Marketing Businesses Online: Tips from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development

Do you ever wonder why your business isn't showing up where you want it to in Google search results?

Representatives of one Baltimore County business group explains how it got the search engine results it wants.

Perry Hall/ White Marsh Business Association president Lynn Richardson said she was a little embarrassed when her business website didn't register on the first two pages of Google search results. 

Richardson made the unfortunate discovery while attending the Google-sponsored Local U: Baltimore conference recently at the Hilton Garden Inn in White Marsh. 

"What happens to us small businesses is ... how your business is listed affects how it turns up online," Richardson said. "Your information might not be listed like you think." 

She explained how over the course of many years business owners may create websites or digital footprints using different identifiers, such as shortening "Service" to "Svc."

Her first tip to the group: "Keep it consistent." 

She pointed to the website GetListed.org, which provides business owners a snapshot of how easily search-able their business is across commonly used search engines. Richardson's score was below 50 percent. 

She said she discovered her 30-year-old business had been listed six different ways across Google, Bing, Yelp and Foursquare among other search engines. 

Following the seminar, Richardson said she spent about an hour and a half tracking down all of her online listings, syncing and sprucing content along the way. Her score as of Tuesday rose to over 60 percent. 

"You can impact how people see you other there," Richardson said. 

Former Perry Hall Patch editor Emily Kimball also attended the Local U conference for the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. In her new position as senior digital news editor at the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, she created 10 online marketing tips for businesses. 

Among her tips, Kimball encouraged readers to blog, use social media, be proactive about online reviews and, like Richardson, make your business information consistent across all platforms—all of which you can get started on Patch. 

If you own a business in Catonsville, peruse our comprehensive Patch Directory and claim your listing. Once you claim your business, you will be able to: 

• Start a blog, answering questions in your field of expertise. 
• Push for positive reviews, and answer negative ones. 
• Add events to our calendar. 
• Update your information. 
• Post new photographs or videos.
  All businesses large and small, should also be proactive on social media sites. Not up on the latest social media trends? Follow Catonsville Patch on Facebook and Twitter, and we'll show you how it's done.