Note: This was featured as part of our Web Wednesday segment on Charleston’s 105.5 The Bridge with Box in the Morning. You can catch us every Wednesday morning at 8:20 am ET for your dose of social media & digital marketing news. You can listen to the segment below:
With so many different online hubs available, many business owners don’t see the importance of a website. In fact, a recent study found that out of 400 small businesses surveyed, only 56% of them have a company website, with only 53% of those being mobile-optimized. That’s less than 30% of small business owners who have a mobile-optimized website.
As someone well-versed in the digital marketing industry, that statistic is shocking. Business owners these days think that they can use review sites or social media platforms to connect with their customers instead of a website. But 63% of consumers use a company website to find out more information about the business. It’s the second most-used online method of learning more about businesses, only behind search engines.
Put simply: social media and review sites aren’t going to be enough. 30% of consumers won’t even consider working with a business that doesn’t have a website (a statistic that I’m actually surprised isn’t higher). Promoting your Facebook Page or Yelp profile isn’t enough as most consumers want to look through multiple sources before making a purchase decision.
This means that it’s incredibly important for your small business to have a website. If you don’t, you are literally losing customers to your competition. But more than just a website, it needs to be mobile-friendly. If a potential customer is trying to pull up your website on their mobile device and it’s taking forever to load, or it’s not fitting well to their screen, they’re going to exit out of your site and not come back. 46% of consumers say that a website is the biggest factor in their trust of a business.
Your website and your email list are the only things that you completely own. When you rely 100% on a social media platform, you’re bargaining a lot. That Page could be taken down without notice, the social media site could shut down, or a number of other issues could arise. Instead, focus your energy on your own place on the web, and continuously put resources into the site itself. Your website should be your home base that all other review sites and social media platforms drive traffic to.
We offer web design services at The Modern Connection and would love to get you started. Call us at (800) 759-7996 or fill out our free consultation form.
