Local Businesses Don't Need Website If They Are On Yelp, Google Places, etc. Agree or Disagree?

Google Places and Yelp are great marketing tools, but you don't control the content. Your website allows you to control the content, tell your customer just how you will solve their problem, and give that customer a better feel for your business compared to a listing on Google or Yelp that simply tells the world you exist. Those other avenues work in concert with your website, but certainly not in place of your website.

To help him expand his business, remind your nephew that certain sectors cannot survive without websites - real estate, for instance - and perhaps he should target those sectors. A "value added" benefit he may want to consider is tacking on social media management for clients that aren't savvy enough or are too time deprived to do it themselves. Just a thought.

Yelp, Google places, Social media pick one pick them all.... they are all pieces to a whole. For me.. a website is the center of that whole. All of those pieces in a perfect world are synergistic by nature that draw a potential client to a website that does what it should do best.. and that is cement the action.

Getting a conversion on the outside rim ( yelp Google Places etc ) is great... but if you look at some of the research done, those that display a website have a better conversion.. its not even the fact that people goto the website its just the fact they have one.

Another interesting angle here... So your Google places gives you a listing in a serp.. your yelp listing gives you a listing in the serp.. I will tell you that if there are Yelp listings in the top 10 there is NO reason why a clients website should not be in there. Yelp listings in local search are a GREAT indicator of unsaturated effort in that market space. - Let me throw that another way.. A Yelp listing in a local search.. is a indicator that you can knock out a competitors yelp listing with a actual website listing.. or worse yet, a competitor can knock out YOUR Yelp listing with a website.

Google places will always be there... its Google. After that... Website content takes precedence. Think about this for a moment does Google really want Yelp in their listings? probably not... But the one thing that Google does want is Relevant content and Yelp does in fact provide that. SO If Google wants relevant content and Yelp is the only solution they will list Yelp listings.. Provide something other than Yelp.. google will take that instead.

If you search on something like "what percent of businesses have a website" you'll find it's a majority DO NOT have a website. A website is not essential.

Think about it. You want a service or a product, what do you do? Most likely you'll seek out recommendations from someone you trust. Let's say several people recommend "joe bloggs the plumber", but you can't find his website or even any online presence. Do you discard him? Of course not. You want the best, so you'll seek him out. You'll ask those who recommended him how to get hold of him.

It may be desirable for a business to have a website. A kitchen fitter might want to have examples of their work so people can review before visiting their showroom. However, someone selling sewage parts? or ball bearings? or even our plumber...?

Doesn't help with your question, but might help your nephew focus more on businesses that perhaps should have a website... e.g. cafes and restaurants. People out and about might well search out the nearest cafe or restaurant on their mobile...

Therein lies the trap of generalizing from your own behavior to everyone else's.

If I have someone recommended by a neighbor and that person is not even listed online anywhere, I will *not* call them. They seem shady. I prefer to deal with the kind of people who pay Workers Comp (which protects both me and the worker) and taxes (that's only fair), who don't accept money under the table (if they do that, do they also cheat on doing work up to code?) and most likely have a website.

Marcia Yudkin

I have a local business. I have a website. I don't need it. Word of mouth keeps me so busy that I have a waiting list. A website may be necessary to gain Marcia's business, but apparently she's in the minority, talk about using one person's view to color everyone. Geez, I have insurance and report all income on my taxes. I get that a web presence legitimizes the credibility of a business in the eyes of many, but the question was "is it necessary", and no it is not. It certainly can help, just one of many tools out there. I try not to have mine seen, avoid all review sites, etc. because I have plenty of business and don't seek to grow. I know other small or self-employed ventures that have no website and stay busy. Offline marketing is a real thing, not just online marketing for offline businesses.

Local Business Review Sites like Yelp, Google Places, etc Influence New Customers but I still think every business should have it's own website. Because these sites don't give listing owner full control over business listing (you may want to show only positive reviews, but you can't do it on these sites.).

I can only give my own experience with my retail business, and the experience of my clients.

It all helps. A website is another online presence that you control. Most of the other sites (Yelp, Google Places, etc) are just listings. It's useful to have them...they let people know your business exists...but they don't sell anything.

You want an online presence that sells the consumer on choosing your business over another. How?

My local business has three separate websites...each one of them shows up on the first page of a Google search in my area. I also have dozens of videos, for my retail store alone. And two or three always show up on the first page of a Google search in my area.

My websites sell. My videos sell. I mean they sell the person on seeing me, instead of someone else.

In fact, even though, in my town, there are 16 retailers that sell what I sell, Nine of the ten listings on the first page of a Google search (for my core product) are my listings. And if you include a brand name in the listing (that I sell) I'm all ten listings.

