There are many businesses in Bath. If you ask what types of business do you associate with the City of Bath, most people would probably say tourism or shopping.
It is true Bath does have a very vibrant retail sector. However, did you also know that the beautiful City of Bath also is the home for many other businesses? Many of which are unique to this area.
But where does one find these businesses? What if I am looking for something a bit more out the ordinary, such as a stone mason or a parent coach? What if I want to do some market research on bath to discover the level of competitors for a business venture of my own? 
Well fear not, as help is at hand in the form of the Online Business Directory. That’s right a directory which you can access online through Google, Yahoo, Bing, Firefox, Google Chrome etc. etc. An online directory which will point you in the right direction for all manner of businesses in Bath. 
There are traders galore, retailers and market traders in abundance, professionals in the building trade including plasterers, electricians, plumbers, roofers, scaffolder’s, architects and surveyor’s. Finding sports trainers, martial arts experts, hypnotherapists, accountants, hairdressers, beauty therapists just couldn't be any easier.Where are all these trades, businesses and professional services to be found? Well Bath and Bristol Business Web of course. And not just that, there are Business Webs specifically targeted to Trowbridge, Chippenham, Calne, Warminster, Frome and covering all surrounding towns and villages in the local area.
Online directories in Bath and the South West have taken over from some of the more traditional ways to market and advertise a business. Not to suggest that those traditional ways are no longer relevant. Far from it because at Bath Business Web we recognise that all business need a wider approach to their marketing strategy. 
That means using a variety of sources and mediums to advertise and promote your business. The online directory is specific to online users and websites. The secret is knowing how an online directory can help your business, and in particular any online presence. Many businesses do have a website. It is true however, that
many do not and until they do will not appreciate the benefits
it can bring.
So what are the benefits to an online directory? Well listing
your business on an online directory will help what we call
the search engine optimisation (SEO), of your website. That is a search engines ability (search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, Firefox etc.), to match your website to the keywords a customer would be typing when the search for something they want or need on the internet. If they were searching for a Hypnotherapist in Bath, then ‘hypnotherapist’ and ‘Bath’ are the keywords they are using. The likes of Google and Yahoo will recognise those words if
a Bath hypnotherapist is using them to describe or promote their business within the text of their website.
On recognising these words the search engine then determines the strength of presence which that particular website has online. The search engine does this in a multitude of ways and one of them is by recognising how well liked or supported a website is. One way they measure this is by identifying which websites are linked to another website, which in turn is linked back to that website.
By doing this linking from one website to another a search engine will read this online behaviour as two websites which
favour the other, giving each credibility and a higher status.
The more links you can create for your website the higher that status becomes. When a potential customer goes on a search they are just as likely to see local directories as they are individual business websites.
These local directories such as bathbusinessweb.co.uk reinforce the keywords and they also create 'links' or ‘backlinks’ to your website. Basically it is how you link to another site or how another site links back to your site.
This can be done in a number of ways. Your site may already link up with the professional body to which you belong. They too may then link back to you.
A business directory will link to you and because of the nature of directories having many websites they link to, this in turn gives further strength and presence to the directory you are using. This then improves and strengthens your ability to advertise and market your business online.
For local business in Bath and the South West you need to be in as many places online as you can financially afford. Bath Business Web Ltd - Directory
Even the construction and maintenance costs of a website are incredibly good value for money if you spread that cost over time. Some advertising mediums are free, such as Google Places. Reputable online directories such as bathbusinessweb.co.uk are very reasonable considering the benefits your website receives from the many hundreds of backlinks that this directory and its sister directories around the South West, offer your website.
Warning
Good businessmen and businesswomen of the South West, I want you to pay attention because this is very important. The prime search engine Google, recognises the difference between good and bad links. You can land up placing your website details on a poor quality directory with poor or bad backlinks which could be detrimental to your SEO. It has been common practice amongst many SEO companies to sell 100’s of directory listings and as many backlinks. All of this can sound very impressive and customers are often drawn in by the overwhelming numbers involved. Have you never heard the saying, ‘less is more’? In this case we are talking quality, not quantity.
Often these companies use automated software programs which can result in poor quality sites and poor quality listings. Google will see that and respond accordingly. That’s because there are links which are better than others or links which are not useful or can decrease the visibility of a website. Google will recognise these and penalise you if you have links to them. Links are a necessary part of your online marketing strategy to get your website up those search engine rankings. So this is where good sound professional advice and support comes in.
What an online directory and good backlinks do is:
1. Send valuable traffic (visitors) to your website
2. Inform the search engines that your website is one that is commanding
How an online directory helps you:
- Increase your website’s exposure to a larger demographic
- Increase the number of people who are able to find your business, its products and services
- Enable potential customers looking specifically for something you offer through the use of keywords go straight to your website
- Exposes your business to another pillar of marketing and advertising, as wise business owners have an array of marketing outlets
- Potential customers can access an online directory anywhere, anytime. Whether that’s from home, work, on holiday, from anywhere in the world
A reputable online directory will add legitimacy and credence to your website and add value to your marketing campaign
When consumers use an online directory their perception will be that the businesses listed are professional and recommended.
The SEO of your website will benefit as the directory will create an effective inbound link which will help increase our page ranking on search engines.
Online directories, unlike a paper directory, do not just sit on a shelf at home or in the office. They are accessible by people all the time and at no inconvenience whatsoever. No need for extra storage space in the rucksack or handbag. It’s all in a mobile or tablet. And who hasn’t got one of those?
Remember in days gone by potential customers only had paper directories to look up local business. It was often a laborious task and sometimes very frustrating when you’re looking up a local taxi firm and in the book they are listed under mini cabs. Then trawling your way through the small print, large adverts, smaller adverts and not one of them giving much more information than a name and number.
Well those days are still here, except now we also have online directories which help you go straight to what you need. They display the information and direct online booking procedures not possible with a Yellow Pages or other paper directories.
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So business people of Bath, Bristol and the South West make sure you are not missing out and if you have a website take a look at your local business directory and if you don’t have a website, then get real and get one built.
Bingham
Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd Your local Internet Marketing Specialist, Business Directory and Website Design Company
Call for a free consultation and find out more about how you can help your business grow
01225 920 503
http://www.bathbusinessweb.co.uk/http://www.bathbusinessweb.co.uk/
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