There are still a huge number of businesses out there that aren’t online and that is a pity. Often local small businesses feel that because they are serving only those in their community they wouldn’t benefit from having a website. They couldn’t be farther off the mark! Did you know that just having an online presence in some form or other will direct new foot traffic to your location faster than any other means of marketing? Well, it’s true! Take a look at this.
Google Says More People Search Online than in Any Other Way
Not only are yellow pages and newspaper ads a thing of the past (unless they are the digital online version) but more people search for products and brands online than in any other way. Google says that even when looking for information, 41% are unable to get the information they need in-store and so they leave, in Google’s words, frustrated.
Then there are those people who use their mobile devices to research the products and brands they are looking to buy. More people search for local businesses on their smartphones than in any other way and so if you don’t have a web presence, you are potentially missing 71% of the foot traffic you could have had.
A Directory Listing Isn’t Always Sufficient
However, a directory listing like Yelp! Isn’t always sufficient to get found by those searching for what you have to offer. Yes, a searcher can find a business in your area through that web directory and yes, they can get contact information and read a few customer reviews but that’s about as far as they can get. Unless you have a website or a well-developed and highly active social media site, there will be little they can learn about who you are and what you do, and will most likely flip over to the competition.
Look How Far the Internet Has Grown
As an example of just how far the Internet has grown in recent years and just how much a part of our everyday lives it has become, think about the fact that we can do just about everything we need to do online. You can now watch streaming television with apps like VIDGO TV that lets you view network programming as it is broadcast and you no longer need to subscribe to costly satellite or cable networks. You can even stream your local programming to your smartphone or tablet and do away with your television altogether!
Think of that. No more costly monthly cable bills and no more hurrying to get home to watch the nightly news. You can view it all on your phone with a simple app, a low-cost, no-obligation membership to VIDGO and you’ve just saved a ton of money. Now then, without the Internet this streaming media wouldn’t be possible and without the Internet you would never even know about it! You’d be stuck still in the 1980s when cable TV was just coming into its own with a few basic channels and at a really big cost.
The Bottom Line: Reach
When all is said and done, the bottom line is reached. With a single website and perhaps a social media page or two you can reach a market numbering into the millions, billions even, and that is just the beginning. You may only be operating on a local level but if you want Google to find you and tell searchers where to find you and what you have to offer, you will need to make your presence known online. The Internet is where you can get the broadest reach and without an online presence, you are denying yourself almost ¾ of the traffic which could be directed your way.
