Did you know Leeds is the largest centre for financial and business services outside London? Did you also know that more than 300 recruitment agencies now operate in Leeds? Or perhaps you weren’t aware that Leeds City Region has a workforce of 1.9 million and a business base of over 106,000 companies, collectively generating five percent of England’s total economic output?
Our point? Leeds is a thriving business community, the commercial hub of the North, a truly inspiring entrepreneurial city.
Playing such a vital role in the UK’s commercial and economic landscape, the savviest of businesses are keen to be associated with the pulsating city of Leeds. It’s the businesses that are void of such an admirable association that run the risk of being commercially left behind.
In short, a business in West Yorkshire without a Leeds business address, could be being unnecessarily held back.
We say ‘unnecessarily’ because almost every business can benefit from a credible business address, such as a Leeds’ postcode, thanks to the unique opportunities virtual offices create.
Whilst Leeds’ business community might be flying, those entrepreneurs, small business owners, freelancers and SMEs without a professional address could be seriously missing out.
An SEO no-no
You might not think a physical address would affect Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), after all what’s great about the internet is that it creates a globalised, boundary-free world, right?
Not exactly!
As Work Webb Net notes, search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing actually use the address a business has on their website to provide their results to people that make search queries to find a service or product.
“When your website is void of a physical address, you don’t have much chance of being found online for your services. Basically it’s a big SEO no-no,” writes Work Webb Net.
Consequently, a business working remotely from a home office in a secluded village in the Yorkshire Dales could be seriously missing out if they don’t have a lucrative business address present on their website.
Professionalism
Having a business address in a city like Leeds creates a professional impression for comapnies of any shape, size or form. By contrast, a business with a home address, a P.O. Box, or no address at all, crafts a significantly less professional impression and could even be viewed as being an organisation that is dodgy, unreliable and unprofessional.
A virtual receptionist
Running a business, whether it’s in Leeds, London, Harrogate or Timbuktu, is time-consuming and challenging. Constantly being interrupted by incoming phone calls, won’t do a business owner’s productiveness – or sanity – any favours.
One element that’s holding the Leeds’ business address community back could therefore be related to the businesses which work remotely and don’t have the luxury of a receptionist.
A virtual office not only provides businesses with professional addresses but many packages come with a virtual receptionist.
“How do you have your communications appear professional? A virtual receptionist is the answer! Many virtual office spaces have this option, and a live-answering receptionist is a great solution to handling phone calls, to transferring them appropriately, and to giving your business a more professional appearance.”
Creates consistency
Another element that could be holding the Leeds business address community back is the lack of consistency operating without a ‘proper’ business address generates.
Having a professional business address that is placed on a company’s website, on business cards and on marketing materials, creates an element of consistency, which is also synonymous with professionalism.
Meetings
Holding a meeting in a busy coffee shop in the centre of Leeds, struggling to be heard of the constant whir of noise, is not conducive with a professional business meeting and is certainly a challenge facing businesses in Leeds, or anywhere else for that matter, that don’t have a professional business address.
Renting a virtual office overcomes the dilemma of the coffee shop meetings, as it enables businesses to gain a physical address to hold professional meetings that are free of crowds and noise and are equipped with essential office items, such as projectors, Wi-Fi connection, office furniture and refreshments.
Location matters
A virtual office is virtual right, so its location doesn’t matter?
Wrong!
As we wrote in our blog titled ‘Why location really does matter for your virtual office’, when it comes to where a business is based, location is vitally important as prospective clients will “instantly spot” whether your office is near a major city or somewhere they have never heard of.
Having an address in a city like Leeds will give the impression to both existing and prospective clients that your business is based near a successful, thriving city that is close to major transport networks and links, sending a powerful message to clients that your business is equally as successful, buoyant and ‘going places.’
So don’t let your business in Leeds fall along the wayside by failing to give it a professional address. Give it some ‘remote control’ and make sure it remains competitive in the flourishing city of Leeds by treating it to a virtual office and an exclusive business address.
Carrwood Park offers premier serviced and virtual office space on the outskirts of Leeds. As well as having all your calls answered within three rings, your business will benefit from a sought-after business address just outside the city of Leeds. Get in touch today to learn more about or virtual offices in Leeds.
