08/24/2017
Why all businesses need a Web Site - Yes I am posting this on FaceBook!
Many business owners believe that they do not need a Web Site. They justify this decision by stating that they have a page. I would agree that most businesses need a page, maybe a Twitter account, and other Social Media offerings. However, not everyone is on Facebook. Their business information such as phone number, hours, and location may be posted on other sites that do not require a Facebook account such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, White Pages, and even Trip Advisor. However, I have found that many of these sites have incorrect information. My largest pain point is when I try to look up information on a restaurant (and other businesses) and want to see their hours and days that they are open. The first 5 or 6 search results point me to Facebook. While I do have a Facebook account, I never sign into it at work. I really do not like the Facebook app for my phone because it wants to take over messaging and other things my smartphone does, and I am not a fan of that either.
When you click a search result for Facebook, you may land on the business’ page, but you may also land on somebody’s personal page that made a post about the business. If you do land on the business page, you may be able to look at it, but almost immediately Facebook is asking you to log in or create an account. If you do not log in or create an account the pages is “faded” out so that you cannot see the content.
This is very frustrating for those who do not use Facebook, do not want to sign up, and simply want to view more information about the business. Businesses loose potential customers because of this, especially if there are competing businesses in the same area that do have a web site.
I recently experienced this again when trying to find the hours of a local restaurant that pretty much opens when they want to. More than once I have gone there to find a note on the door saying they were closed. Frustrating! However, they are pretty good at updating their page but again, I do not access Facebook from work.
So in summary, Social Media is an important and cost effective way to promote your business and inform customers about changes in hours, phone numbers, events, etc. This should be coupled with a web site though. There is no good reason a business should not have a web site, especially since they cost less than $100 a year, they are easily updated if you have basic computer skills, and more importantly, not everyone uses Social Media. What!? Yes, it is true and not only for the “old folks”. I know many people under the age of 30 and even under 20 years old that just do not use Social Media for one reason or another.
If you are business owner, get a web site even if it is one or two pages and keep it updated. Finally, also make sure your site gets indexed by search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
