Many small business have done a good job of listing themselves on various web sites, such as Manta, Yelp, Google Places, and Facebook. But often I go on a hunt for the link to someone’s website, and I can’t find it.

It isn’t unusual for a small business to have their own official website appear in the Google search results below their unofficial listings on LinkedIn or ZoomInfo or a similar site that has more traffic. (In some cases, those profiles are generated without their knowledge!)

This isn’t a huge problem, actually, as long as a link to your official business website appears in those listings.

For instance, I wanted to tell some of my contacts about a law firm I recommend. Instead of just giving them the name of the firm, I thought I would include a link. I Googled the law firm, and their official website did not appear on Page 1 of Google. “No problem,” I thought. “There is a listing on LinkedIn. I will click on that, and find the link to the website there.”

No such luck. The small law firm had taken the time to create a Business Listing on LinkedIn (which is actually a bit of task!) but had not included a link to their real website in that listing, nor in the Profile of the attorney I wanted to recommend.

So, business owner: You are wonderful for having a web site! You are wonderful for having listings and profiles on high-traffic sites! But you must link the two together.