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Keeping track of all of the things to remember when moving a business is virtually impossible without good organization and thorough planning. But even in the planning process, it is easy to forget things that may seem minor, yet are actually important to the continued success of your business. Updating your business information online is one of them.

Make Updating Your “NAP” Online a Priority

As you begin the planning process for your relocation and create your custom checklist of things to do, make updating your business contact information online a priority. Every company today should ensure their correct “NAP” (name, address and phone number) is available for anyone searching online to find. It is simply a good business practice.

Why Local Searches are Important to Your Business

A majority of the population no longer uses the Yellow Pages phone book to find an address or phone number for a business. The once necessary phone directory is not even delivered to most doorsteps anymore. However, each month about 80 million people turn to the rebranded YP.com and YP app, according to a corporate fact sheet. And, 4 in 5 consumers use search engines to find business locations, directions, hours and product availability.

If a potential client searches for directions to your company while driving, make sure information found is accurate.For local businesses depending on search engines to send traffic (potential customers), accurate and consistent NAP listings throughout the Internet is vital for success. That means if your company website lists “Law Firm of Smith and Jones, 123 Address Road, Suite 456, San Diego, California, 92104-1234” don't list “Smith and Jones Law Firm, 123 Address Rd, Los Angeles CA 92104” elsewhere. Be consistent.

Where to Update Your Business Contact Information

Before updating your listings, determine how you will present the information for consistency, and then create a spreadsheet with a list of places where you need to update your NAP listing. When updating one of the places online, make a note of it in your spreadsheet. Add another note when you see the update is live.

Your website, email signatures, social network accounts and local business profile in Google My Business top the list. If you haven't already claimed/ set up and verified your Google local profile, this provides a good opportunity. If you use paid search campaigns, you will need to update those as well.

You also need to update your NAP in the four primary sources of data for search engines: Localeze, Infogroup, Acxiom, and Factual. It will take time for the data to update, so go ahead and update/add your information online at Bing Places for Business, Yelp, BBB, Yellowpages, Superpages and your local Chamber of Commerce, plus any other places your NAP is found. Always search for your business to find any existing profiles at each site before adding a new one to prevent duplicate profiles with inconsistent information.

Use the tools at Moz Local, Yext and Whitespark to perform a free search and see how your business appears online. Search your business name in Google and Bing to see which additional sites include your business profile. Perform the same searches and go through the updating process two-three months after the move and every few months thereafter until your NAP is accurate and consistent everywhere you check.

Updating the information is time-consuming, but a necessary step to ensuring your business presents accurate information online.

Other Things to Remember When Moving

Among other things to remember when moving your business is the opportunity a relocation presents to reach out to previous as well as current customers. Send out a newsletter to everyone on your e-mail lists informing them about the move. Include directions to your new location, along with any details you want to share. If the reason for the move is positive, such as expansion of your business, share the good news.

You can also post about the move on your social networks. Post photos and updates throughout the process. Make your move an exciting event, one that helps promote your business in its new location.

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