I was talking to someone the other day and they were saying that just by having a website they thought they should get more business. How’s that? I said. The reply was that if they are on the Internet surely their business would be found?

You think! I said.

It would appear that the person I was talking to, thought that just by having a website, their business would be found, as Google would pick up on the keywords on the site and hey Presto! their business would be found.

I suppose in some small way that could work to a small degree but that’s about it I said.

So what’s the truth? Here goes.

A website needs marketing – That’s it. If you don’t consistently market your brand your business will plummet sooner or later. It’s not actually about marketing your website anyway. It’s about getting your product or offer out there in front of your target market. Your website can only be part of your marketing strategy. It’s great as a hub to drive online traffic into as then you should be putting information in front of your audience that will encourage them to contact you.

Being found online either through a Google search or by social media can only be part of a marketing strategy. To appeal to the widest audience possible, many ways of getting people to learn about your business should be employed.

Word-of-mouth  is and always will be a great way of getting new business. You give out your card, they check out your business; probably by visiting your website and then they call you. Possibly that’s a somewhat simplistic scenario but I think you get the point. In this word-of-mouth marketing strategy, the website is what gives you credibility. You weren’t, in this instance, found by a Google search.

So, in short, a website on it’s own won’t bring you much business, but it should give you credibility and help to prompt a potential client to use your services.

If you have a professional website that can appeal to your target market then it won’t be the site that lets you down. It’ll be that you don’t have a coherent marketing strategy in place.

If you’d like to understand more about how your website should fit in with your overall marketing strategy, then please contact me by phoning 01603 383477 or filling in my contact form.