Plumbers may be missing out on trade because of a poor online presence, according to UK digital marketing provider Yell.

The company has found that a significant majority of plumbers (90%) have inconsistent or incorrect information online, including basic details such as correct email and phone number.

Yell analysed the online presence of almost 5,000 plumbers in the UK throughout a number of sites including My Local Services UK, Facebook and Bing, and also asked customers throughout the country about their online expectations and habits.

The findings revealed some basic and common errors in the approach of small businesses to reaching potential online customers, for example having different phone numbers listed on different sites.

The feedback found that 89% of customers would try contacting a different firm if the details listed online for a particular company are not correct, which suggests that many small firms, including plumbers, are missing out on a considerable amount of potential custom.

Some of the key findings from the investigation were that 54% of people rely on positive online reviews when deciding on a new local business or service, while just over half (51%) of customers said when they were looking for a new service, the most important source of information was a website.

Marketing Director at Yell, Mark Clisby, said that if a company’s online information is incorrect, then it could be argued that this is worse than not being online at all.

He added: “Not only is the company effectively invisible to customers, it can also seem careless or even untrustworthy.

“This often happens because companies don’t always know all the listings sites where they appear, or when they move they forget to update their information. It’s easily done, but can be incredibly damaging for business.”

Yell has launched Connect to support small businesses, which is a service that recognises the importance of connections and word of mouth referrals and recommendations.