheet, is a useful tool in analysing the financials of the business. Management accounts are also used by banks and external financiers in deciding the creditworthiness and credit risk of a business when deciding to advance cash or extend overdrafts. Your accountant should be healthy to prepare accurate monthly, or even fortnightly, management accounts.

ii) Preparing cash flow forecasts

Cash is the life blood of the business and cash management is important to ensure the business survives. It is important to refer and predict times of too much cash and too tiny cash so plans can be place in place to ensure the business can pay its debts as they begin due. An accountant should be healthy to prepare cash flow forecasts and budgets to refer the peaks and troughs in cash levels enabling you to place in the necessary plans to get more cash, e.g. an extended over draft, for those times when a cash deficit is projected and save cash, e.g. in an overnight deposit account, for those times when a cash surplus is projected.

iii) Preparing budgets

In addition to projecting cash flows projected profit and loss accounts and equilibrise sheets are a useful tool to control the business. By comparing actual results to projected results, i.e. carrying out variance analysis, it is doable to see where expenses are too high or too low and amend the business activity accordingly. An accountant should be healthy to assist in preparing budgets to grant this variance analysis to happen.

iv) The supplying of payroll services

Managing the payroll can be a difficult task and knowledge and experience of payroll and taxes is important. Some businesses do not have the resources and employees with the requisite skills to run the payroll in house. Many accountants offer a payroll service for their clients, the cost of which is often more beneficial than employing a full time mortal whose duty it is to prepare the business’ payroll function.

v) Company secretarial services

A company secretary plays an important role and there are many different types of forms, certificates and other documentation that requires filing within specific deadlines. Company law can be quite complex and with changes in laws it is important to be abreast of the changes to ensure your business doesn’t begin foul of any filing requirements. Many accountants offer company secretarial services so you don’t have to keep up with the changes in company law allowing you to concentrate on running your business.

vi) The supplying of corporate finance services

Corporate finance is a specialist and wide encompassing area and it activities include things like fundraising, preparing cash flow forecasts, buying businesses, selling businesses and valuing businesses amongst much more. Many accountants offer this service therefore if you are looking to purchase or sell a business, raise some money etc. an accountant should be healthy to assist you with this.

vii) The supplying of insolvency services

Insolvency is another highly specialised area that many accountants offer. If your business is struggling and looking to set up an agreement with creditors to pay them off over a number of years, set up a CVA or commence the liquidation of your business an accountant should be healthy to assist you with this.

Accountants now offer a whole range of services many of which might or might not be of use to your business. Some people are more sophisticated than others when it comes to financial aspects and are more than capable of preparing their own budgets, forecasts and management accounts, whereas some people would not know where to start. It is these people that have the most to acquire from the accountants shift to a business adviser.

Accountants are trying to become a larger part of their client’s business and by providing all these services, and on the supplying you take advantage of them, you are likely to have contact all year with your accountant and not just when the year-end accounts need preparing. This is a good thing as it will develop the working relationship with your accountant and you will find your accountant will be on hand to offer financial help and advice whenever you need it, which should add value and help you and your business develop.

More Business Articles

In today’s competitive market realities, a great business study is a key factor, particularly when it comes to small-business success. Choosing the right study for your business can make your venture really successful. On the other hand, a wrong study can make your business change overnight. To select a winning business study you have to place some serious thought to make sure your study can communicate to your target audience the know-how, value and exclusivity of your products or services.

Your business study is your brand

The first thing you should think about is that your business study is your brand. This means that your business study should be strongly associated to your products or services as well as to your business reputation. It should be distinctive and trusty so that consumers automatically refer your business as a promise that can meet their wants and satisfy their needs.

Your business study is your products or services

When choosing a business study you have to think that like a customer. What would be the first thing you would like to comprehend from a business name? Obviously what the business is about. There international brand obloquy like Nike, Lexus or Apple that have already become legends in their field and are instantly recognizable by consumers around the globe, but when it comes to small businesses a business study should give potential customers an intent about what you actually sell. If you are a real estate business, you have to include the word “real estate” in your business name. If you sell CDs, you have to include the word “CD” in your business name. If your own a pet shop, by all means include “pet shop” in your business name.

Your business study is your positive image

A strong business study is basically a projection of a company’s image and culture. Consumers enter into a purchase decision with certain expectations and satisfaction is the anticipated outcome. Their expectations are shaped based on past buying experience; what they believe about the brand; what their friends and social network believes about the brand (word of mouth advertising); how the brand advertises and promotes its products or services; competitive offers; and price. Therefore, a wining business study has to project a positive customer purchase experience, positive customer perceptions, and positive consumer behavior response.

Know your target market

If you sell baby products, you have to come up with a business study that addresses the needs of babies. If you sell vacuum cleaners you have to come up with a relevant study that addresses the needs of consumers that are interested in buying vacuum cleaners. If you sell travel services, you have to address the needs of consumers who travel often during the year. However, no matter what product or service you sell, you have to know your target market. How many people travel; to what destinations; how much money they spend; How many people purchase vacuum cleaners each year in the U.S. and especially in the Say that your business operates; who are your competitors; how many babies are born each year; All these questions shape the image about your target market and you have to have a clear intent about your target audience because you want these people to become your potential customers.

Know your promise   

Choosing a strong business study primarily requires determining what you want to promise to consumers. This involves creating a suitable advertising and promotional plan to convey your marketing message to consumers. By consciously creating consumer expectations, which you are healthy to constantly meet in each single interaction, you can shape customer experience in order to assess, both qualitatively and quantitatively, how effectively you deliver on your promises.

Make it short and memorable

After you have followed all above rules, make sure your business study is short and memorable. Consumers dislike long business obloquy because they can't memorize them, they confuse them and they can certainly find a competitive firm that can satisfy their needs. The U.S. market is large and their room for everyone; especially for those ventures that know their business and know what their customers need. Therefore, make sure to select a business study that is short and by no means forgettable.

In conclusion, your business study can cost you millions of dollars, so do not make a spur of the moment creation. On the contrary, make it a result of considerate thought and serious brainstorming. Remember that your business study should reflect your business activity because it is the first contact that consumers have with your business. Moreover, it is what consumers use to speak about your business to their social circles. Therefore, select a business study that can open a door for great income for your venture.

Nowadays it has become easier for companies to sort out their priorities because there are many types of tools that can help them process everything faster. At present you can use software to collect data, organize your business, manage your list of clients and keep all your files innocuous from destruction. No matter what type of business you are managing, there are specific tools and service providers that can help you succeed both in the short and long term. The document management from Iron Mountain, for example, can wage you with all the vital things you need in order to survive and flourish in business.

Certainly you can benefit in so many ways if you hire the service of document management from Iron Mountain. First of all, you will no longer be using a lot of paper. This means you will be operating a paperless office since all your files are kept in electronic format. By eliminating the use of paper, you can certainly reduce your costs as well.

At the same time, storage of documents can be done in a more appropriate manner since it is easier to hold files using the electronic format. Once you keyed in information, it will stay there and the good news is it would be very simple to retrieve. All in all, using the service of document management from Iron Mountain will help you run your business with less hassles, so why not give it a try.