Do Websites Still Matter for Local Businesses?

One of the questions that we hear often is “How does a website help my business?” or “We’re on Facebook, why do we need a website?”

To be honest, for some businesses a Facebook Page might just be enough. But it’ll only get you so far. If you’re building a real business and attempting to grow and scale, you’re going to need a real website. Websites provide a variety of different functions for your business and your customers. For instance, your website can showcase the services that you offer, therefore helping to qualify your prospects before they ever pick up the phone. Furthermore, your website can also be built in a way to help with conversions and thus encouraging your website visitors to contact your business.

One way to think of your website is as a sort of foundation for your online presence. The digital backbone of your business. Aside from showcasing your services and capturing contact information of prospective clients, your website also provides a sense of legitimacy to your clients, it lets them know that you are a real business. Currently, people are very wary of who they do business with, Review Trackers cites that over 63% of people check websites and reviews before doing business with a company.

One of the last things to consider is that 46% of Google Searches are for Local Businesses. You could be missing out on a large number of potential clients and revenue for your business!
Next month we will discuss Search Engine Optimization (SEO) how it works, and how to make sure that your website is found in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS).