Adding your free listing to our small business directory

• By B H Hub
• May 27, 2024May 27, 2024
• education food learning marketing restaurants retail shopping small business technology
• With 1 comment

Bertie-Hertford Business Hub: Connecting local businesses with consumers.

Have you seen the Bertie-Hertford Business Hub and wondered how to take advantage of our free business listings? We have received a handful of support emails about how to add businesses to our small business directory. That feedback makes it apparent that we need to provide some guidance to the online community of business owners trying to claim listings.

Our apologies! We will give you the resources to set up a free local listing for your Bertie or Hertford County business.

The Need for a Local Business Directory

If you are just hearing about the Bertie-Hertford Business Hub (BHBH) for the first time, let us explain our mission. We are a local grassroots effort. We are business owners who know other small businesses’ struggles appearing in the local search results.

Consumers are not aware of your local business

We recognize that too many small business owners lack visibility for competition, so interested consumers look elsewhere. While consumers spend their money in Virginia, Greenville, or Raleigh, many local services or retailers are left without any way to highlight their businesses.

The lack of reliable internet has left local businesses without the tools for success

Another challenge is that many local businesses don’t have websites. For many local companies, broadband internet is still just a wish. Thus, some lack the tech know-how to make their business listings appear on Google or other resources.

Poorly done online directories won’t be SEO-friendly

At BHBH, we continuously work on local SEO (search engine optimization), so you don’t have to. Skipping optimization creates an echo chamber effect – you can scream your business name to the world. But if the top search engines ignore you, your message will not reach anyone. We have put a lot of effort into ensuring compliance with all of Google’s stringent rules to ensure our pages index.

The Small Business Administration admits small businesses drive employment

Small local businesses are key to any region’s economic development. The Small Business Administration noted that small businesses employ about 46.4% of private sector employees.That means about 33,185,550 people have jobs because of our efforts. We matter!

Benefits of Free Business Listings

Local free business listing directories are like the old-school Yellow Pages of the digital age—accessible and free. However, a digital directory means information is constantly updated and enhanced with features like customer reviews and SEO benefits. And those are just things the old Yellow Pages or phone directories could never accomplish.

Adding a small business listing to the Bertie-Hertford Business Hub offers local professionals the chance to list their businesses and reap these rewards:

Search engine optimization, with an eye toward Google local SEO

We mentioned it earlier, but local SEO is a really big deal if you want to succeed. Most small local businesses don’t have the time, money, or know-how to drive their businesses to the top of the search engines. We are committed to keeping local SEO at the top of our priority list as we grow this business marketing management website.

Improved visibility brings local traffic and leads to your company

Your free listing allows you to publish all the information potential customers want to know about you. You can also copy and paste all your social media information into your free listing so that these valuable prospects have multiple ways to contact you.

Some local companies don’t have a small business website

Some businesses in our area received broadband internet connectivity so late that they had become accustomed to using only social media platforms. However, using only social media can be a big mistake.

The office tech for many local businesses in our area is outdated, with owners who would love an expanded internet presence but have no training in setting up such sites.

Directories can be a good starting point. That said, we still encourage you to set up your own dedicated website!

Cost-effective advertising for women-owned and minority-owned businesses

Women-owned and minority-owned businesses have historically lacked access to funding and opportunities.

Management of these organizations often sacrifices marketing and advertising dollars. The lights need to be on, the rent needs to be paid, and the employee payroll needs to be made—but small businesses can’t thrive without good consumer awareness established. Giving up that marketing budget can send women- or minority-owned businesses into a tailspin.

To be clear, this business directory is open to all businesses located in Bertie or Hertford Counties.

Business Listing Categories You May Submit

Let’s start our “how to” information by explaining the local business categories we’ll accept. We cater to almost every business type, but we classify listings into the following criteria:

Accommodations or overnight travel business listings

Although we have few of these in the area, we felt including accommodations for overnight stays would be important. These include motels, bed and breakfasts, inns, and Airbnb rentals.

Agriculture and farming industry

Agriculture plays such an important role in our region. Agro-tourism is a growing part of local economic development efforts. If you have a small farm or ag-related business, please feel free to list it in this category.

Arts & entertainment business enterprises

These listings can include local artists, cultural centers, and efforts to expand the arts in Bertie or Hertford Counties.

Community & nonprofit organizations (vital to each small City in our area)

Nonprofit organizations and community grassroots efforts are essential services to our rural community. Any non-profit or community org that offers services within Bertie or Hertford County may add their business information to our local directory.

Education and training resources

Educational-related businesses, including private and public schools and adult education centers, may market their services. This category also includes other resources, such as the Albemarle Regional Library System.

Faith organizations qualify for a free listing

We support all faith organizations adding their listings to the faith section. Be sure to include service times and update often to mention any special announcements.

Food and beverage

Add your restaurant, bakery, cafe, or food-related company to our website. If you have special events coming up, be sure to update your listing often and mention those dates.

Health and well-being

We may be rural, but we still have access to some medical care. Finding a local doctor’s or dental office accepting new patients can be hard.

In addition to doctors, you can add your pharmacy, home health agency, nursing home, or fitness center. We seek to have every local medical office and related industries join our list.

Local attractions (historical sites or recreational spots to visit)

Bertie and Hertford Economic Development offices are working hard to expand tourism to the area. If you are on the board of any important local attraction, please consider adding us or email us to have your listing added.