Does it pay in local retail sales? Absolutely. In fact, most people are going online, to buy online....and they find my listings covering the first page of a search....and that brings an online shopper into my store.

So........
Yes, a website is useful, as long as it gives great reasons to buy from the client. Most websites are nothing more than an expanded listing, and are unnecessary.
Two websites are better. I mean websites that sell, not boring place holders.
Websites and videos are better still. And the videos need to sell. They need to give reasons to buy from you.
Websites, videos, and listings in very major directory are even better still.

But my directory listings (even with great reviews) pull in fewer customers than the websites and videos. I speak from a decade of experience advertising my own local store online, and selling that service to other retailers.

I've been at my location for 16 years. Most customers now are either past customers or referrals from customers. But even now, my online marketing brings in another several thousand dollars in net profit that I wouldn't see otherwise.

And I haven't created a new video, or added any real content to my websites in a year or two. It just keeps on working, even without any further effort on my part.

Anyway, I hope that helps.

Added later; A Facebook page for your local business shows up well on Google, and can be a strong sales aid. You can add videos, articles, and personal stuff as well. In fact, the only page one Google listing that isn't mine,(in my town) is a competitor's Facebook page.

It depends, as there is no 1 answer to fit all situations.

A client, Thai restaurant downtown Auckland,
has weekday lunch customers lined up out on the street to get in.

They have no website and would have higher priority,
like how to look after existing customers.

Best,
Ewen

Is he business interested in growing? Some are, some are not.

If yes, are their prospects looking for them online?

Can they build online credibility without a website? Can they keep their prospects updated of changes within the business without a website? Do they feel comfortable letting their whole online presence be in the hands of third parties?

All that aside, a website (properly done and SEO'd) can help. A lot of business that have websites around where I am have wasted their money on their website: as in, either nobody new finds their website, the website works against establishing credibility (cheap work cheaply done), the website no longer represents them accurately (or never did).

Talk to the ones who think they need one, forget the others, no matter why they think they do not need one.

If you think at any point, some of them are likely to change their minds and want a site, make sure you're in front of them constantly, or often enough that you catch a good number of them.

Post an ad in a publication/website they visit How X Accountant's new website increased X's revenue's by 247%. Download/call for the white paper.

Anyone who downloads/calls is more likely to get a new website, so you market to them.

To work, the above requires work at segmenting and understanding niches and sub-niches.

Since today is known as Cyber Monday...one of the biggest days of the year for buying online...

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say those companies with websites will get more sales than the companies that just use Yelp, Google Plus, etc.

P.S. Hasn't anyone seen statistics on how online buying is growing and growing and growing year after year?

To get back to OP's question...

I'm not a great fan of most small business websites. They basically suck because web developers are graphic designers, not marketers. They produce pretty sites, which rarely sell...

However, here's my basic attempt to answer your question. Test and tweak as best you can.

Easiest way is to get a testimonial from a previous client. Don't just ask for a generic testimonial, go back and ask them questions about why they bought, what doubts they had before buying and what their actual experience was...

You want a testimonial like:

"I didn't think we needed a website in the beginning, but I'm so glad we did go ahead. I am now getting an extra 10 orders per day at an average value of 200 per order. All new customers. I know I wouldn't be getting all this additional business if it wasn't for your website..."

Once you have one or more such testimonials, you simply say something like
"Funny you should say that, Mr Prospect. One of my clients, Bob Jones at xyz said the same thing. Here's what he thinks now..."

Job done...

PS: Note that it's never what you say, it's what other people say about you.

Okay a bunch of websites suck.

Sturgeon's Law and all apply here.

Do they need a website? Obviously no they don't as has been proven here.

But they can definitely use a website to make money. How much would depend on the industry.

Whether a local business has a website or not is not really that important if they serve their local customers as well and have a reputation within their catchment area.

There are two restaurants that are close to my business.

One only opens for the weekend and cooks out of a van parked at the back of a commercial premises. They use the commercial premises's carpark.

They do have a permanent type set-up with good quality solid timber tables and comfortable chairs etc. They are Alfresco.

Another restaurant that is in the commercial premises next door is run by a mother and daughter team.

Both only use Facebook as their website and contact medium.

They have a ton of reviews on the popular restaurant review sites in their area like Urbanspoon.

They don't even have a landline phone number to call.

They list mobile numbers.

I would have thought in the past that their set-ups was ludicrous but they are both always busy to the point that I'm worried I might have to start booking when I feel like paying them a visit.

They are both functioning at their capacity and to do more business they would both need to move and expand into a different location.

They are both run by relatively new immigrants.

Hopefully they continue to cook for the community they are part of because they have the local community support.

They love their regular customers and welcome new ones but they don't need a website to push more customers to them.

The reason they are successful is because they have a relationship with their community.

