You’re ready to start your business, and you know that you need to be online so that customers can find you. But where do you start?
In New Zealand there are approximately 530,000 small businesses, making up 97% of all businesses in the country? With so many businesses out there, it's important that you consistently manage your own business name online so that you can be found easily.
In this blog, we cover off everything you need to know about registering your business name online, how to manage it across the web, and why keeping your online presence cohesive can help your business grow.
How do I register my business online?
1) Name your business
The first step in bringing your business to life is to give it a name! Choosing the right name is hugely important, and the name needs to be memorable, unique, and tell people what you do. For more information on choosing a name for your business, click here.
You might have dreamed up the perfect name, but you’ll still need to check that another business isn’t already using it. To check if your business name is available, use the ONECheck tool.
2) Register with the Companies Office
Before you start your company, there are lots of things you need to think about and decide. You need to be aware of any records you need to keep, what you need to report to the Companies Office and when, and decide how you want to structure and operate your business.
The New Zealand Companies Register has a great help centre for anyone wanting to start a company, so check it out if you think there’s more for you to learn before you launch your business.
3) Get an NZBN
An NZBN is a New Zealand Business Number, and it’s a globally unique identifier available to every Kiwi business. Having an NZBN means that anyone you do business with or interact with can easily access details about your business if they want to work with you. As long as you keep your NZBN details up to date, anyone who looks you up on the NZBN register will find the right information. Find out more about the benefits of having an NZBN.
How do I manage my business name online?
1) Keep track of all the places your business is listed
There are so many different places to share your business details on the internet, so how do you know where you should be listing online? We’ve made things easy by pulling together a list of the 5 places that your business should be listed online:
- Google My Business
- Yellow Profile
- Industry or Location Specific Directories
- Your Local Chamber of Commerce
- Your Own Social Media Platforms
2) Set a regular time to check your business listings
Depending on what works for you, establish a regular time (like once a month) that you go through all the places you’ve listed your business online and check that details are correct. Start by searching for your business on Google and see what comes up – you may have been added to other websites without your knowledge and the information could be incorrect, and it’s important to keep an eye on how your business is being represented online, so that you don’t lose trust with customers.
What should I be keeping consistent across my business listings?
Even though different listing sites have different formats, fonts, and layouts, you still need to do everything you can to ensure your business is presented accurately and cohesively across the web.
1) Contact details
Check that your contact details are correct so that you aren’t losing customers to a wrong phone number, email or website address. If you have a physical store, you also need to make sure that your opening hours are correct, and there’s nothing more frustrating for customers than turning up to a closed store when its says online you’ll be open!
2) Logo, branding and imagery
Some listing sites give you the option to add your logo or imagery to customise your listing, and you should always take that opportunity to help your listing stand out. It will also help customers recognise and trust that it really is your business, and build confidence in your brand.
Get started with Yellow
There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to listing your business online, but we’ve got one thing you can do which is really simple. Set up your free Yellow Profile now and make sure that customers can find you easily! Our listings use beautifully crafted templates so that your business details are displayed clearly, and you can change your details or add new photos at any time.
