You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Today, almost every first sales conversation starts with a search. A customer types your company name, skims what comes up, and forms an opinion before you’ve said a word. That search result is your first sales call. Understanding search visibility and what your customers learn about you online before your first sales meeting will help you make the first impression you want to make, even when you’re not in the room.

Before a shipper calls you, they’ve already looked you up. Alter Marketing’s CEO and Founder Stephanie Alter breaks down what that online search looks like today, and what it takes to show up when your customers are looking, on the Last2First podcast. Watch the clip, then keep reading below for the play-by-play.

Does your website still describe the company you are?

Websites age fast. The services you list, the regions you claim, the tone you strike, all of it should match the company you’re running today and the company you want to be a year from now. If your site describes yesterday’s capacity, you’re marketing for a company that no longer exists.

Is your LinkedIn page telling the real story?

A dormant LinkedIn page says more than a bad post ever could. Customers aren’t just checking that you’re active. They’re looking for the intangibles: culture, people, how you talk about the work. But if your page went quiet this year, that silence is doing the talking for you.

Are your reviews and listings accurate?

Google Business, Maps, Indeed, the smaller freight and logistics directories all matter when it comes to online search. Audit your listings and make sure the phone number, website link, and reviews are up to date and managed.

What are others saying about you online?

Citations do work your own marketing can’t: a mention in an AI overview, a trade press writeup, an association member page, a customer’s shout-out on LinkedIn. Third-party mentions build credibility precisely because you didn’t write them. That’s the difference between “we say we’re good” and “other people say we’re good.”

How do you check your own digital footprint?

Five minutes. Google your own company name today and read the results the way a shipper would: cold, skeptical, comparing you to two competitors in another tab. If the gap between what shows up and what you want to project is bigger than expected, you’ve identified an opportunity.

The bottom line about online search

Your first sales call happens online. Get in front of what your customers discover by doing an audit for search visibility. Book time with Alter Marketing today. https://www.altermarketingservices.com/contact/