There are a lot of local business listings out there—ThinkLocal®, Yahoo!® Local, and YellowPages.com™ are just a few. Thanks to these online business directories, it’s easy for your clients to find information on your business, which is great. But sometimes the information that is gathered by local directories is incorrect or outdated, which in no way benefits your business. Fixing this situation is easy, however, by simply taking control of your listings.

Take the time to look up your business on some of the top local search engines (click here for the top 5). By taking ownership of your listings, you can take control of what searchers find. In addition to changing or updating existing information, you can also add a link to your website, a description of services offered, your business hours, an email address at where you can be reached, and much more. We suggest taking ownership of your listings at the top 5 directories first, then expanding to the rest when you find time.

Have you updated your ThinkLocal® listing lately? It’s a good idea to keep your online business listings as up-to-date as possible. If you add or change your business’ phone number, make sure this is reflected in your online listings—you want your customers to be able to reach you quickly and easily, without having to search for the correct number.  Does your business have multiple locations? Be sure to create listings for each so that all locations show up in local searches. If the online business directory offers a description field, fill it out and include any promotions or special offers that are currently going on. Your business listing can drive a lot of traffic to your Web site; if there’s a particular page you’d especially like your customers to see, use that as your business URL instead of directing traffic toward your home page.

The best thing about local search directories and online business listings is that most of them are 100% free. Take advantage of this cost-effective way to spread your online presence, and optimize your listing as often as you can.

Happy Earth Day! Here at ThinkLocal®, we would like to encourage all of you to take a few minutes to think about some of the ways in which we can help our planet. “Going green” seems to be all the rage these days, and it’s about time—helping our environment is far from being a new concept. Here are a few things that you can do to help our planet:

*Use reusable tote bags when you go shopping. This reduces both the amount of toxins that are released into the air during plastic production and the amount of plastic bags that end up in landfills.

*Recycle everything that you can, including plastic, glass, paper, and aluminum.

*Limit the amount of water that you use. Taking shorter showers (you’ll save even more water if you switch to taking baths), turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth, and collecting rain water for watering plants are just some of the ways you can save water.

*Reduce the amount of disposable cups, bottles, plates, and utensils you use. Since single-person place settings are cheap and easy to find, they’re perfect for leaving at the office. And instead of buying bottled water, invest in a water filtering system and a reusable bottle. You’ll save money AND our natural resources.

If you’d like to participate in Earth Day events in your local community, check out EarthDay.net. You’ll also find resources that provide more information on living a green, eco-friendly lifestyle.

It seems like every time you turn on the news, the main topic of discussion is the failing economy. Keeping a positive outlook on your business’s future can be challenging, especially when a word like “recession” is liberally thrown around. But a challenge is good for creative thinking; in fact, challenges are often what bring around the best, most revolutionary changes.

Over at ClickZ.com, Christine Beardsell posted an article that discusses a way for businesses to overcome the challenge of expensive, traditional advertising. In “Online Videos Ads Are a Good Bet in a Recession,” Beardsell argues that online advertising, including online video ads, is both less expensive and more effective than traditional advertising since online ads can be monitored and optimized quickly. Since most product research is now conducted online, advertising online is the sure way to reach your target audience.

To read Beardsell’s complete article, visit http://www.clickz.com/3631078.

On April 30, Network Solutions® is hosting a free webinar that will help small business owners learn how to overcome two of their biggest challenges. The GrowSmartBusiness Webinar will focus on capital access and marketing, the two areas that small businesses seem to struggle with the most. This webinar will discuss marketing strategies, tips on gaining access to startup capital, and other hints that will help you and your business find success. Featuring knowledgeable speakers from the business world, including Roy Dunbar, CEO of Network Solutions, and Anita Campbell, editor of Small Business Trends™, the GrowSmartBusiness Webinar promises to provide useful insight for small business owners and employees of all industries.

The GrowSmartWebinar is on Thursday, April 30, from 2-3pm ET. For more information and to register, visit http://GrowSmartBusiness.com/webinar.

If you haven’t physically placed any information about your business online, then chances are, your online visibility is practically nonexistent. Having online visibility will soon become a necessity – something you need to have if you want customers to walk through your door.

So, what are some things you can do to achieve online visibility?

