Are Web Sites Still Important to Small Business?
Today the marketing landscape circles around the web. There are so many outlets to list your business, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr,Twitter…the list goes on and on. So, with all these free and popular outlets the question remains, is a web site still needed? In short, yes a web site is definitely needed…even more so now. Every business that is interested in building loyalty and/or gaining more leads and customers needs their own web site. The single most important reason you need a web site is authority and trust. Your web site is your virtual storefront, it should be the official voice of your business. Your company’s website should function effectively for your sales people and customers that stumble upon you. Think of your web site as the sun to your solar system and the orbiting planets as your various social media and online profiles. You need the sun to give those planets life, direction and consistency. A web site is the most powerful aspect of your online empire, it is here that you can say what you want and then track your sites performance easily. Anothee important aspect, that I believe is often overlooked, is control. What happens if key features you rely on with a social media or other online profile is suddenly removed? If your online properties are just a representative of your web it is not nearly as dire. Lets face it, in today’s online world things change so fast there is no guranatee that the 3rd party sites you use today will exist (or at least in the same manner) tomorrow.
It wasn’t but just 10 years ago when the phone book was still relevant and a mainstay, now with the advent of smart phones, tablets and social media, people are using the web and search engines even more to find solutions to their needs whether its a plumber, that new TV they want or to find the nearest ATM. When people go to Google and search your business, chances are they will find multiple links about your business, various online profiles (some you didn’t even create), social media profiles, and your web site. If the search engine optimization is done properly, your site will be number 1 and isn’t that what you want? Its definitely what I want when someone searches for us here at QC Total Tech. I want our own site to come up first so we can deliver our own message to our propsective customers. You have to create a message and be clear, consistent and make sure all your official online properties match up to that message.
So yes, you still need a web site, probably even more so than when you started reading this article, that’s how fast things advance here on the web.
Happy Webbing.