Do you need a business website?
In a recent BrightLocal poll in which they asked whether local businesses need a blog, 68% think every local business should have one. OK. But they further asked, Do they need a website? The results here were interesting and not as clear cut.
Because of Google’s contribution to their own search engine results page (SERP), one might almost wonder
whether the effort is worthwhile. Google’s activity actually directs people away
from clicking on the individual website. While 97% of consumers looked online for a local business in 2017, only 80% visited a website as a result of their search.
“While visiting a business’ website remains the most common next step (37%), consumers are now more likely than before to get in touch directly. A significant 17% of consumers will now visit the business after reading positive reviews—a huge jump from 7% in 2016. And what’s more, 10% now contact the business as their next step—up again from 3%.” Read more →