Seattle Solutions

Remember when one of the most important decisions facing a new business owner was "Do I need a yellowpages ad?"

The answer wasn't always obvious.  For one thing, it costs nothing to just have your business name and phone number listed.  For another, there are often so many ads and "featured listings" that sometimes the more modest unpaid listings are the ones that jump out at the reader.  A potential customer might assume, correctly or not, that the savings would be passed on to them.

It's no secret that paper phone books are losing their popularity and impact in the internet age.  While there are still some people out there with limited or no connectivity, it won't be long before phone companies in some areas start delivering these venerable tomes only to their customers who request them. 

What isn't so obvious to many small business owners is how the yellow pages are being replaced. 

If you're reading this, then I'll assume you have internet access of some sort.  You've probably seen some of those online business listings.  You know the ones I'm talking about: some of them are literally online versions of the phone company yellow pages.  Others gather information from these and other sources and combine them with extra features like maps, user-contributed reviews, photos, menus, etc.

Do your potential customers use these sites?  Probably, but - and here's the important bit: they rarely start and stop there.

The first step in most web searches is a major search engine like Bing, Yahoo or Google.  Okay, who are we kidding?  Most of them use Google.  A typical search phrase would be something like hydraulic widgets seattle. The next page will probably display a few paid ads above and to the right of the search results, then a map with some local business listings, then the regular search results (usually a mix of individual business websites, listings sites, and assorted bric-a-brac).

From there, your potential customer may click on the map listings and find you (hint: you can set up a local ad listing in Google for free, and you'd be crazy not to), or they may click on one of the paid ads or one of the search results. 

A determined searcher will do all three.

So let's say they find your business on a listings site and it catches their eye, either because you're close by or you have great reviews - or maybe they just like the name.  Now they know you exist, but they want to know more.  What merchandise do you carry, exactly which services do you perform, what's on your menu, and what are your prices like?

Back in the dark ages of paper phone directories, the potential customer would start calling around at this point.  Nowadays, they're much less likely to pick up the phone - it's time-consuming and not the most efficient means of gathering information (even if they don't get put on hold).

No, the next thing they're going to is look for your website.

So let's say they've narrowed things down to you and a close competitor.  Your competitor has a good website with exactly the type of information they're looking for before they commit themselves by picking up the phone or hopping in the car.  You, on the other hand, either have no website, or you have a simple page a relative whipped up for you in 1998 that just shows your business name, address, and phone number - all of which they already knew.

Guess who's getting the business?

There are other reasons (besides information) why your erstwhile potential customer may go for the business with the website. 

It may seem counter-intuitive, but in the internet age, that collection of electronic bits and bytes gives a brick-and-mortar business a more tangible, less fly-by-night feel.  If it's well designed and professional-looking, so much the better.  (On the other hand, most small businesses should avoid going overboard with a slick, overly-designed website, as that could send the message that your products and services are too expensive.)

Finally, a good website tells potential customers that you care enough to communicate with them even before they've contacted you.  They will see you as friendly and approachable.

In short, a website is more than just another form of traditional advertising.  It's not a mere electronic flyer, and small business owners who treat it as such will pay for it - usually with their bottom line.