Does your website really need to rank well in Google
searches in order to help your small business?
The short answer is:
no.
Even a website that barely shows up on any Google search can
still be a very useful and productive element of your business strategy, in the
following ways:
It can help you
respond to Craigslist posts and other want ads.
You can link directly from your reply posts to your
site. Most web-based want ads
(especially those on Craigslist) receive many, many, many replies. You need to stand out. A link to a professionally written website
gives you a big edge up on those who can’t provide one.
It helps you
fine-tune your product and your market.
Creating a website can work in much the same way as drafting
a business plan. Having to identify what
services/products you offer and why they’re worth anyone’s time and also having
to think about what segment of the online population actually wants to hear
what you have to say – all that effort can help you discover what your business
is all about.
It gives you a
presence you need.
Any legitimate venture simply requires a website these
days. And not just any website will
do. One-page slapped together sites
don’t sell anything. You don’t need a
complex website. But you do need a
well-thought-out design with persuasive wording.
All that said, here’s the addendum to my short answer:
While a website doesn’t need
to rank well on Google to improve your business, if you want the really big bucks, and if you want to make any kind of real money from website ad revenue,
then, yes, you do need to rank well on Google.
How to do that is a subject for
numerous other articles.
