Most small business owners take for granted that their company needs a website. However, it has become easier of late for consumers to learn about small businesses and their products or services elsewhere on the web – on social media, for example, or via Google’s local listings. This growth of website alternatives has led some businesses to ask their digital marketing agency, “Do I still need to invest time and money into developing and maintaining a website?”

Website Alternatives
The most viable alternative to a company website is a carefully curated and consistently updated Google My Business (GMB) profile. Interested consumers can find information on the business’s hours, services, location, social media presence, and standing in the community by way of Google reviews.

A Facebook business Page can also stand-in for a website. These pages provide similar information to a GMB and can be used in tandem with a robust Instagram account. Interacting with customers may be easier on social media business pages, but Google reviews are more authoritative than Facebook reviews.

The Virtues of a Website
While maintaining a website is more expensive and time-consuming than maintaining GMB listings or social media profiles, it also offers unique rewards. Consumers tend to see company websites as more trustworthy than GMBs, Facebook pages, and other listings. They also provide your company with a sort of ‘headquarter’ on the web, a single location to which traffic may be directed and where information is stored and content shared.

We Can Help
In other words, we believe that company websites still play an important role in small businesses’ digital marketing plans. As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency with access to valuable insights on Google’s preferred practices, we can help you build, maintain, and optimize your website to get it found by valuable customers. Reach out today for more information about our web development and maintenance services.