They love their neighbourhood.

They don't need to lock away their tables and chairs nor do they need to run specials or promotions.

They are successful, profitable and supported by their community.

Personally I hope they never get websites and try to attract a broader clientele because we enjoy the atmosphere and what they do.

If they became too commercial they would lose the personal touch they both have.

When I think about all the "best" experiences I've had shopping in an offline world each experience has been the result of interacting with one individual who has met my needs. They maybe backed up by a team but it is the personal attention that delivered the result.

I love all things online and run several offline and online businesses.

One thing to note in relation to business success can be related to both offline and online and that is customer experience.

For me if I can my get my satisfaction offline I'll go there but for the majority of my purchases I'll go online and search the products available and then visit my local stores to not only support but to encourage them into action,..

Best regards,

Ozi

Thanks everyone for all our your great thoughts and input, its been very helpful. In posting the question, the assumption was that these are businesses that are looking to attract more clients and in some cases are actively paying for various types of promotion - so its not a case where they have more business than they can already handle. But they have they misconception (in my opinion) that since they are visible on Google places, or Yelp, and maybe even Facebook (less of an issue so far), that they've got an online presence and don't need their own site.

What many of you have said has echoed my own response to that, so thanks for validating that for me. I always like to put anything I am selling to the test (or in this case, my nephew is selling) and make sure we're really offering something the prospect actually needs. There are always ways of twisting someone's arm into buying something, but unless its a solution to a real need the client has (which sometimes they are simply not yet aware of, and then its the marketers place to educate them), I don't want any part of it - I can only get behind selling something that really delivers value or helps solve the prospects problem. So I appreciate you all offering up your thoughts and feedback -sometimes one can get biased in their own point of view, so I wanted to make sure that wasn't the case here.

I know for myself as a consumer I always like to visit a business's web page before I make the decision on whether to engage them or not - whether I'm looking for a dentist, a mechanic, or a someone to close my pool for the winter, a website (when done well, of course) provides me with a good feel for who they are and allows me to determine whether I'm comfortable doing business with them. Often, its not necessarily through their website that I first hear of them, but I'll go online and look for their website to learn more about them in my decision process. If they don't have a site, I'll often move on to investigating their competitors (who do have websites), because I just want to be able to have that opportunity to know more about them. Part of what I have told my nephew to include in his sales pitch is that when done correctly, the information on a business's website helps instill confidence and trust in the prospect, and can give them the reassurance to make the call, as opposed to continuing to look at competitors - that is certainly my experience as a consumer.

I also agree very much with what someone said - most web designers are really not marketers (in which case a website may indeed be a waste of money); they are graphic designers and programmers. A compelling marketing message and a call to action has to be the objective of the website. If a site is all whiz-bang, but ultimately all its really doing is listing the hours of operation and location, and its not taking the opportunity to present a USP, then sure who needs it - Google Places can do that just fine. But a well done business website should be SELLING the prospect on making the call (by phone or in person, depending on the nature of the business).

In my opinion, a listing on Google Places is one possible first step to making a connection with the customer - but it cant stop there. From Google places, Yelp etc, you want to get them to take the next step and go to your website where you can command their undivided attention (where they're not also being shown "You might also be interested in..." links to your competitors), and clearly make your case as to why you are the best choice for them.

Again, thanks to all for your great input - like I said, there are indeed some brilliant marketing minds on this forum, and several contributed to this thread -- Thank you!

My prevailing thought is this:

If you don't have a website , then how are you capturing all of those visitors that are coming from the directories...? How are you harnessing, and/or growing your Market/Database?

Do you have some sort of optin page, at very least, to direct some of the traffic to?

If not, then 99 percent of your traffic is wasted potential.

A guy with even half the traffic, who captures his market into a database can do better.

-JD

This had to be one heck of a post to bring Claude out from the shadows.
It's really good to see you sharing gems as always. Also noticed you've published something new.

I'll definitely be adding this one to my Claude Whitacre collection.

@Savidge---I can count on you to bring the heat, stats and high level view on any subject.

Remember it's not always potential customers who will be looking for your business online (and checking out your website!) It's also a great place for you to control the message and image your company presents to prospective applicants/future employees and maybe even potential partners!

So, we're in agreement: Businesses that want more sales or to sell easier do need a website. Businesses that do not want those things do not.

PS Were we not in agreement before this thread started too?

Businesses get hammered even more now because of the residential DNC list

Sometimes there is another way to think about it, like outsmarting these sites!

I came across this article which I found interesting and might give you another way to look at it. Give it a look and see what you think, it may strike a Ah-Ha moment, or maybe not, but it is worth the read for sure!!

https://www.yotpo.com/blog/how-to-free-your-business-from-yelp/

Good- Luck Leader!