Field of Dreams

There is a well-known quote from the movie “Field of Dreams”. That quote is “If you build it, he will come” (yes, it is ‘he’, not ‘they’).

The above quote can apply to a website project. Just because you have launched a really nice website doesn’t mean customers will come to it.

We recently spoke with a potential new client who is days away from shutting their doors for good, and they are going to try a Hail Mary, pinning all their hopes on a new website. There are so many problems with this scenario.

1. It will take several weeks to a month to complete your website project (there are many variables that affect the timeline).
2. Once you have a new website, you will need to advertise that you have it and where customers can find it.

The advertising part is what isn’t accounted for, nor can they afford it.   This beautifully functional website, which they poured everything into, is one no one is visiting.

A website needs to be part of your advertising budget.  Spending several thousand dollars for a phone book ad in the yellow pages (Are you really still doing that?), but you don’t want to put any money into your website? Regretfully, the phone book is pretty much dead; most no longer use one.   

It is time to refocus that attention and money on the internet. You have several options for getting people to visit your website. You have advertising spots on other websites, TV, and radio. You also have Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is the practice of making tweaks to parts of your website to help it rank better in search results. There are also local citations, which involve submitting your website and business to local websites, including sites that focus on geographical locations, like Yelp!.

All this is very time-consuming, which is why many businesses hire a professional to manage their SEO and their local citations.

Have you included SEO in your budget?  Uncertain whether you are using internet searches effectively?  Give us a call at (540) 479-6350.