The Internet plays an increasing role in consumer purchasing decisions. Whether you sell products or services, online findability must factor into your marketing mix. Findability addresses the question, “When potential customers seek your product or service, do they find you, or your competitor?” Twenty years ago, people turned to the Yellow Pages to find local businesses or Consumer Reports to explore which television they should buy. Now, it’s both faster and easier to do the same research online. This affects everyone, no matter what your business, and has huge implications for all industries and professions. Today, customers increasingly seek out businesses via the Internet that meet their needs, whether the company is halfway around the world or in their hometown. The importance of online findability will increase as consumers gain greater access to the Internet via mobile phones and handheld entertainment devices. Whether you’re a realtor, business coach, lawyer, dentist, or house painter, or if you sell products of any sort, marketing boils down to a simple question: when prospects look for your product or service on the Internet, do they find you? Relevance and Credibility Many websites focus on the sale, on the pitch, but neglect that visitors have no experience with the business owner. You must share your experience and credentials right up front to establish your online credibility. If I search for “family therapist Dallas, Texas,” and find “Dan Smith, family therapist,” but his website contains only uninspiring background information about his business, I have little to reassure me that this guy can help me. But, if I find “Susan Warner Family Counseling” and find helpful articles dealing with family relationship issues, a blog about child psychology, and see that she was quoted in the Dallas newspaper, I’d think, ‘Finally! Here’s a person with expertise!’ and would be more likely to enquire further.” Traffic Does Not Equal Customer Too often, people focus only on generating traffic, but give little consideration to whether these visitors are likely to convert to customers. It’s catch-22. I have a website, but it doesn’t seem to drive much traffic, so should I focus on simply generating more traffic, or should I consider who is visiting to determine that I’m effectively reaching members of my target market? Your website should be a useful resource, a hub for those seeking information related to your business. Your website will then, quite naturally, increase its “findability” by being useful and relevant to your target customers. Frequent Content Additions Strive to produce a few hundred words of new content at least twice a week to ensure that your website is search engine-friendly. The best content attracts prospects, helps them clarify their decision-making process, and ultimately makes the right purchase decision for their situation and needs. There are so many ways to produce content on your site. Develop case studies that feature your customers. Include press releases about your company. Write FAQs, and troubleshooting information about your products and services by turning common business questions into useful content. The secret is giving away your knowledge. You’ll gain credibility and authority and members of your target market will be more likely to pursue a relationship with you. Blogs I’m a big fan of blogs because of the ease with which you can create and post useful content that increases your findability. A blog makes adding new content as easy as typing in three or four paragraphs of text and clicking on a “submit” button. If you can send email, you can take that same level of effort and post content to your website on a weekly basis. The Internet is the New Town Square Online findability is becoming central to business success. It’s not a passing trend. I believe businesses that don’t pay attention will become obsolete. Not leveraging the trend toward online findability because you believe it impacts your business today is shortsighted. Even businesses that have traditionally relied on offline word of mouth will be affected as social media sites like Yelp move word of mouth online. In many ways, this new shift is just an updated version of how people have always interacted. Consumers still turn to peers for advice and recommendations about reliable products and services; it’s just moving online, where you now gain advice from people around the world, not just those who live within a few miles. Those who are intimidated by this new business landscape know that putting out useful information about your business is an enjoyable way to market yourself. Trust me, it’s so much better than cold calling! It’s very rewarding to receive emails from people saying how much they appreciate your website, while thanking you for helping them with your useful content. Dave Taylor is author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Growing Your Business With Google and is a technology and Internet industry guru who answers questions about a variety of technical topics at his blog, Ask Dave Taylor.
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