Feed up with Brexit?
Most people have heard so much about Brexit, they have lost interest. But something important is happening next week on 5th December you should know about. This is the moment Parliament debates and votes on the Withdrawal Bill. MP’s should be voting to give themselves the right to vote on the final terms of the UK leaving the European Union.
After all the lies and fake news, promises of £350 million a week for the NHS, now it is getting to the real details. The majority of those that voted in the Referendum, voted to leave based on personal feelings and the information available. Now you are better informed, so tell your local MP you want Parliament to have the final decision, not Boris Johnson, Michael Grove, Therese May, or Jacob Rees-Mogg, but all of Parliament.
Let your local Member of Parliament know you want them to vote for Parliament to have the final decision. This is the final chance to have your voice heard and not taken for granted. Click and vote on the Brexit News website now.
Pass the link onto other family and friends, last chance to make a difference
28 Nov, 2017 | Directory Manager 
All companies need to be ready
If you retain customer information, in any form, like email address, name, address etc. You need to prepare to meet the requirements of the new Data Protection laws from the UK, and the European Union.
Data Protection Laws
UK Data Protection Act
Here you will find a general guide to Data Protection and steps that need to be taken. The 1998 Data Protection Act has been updated to reflect the changes in e-commerce and the Internet. It is designed to protect personal data stored on computers or in an organised paper filing system.
European Union “General Data Protection Regulation”
UK Businesses will also have to comply with the European Union regulations, even if they do not trade with the EU. The agreed Eurpean wide rules also mean that every company must seek confirmation from all companies and individuals if their data can be stored. The deadline is 25th May 2018. Wikipedia has some information and also the European Union
Companies and Businesses must comply
For many small businesss this will add to the work load, but it is important to remember there are substantial fines and penalties in both laws. As the deadline approaches, expect many emails requesting approval from companies and organisations to retain the information they have. So better to get in early before the rush, start complying now. More info in our Q&A section.
13 Nov, 2017 | Directory Manager Business news for local businesses
♦ How we can help
♦ For many business owners quickly accessing and using the administration of a website is not possible. The website is often operated and maintained by friends, family or outsourced to a company.
♦ The good business news is that a free listing in the Northampton Business Directory can help solve many of these problems.
♦ It is simple to login and make any changes which are instantly available to customers.
♦ Saves money, this is a “Do It Yourself” solution to updating the information.
♦ Helps with understanding how the internet and websites work.
♦ The Directory is often the first place people use to search for local businesses.
♦ The simple search facility makes finding a suitable supplier easy. If you are not listed, you don’t get found.
♦ Check out our simple questions and answers page to see how to proceed or drop us and email, we are here to help.
14 Oct, 2017 | Directory Manager FAQ or questions and answers.
Here you will find FAQ or useful information to get you started with a free listing in the local business Directory. If you have questions not covered, please use this contact form and we will provide the answers. We only cover Northamptonshire businesses.
Good question. We are supported by advertising from Google and individual companies. We also promote some of our other websites.
For more information on local advertising, check out information page here.
The Northampton Business Directory was created to help local businesses in the Northamptonshire area prosper. You care about your business, so do we.
Basic Information
1. Add your business details including postcode and click the " Find on Map" button.
2. Select 1 category for your business.
3. Add all contact details.
4. Add your business logo, to show correctly, the size should be 248px wide and less than 100k in size. 4 other images are allowed.
5. The most important part is your business description. For Google to index and understand your company this should be about 300 words.
6. Keywords are important. Not your name but services and products which should also be in the description.
7. Click on next step. Only submit one request as all listings are manually approved to prevent spammers and businesses without an address in Northamptonshire adding their details.
8. Approval can take 48 hours so please be patient.
We use the industry standard for business websites. This is the https:// seen in the menu bar. This uses 128bit encryption, we also have our own security measures in place.
We aim to comply with the UK Data Protection Act 2017 and the European Union "General Data Protection Regulation". Which comes in to force 25th May 2018.
For more information please see. UK Data Protection Act and UK Data Protection
European Union Directive
The EU will start to enforce the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation from the 25th May 2018 and will take action against companies not complying with the law. This Regulation also applies to all UK companies.
Comprehensive Guide here.
Your business description is one of the most important sections. Without a detailed description, a listing will not be found when customers search for a product or service. We suggest a description contains about 300 words, describing your business and services. A company name is important in the description.
Google searches a website for information to index, and searches all company descriptions in the Directory.
Our search facility allows potential customers to search for a supplier based of the description in the Directory. The better the description, the more chances of being found.
If you need help writing a good description please send a quick email
To show correctly in the Directory, a company or business logo needs to be 248px wide. If you have a logo and do not know how to change its size, send us the image and we will do it for you, for free.
Request logo mod here. People think locally when shopping. It is so easy to use the Internet to search for products and services to get the best price, and this will not change. Many of the business already listed in the Directory offer special discounts and service and supply customers from their websites.
Local shopping boosts the local economy and is good for business, More detailed information here.
More than 84% of consumers say they trust on-line business reviews as well as individual recommendations when deciding where to shop. Furthermore, customers trust recommendations from people they know.
Reviews and ratings, as well as responses from business owners, help companies manage their reputation and track their scores. The result is an understanding how consumers locate a business, interact with products and web content and ensure you reach the right customers.
Listing have the opportunity for customers to leave their views and comments, these are indexed by search engines and add to the credibility of a business.
Here is why you should promote reviews of your company.
There are unlimited modifications available, just login in and correct the mistake. Always remember, you are presenting your business to potential customers, check spelling, address and other details.
We recommend this option as it free and you are in control. There are other solutions.
We other a free listing creation service, just complete the details here.
Another option is to have your marketing company do it for you. Make certain they provide the login details of your listing, just in case.
We hate spam emails as well. Your email address is considered private and will only be used to contact you about the Directory.
Please see our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions at the bottom of every page. This information is a legal requirement for every website
19 Sep, 2017 | Directory Manager
Your website is important
Your on-line Northamptonshire business website is more important than you think. As a busy owner or manager it can be easy to forget the company website, after all, there is one and that’s all that matters. The Northampton Business Directory was started to provide a free Directory service to Northampton and Northamptonshire companies of all sizes, supported with selected advertising.
Our membership continues to grow, but there are still many local companies not listed for a number of possible reasons. Did not know the Directory existed, the marketing department handles this, or maybe an outside agency, no money, or just don’t have the time to do everything.
Many Northamptonshire business owners think that a website is not required for their business as they consider their business local rather than international. However, analysis on the trend of internet search patterns have provided insight that people search products and services on-line with localised keywords like “plumbing services in Northamptonshire” or “Ford garage in Northampton” etc. Therefore, your website not only stands to serve prospects internationally but also drive local traffic to your business. The advent of smart phones and GPS technology have made viewing of local business and services on-line simple. A customer can easily locate nearby business locations.
Your Northamptonshire business
The more places your business information appears, the more chances your company will be found, then its up to the website to deliver. That’s why it could be useful for your business to be listed in the Directory for free, just use the ” Add a business now” link opposite. If you need help, check out Drachsi they can help in many different ways, they are website mechanics.
It is important to note that your customers are on-line, and most likely, they are already searching for products and services you supply; if they don’t find you, they will definitely find your competitor. It is easy, you can join here.
14 Sep, 2017 | Directory Manager 