One Warkworth – Easy way to buy local

At least once a day, there are posts on local community Facebook groups seeking recommendations for places to buy things and for service providers – from the butcher and baker to candlestick maker and everything in between. Well, not quite the candlestick maker, but you get the point.

With this in mind, One Warkworth has developed a new website with an optimised business directory. This is not just a massive database nor a digital version of the old Yellow Pages, where you have to flip through pages to find what you’re looking for. This is a comprehensive platform enabling users to filter searches so they can instantly identify, learn about, and contact local businesses relevant to them. Every business listed in our directory is also a One Warkworth member, so we know they are committed to working collaboratively to see our local community prosper. For members, the directory provides significant benefits. The most obvious one is making their business visible to the local community. Our directory also gives members control over their business listing, so it can be updated with complete and accurate information at any time. The One Warkworth business directory also has a customer review function. Word of mouth has always been the most trusted source of reviews, but today more than ever, people are seeking out and trusting online customer reviews. Our mobile-friendly website means reviews can be posted in real time.

I hear some businesses lamenting the prospect of a negative review. My advice is, don’t fear a negative review. As long as you know how to properly handle it, the cost of one negative review is far outweighed by the benefit of many positive reviews. A mix of reviews can actually strengthen your reputation, showing you’re a genuine, healthy company with nothing to hide. When someone searches our business directory, it will display a list of relevant results each with a brief snapshot of all relevant businesses. This means your business is still being seen and familiarity with your brand is increasing, even if your listing isn’t clicked on, which will contribute to overall brand awareness. The business directory will also contribute to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) by providing additional information that will help rank your website higher in the results for applicable searches.  

Online business directory sites are also more trusted by search engines. Google’s first page of search results often contains results from online directories. By getting in our directory, members will benefit from SEO, with their websites showing up earlier on Google and other search engines. So, if you’re looking for a business, visit our new website onewarkworth.co.nz, or to enjoy the immense benefits of being in our online directory, contact me on 027 496 6550.

Murray Chapman, Manager, One Warkworth
www.onewarkworth.co.nz