Retail and shopping

We have spoken with many who manage local retail companies and hear frequent concerns about a lack of awareness. A free local business listing helps boost visibility to those who live in your town or city and has a broader reach in the Bertie-Hertford County area.

Professional or personal services

This is your section if you are a local professional or personal service provider. Everyone from home contractors or roofing services to attorneys can list their services.

Safety Is a Priority: A Few Listings Do Not Qualify for the Bertie-Hertford Business Hub’s Directory

We support small business development. However, we have chosen to exclude listings for businesses that can lead to declines in mental health.

We will not approve listings that meet the following criteria: Vaping, smoking, marijuana, CBD, gambling, sports betting, escorts, or any other businesses that could lead to compulsive or harmful behaviors.

Setting up Your Local Business Listing on the BHBH Website

After discussing the best category descriptions for your business, let’s look at adding your company or organization to the directory to attract customers or clients.

These steps are very easy and don’t require advanced technical skills.

Note that I took these business directory screenshots from my phone. While they may appear slightly different on a PC or tablet, the resources are similarly positioned.

1 – Sign on or register

Why do we require a sign on or the first-time user registration? We know – it can be frustrating.

But if you look around the internet at some of the local directories, they are full of spammers and scammers from out of area and abroad. This step deters most who intend to access the website for fraudulent reasons. Plus, it allows us to delete anyone who abuses the system and protects the integrity of listings.

On a positive note, your user registration means that you can update your business information on the website whenever you make changes. Move? No problem just update the address. Changed business hours? Ditto.

We have installed security measures to protect your data. We do not sell or share your data.

2 – Click the “add listing” button to create your local business listing

Once you register or sign in, you will search for the “add listing” button at the top right-hand side of the screen. Click once to open the listing resources.

3 – Choose the free basic package option

Our business listings are free; you will not pay a dime. However, the site’s framework considers a listing a “product.” This structure will allow us to add additional offerings very soon and will differentiate free business directory listings from the job or career listings that will soon follow. Adding this and “checking out” only takes a second, and you will not need to pay for the listing.

Select the basic package, then scroll down and confirm by pressing the “submit listing” button (just below it).

This step, like the registration, also protects against spammy websites or malicious data from taking over this site.

4 – Complete your business directory listing information

The add listing form will open up, allowing you to complete all the information you need to share with consumers or visitors.

Complete as much information on the form that opens up as possible to get the most views sent your way from Google. Here are tips for filling in the local business listing form, section by section:

Basic information

• Listing title – that’s your business name. Double check the spelling of your business name to ensure it’s free of typos.
• Upload your logo (if you have one). After you publish, this will appear prominently.
• Choose the category, as we discussed earlier. If you’re a service provider, you can further break it down into “personal services,” or “business services,” depending on your clientele.
• Tell us your business keywords, or words you think customers are most likely to search in Google. If you have more than one word, separate them with commas.

Location information (City, state, zip, mapping data)

• Add your physical street address and city if you serve customers at your location.
  Add map points so people can navigate to you. The map triggers from longitude/latitude data not by your address; you can get these from Google Maps. Don’t sweat this – if we see you have struggled with making your address show up on the map, we will fix it before we approve the post.

Photo gallery, using images to showcase small businesses

• Add a photo gallery because, as the adage says, a picture is worth a thousand words.
• Upload your images and drop and drag them to change the order.

Details section

• Fill in your company story or share insights about your industry. Tell when you were established, share notable achievements or awards, and share information about your management or mission statement. For instance, if you had wild success and had to move to a larger office, don’t be bashful about that – share it in a compelling but still humble way that will instill customer confidence. The more compelling the story, the more likely someone will contact you to do business.
• Have a business YouTube channel? Add any YouTube video URL that might intrigue shoppers browsing the directory.
• Add an accurate phone number, website, email, and social media site data. You establish multiple ways for customers to contact you.

Share your business hours

• The “opening hours” section allows you to set your opening and closing times. This section is a mini business website, telling the world when they can visit you.

Pricing and booking services

• You can enable the pricing and booking sections if you are a service provider. You can set your availability, and the system will contact you when someone books.

Preview the business directory listing and finalize the “order”

• At the bottom of the form, click the “preview” button. You can make changes or proceed to complete “checkout,” which…again…is free.

Final approval of your local business listing

• From there, we will approve your listing and perform SEO tweaks (which may make some minor changes to enhance user search functionality).

Small, Rural Businesses Can Compete With City Businesses Using Technology

Small businesses in rural communities like Bertie and Hertford Counties may not have a large population like businesses in a city. But what we do have are committed communities of well-established business owners who support the development of other small businesses to help grow our economy.

We can use technology to tap into those city market areas and stop sending local customers away in search of your products or service. This business directory hopes to help close that gap.

List Your Business in the BHBH Small Business Directory Today

Some directory sites allow vendors from all over the country or even the world list a business. But Bertie-Hertford Business Hub has a laser focus on businesses with an office or location in either Bertie or Hertford County, North Carolina.

Our office is located in Bertie County. We believe in doing business locally to help build a healthier local economy.

We encourage you to take advantage of your free directory opportunity to help attract shoppers to your business. Businesses with a presence on multiple, well-optimized sites increase their chances of success.

If you have any questions or need additional assistance entering your business information in the directory, please email us for help at bhhub@protonmail.com. But please be patient, we are grassroots and only check for emails about once per day.