1. Get a Web site.
A Web site gives you a Web presence and the ability to tell potential customers about your business and why you are better than the competition. On top of that, you can use it to tell consumers how to contact or locate your facility. Of course, if you want to ensure that your site will be seen by ideal prospects, you must promote your Web site using online marketing strategies, such as link building, search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising.

2. Blog about your industry.
Blogs seem more time-consuming then they really are. Blog articles are short and to the point, and you don’t have to be a professional writer to write them. You simply must have industry knowledge. You can post more than one blog article every day, but it’s also OK to post just two articles per week. You’ll get exposure either way.  It’s also a good idea to read other people’s blogs and add your comments, along with your URL, of course. This will help you gain even more exposure.

3. Join social networking sites.
Sites like Twitter™ and Facebook® allow you to connect with your target market, showcase your expertise and provide information about your business. Many businesses have also begun to use them as customer service tools.

4. Take ownership of as many online business listings as you can (They’re FREE!).
Online business directories are like the new yellow pages. However, they cost you nothing and they give you more exposure. In fact, studies have shown that today’s consumers regularly use online directories and prefer them to paperbound directories. Therefore, if you aren’t listed, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to reach your target audience.

According to the Small Business Success Index,* “if you are between 35 and 54, you are likely to experience the greatest challenges running a highly competitive business.” I was rather surprised to read this finding since I’ve always thought this age group was comprised of experienced professionals who were well-versed in the latest trends.

Why do you think running a highly competitive business is so difficult for this age group? Is it personal? If you are between the age of 35 and 54, I’d love to hear your take.

*The Small Business Success Index, an ongoing measurement of the overall health of U.S. small businesses, was commissioned by Network Solutions, LLC and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.  To take the survey yourself, click here.

One of the most thrilling milestones a business owner can meet is reaching the point where expansion is an absolute necessity. After all, a growing business is a successful business-and what screams “success” louder than an increase in customers? For many small businesses, expanding means hiring more employees to fulfill their customers’ demands. And for some, expanding means moving to a larger office or opening up a second location.

According to the Small Business Success Index, an ongoing study conducted by Network Solutions, LLC, and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, “Businesses with multiple locations are more slightly likely to be competitive.” This finding supports some of the general rules of the small business world. It makes sense that a business with multiple locations is competitive; for one, businesses need to be competitive to succeed, and growth is one way to measure a business’s success. Businesses that know how to compete are going to have an easier time at finding success.

One of the best ways to get the word out about additional business locations is through advertising. Be sure that all advertisements list the information for each location if possible, and include each location in online business listing directories. At ThinkLocal®, it’s easy to set up and manage online listings for each of your business’s locations. Just head over to http://wwww.ThinkLocal.com and provide information for all of your business’s locations.

*The Small Business Success Index, an ongoing measurement of the overall health of U.S. small businesses, was commissioned by Network Solutions, LLC and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.  To take the survey yourself, click here.

Here at  ThinkLocal®, we’re always curious as to how our readers gather information about and from their local community. Today, we’d like to hear your commnets on local classified ads. Do you use classified ads? If so, do you primarily use them to find things you’re interested in purchasing, or do you use them to sell goods or offer services? Do you prefer to search and post classified ads in your local newspaper, or do you take advantage of online sources like Craiglist and Oodle? At ThinkLocal.com, we’re interested in all things local; any information you can share about your use of local classifieds is greatly appreciated.

Doesn’t it seem like everyone has a mobile phone these days? And doesn’t it seem like every week we hear about new, more capable, more advanced phones? Mobile phones have changed the way we conduct our day-to-day lives. No longer are they simply the way we make calls away from home; today’s mobile phones even allow us to conduct business through our phones.

Over at SearchEngineWatch.com, Michael Boland recently posted an article on the future of mobile phones and local search. “Getting Closer to Mobile Local Search’s Day“ describes how today’s Internet-capable mobile phones are changing local search. The amount of Americans accessing local search through their phones is constantly increasing, proving that the appeal of on-the-go convenience is really starting to spread.

To take advantage of the increasing popularity of mobile local search, be sure to set up an online business listing for your business. Many local search engines, like ThinkLocal®, have mobile-specific pages that make accessing them with a phone even easier.