You own it… now claim it!
Whether you’re in the business of medicine, travel, banking or dining, all businesses will inevitably depend on web exposure.
According to a 2010 study by KIA Kelsey, 97% of consumers search for local businesses online. Using deaffriendly.com as a free local platform allows you to be visible when consumers look for you.
Get insider insight to make your business more deaf-friendly.
deaffriendly.com is not intended as a place to complain or criticize. It is a platform for mostly positive feedback, education, and lots of hand-holding (between deaf and hard of hearing consumers and businesses).
The information provided on our website helps answer the big question: “How can we make businesses more deaf-friendly?” The answers can make or break your business.
In a survey of 435 individuals across the United States, more than 85% said that deaf-friendliness is important in choosing where to spend their money and 65% said they would stop going to a business that was not deaf-friendly.
Boost leads and gain new clients.
The Internet is a two-sided sword. It has created opportunities for a lesser-known business to get its name out to far-flung customers. But competition is fierce for “Google juice” and higher SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings. Crafting a good SEO strategy is one way you can gain an edge, and claiming your business within highly targeted micro sites like deaffriendly.com is one part of that strategy.
If you haven’t claimed your business listing yet, click here to get started.
Lower your business' chances of being "hijacked"!
A claimed listing is a gold mine for businesses… and unclaimed listings are a gold mine for spammers and competitors who “hijack” them. On deaffriendly.com, every member is required to go through a business verification process and create a username and passcode. This reduces the chances of spurious entries. Business best practices dictate that you claim your listings wherever available, whether it’s on Google Maps, City Search or other sites.
Editorial Freedom: Interact With Customers
Once you claim your listing on deaffriendly.com, the real fun begins. You can edit your business information and add a logo. You can read reviews, share them with friends and customers, and even flag those that you feel are inappropriate. Even more, you can invite deaf and hard of hearing customers to write new reviews on your business.
Claiming your listing means you’ll have great word of mouth piggybacking your local business website. With a deaffriendly.com listing displayed above it, prospects and customers may actually visit the deaffriendly.com listing before they even scroll down to your website itself.
Bottom line: If you get great customer reviews, give them prominence by verifying your listing.
Showcase Your Deaf-Friendliness!
What are your business’ biggest deaf-friendly assets? Maybe it’s a staff member fluent in Sign Language. Maybe it’s your employees’ attitude, patience and wiliness to accommodate varying communication needs. Maybe you even include diagrams that finger spell “H-O-T” on your coffee cups, like one beloved Seattle coffee shop does. Whatever sets you above your competitors, deaffriendly.com is the perfect place to showcase it!
You can do this several ways: First by scoring good reviews, then, by sharing your deaf-friendly reviews and features on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Secondly, you can showcase these reviews directly on your business web site by linking to your deaffriendly.com page.