5 Ways a Website Helps Search Results In 2018

1. Sun Media Marketing presents 5 Ways a Website Helps Search Results In 2018

2. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 3 5 REASON WHY A WEBSITE IS STILL BETTER ........................................................................... 5 BEFORE YOU GO ................................................................................................................... 8 ABOUT SUN MEDIA MARKETING ........................................................................................... 9 www.sunmediamarketing.com | Call us +1-917-267-8626 | info@sunmediamarketing.com ©Copyright Sun Media Marketing 2017

3. INTRODUCTION Business are moving towards social media pages, rather than to focus on their online business front, their website. http://searchengineland.com/5-reasons-websites-still-matter-local-search-2017-275080 We are already in the second half of 2017 and we are still having the discussions on whether we should invest in websites or have they become obsolete. You might be surprised to know that still a lot of businesses don’t have a website. A recent survey from October 2016 shows that almost half of the small businesses don’t have a website, and you would be mistaken if you would think that they are those solo work from home people, because they are not. A Capital One survey of 400 small business –“Fall 2016 Small Business Barometer Survey” found that out of those 400 small businesses only 56 percent had a company website, and further more out of them only 53 percent of them were optimized for mobile. So, you see, only 30 percent of businesses had a mobile optimized website. The reason for this might be the shift towards social media, as a lot of businesses now feel that they should prioritize their social media presence rather than focus on their website. Things have gone so far that a lot of businesses setup after 2015 started with social media, and only got a website after they were well off. Such shift might be the cause of certain factors that have deterred businesses to opt for a starting with a website first mindset. Some of contributing factors might be, the technical know-how and the cost factor. Even the most basic of websites will require some level of knowledge and for you to shell out a couple of hundred bucks if you manage to do everything yourself, if not you will have to outsource thus requiring more investment. Whereas on the flip side social media platforms are completely free (unless you use their paid marketing tools) and almost everyone is aware on how to setup and operate them. And thus, the shift in the market is apparent from traditional websites to social media pages. As social media continues to dominate, a survey conducted by Local Search Association has found that almost 43 percent of small business advised that given the choice of only one online marketing method to use, they would chose social media above all else. This trend shows why social media pages are being used more and more as the primary front of the business and as landing pages. www.sunmediamarketing.com | Call us +1-917-267-8626 | info@sunmediamarketing.com ©Copyright Sun Media Marketing 2017

4. Apart from the social media pages, directory listing pages are also used a viable alternate to the website. Most of the directory listing are sophisticated enough to contains all the vital information customers look for. Third party sites have various functions such as e commerce, online booking and reviews. And they tend to attract greater traffic and relevant target audience over individual websites. Wordstram study shows that the click through rate (CTR) is down by 37 percent over the last two years from the listings that show up on Googles first page. These trends show that the customers tend to rely on other media sources then websites to get their information. All of the above seem reason enough for convincing anyone to move towards social media pages or third party websites, as they seem a much simples and financially viable option. But these are just one side of the coin, below are five reasons why a website is still better and how it helps in local marketing and search results. www.sunmediamarketing.com | Call us +1-917-267-8626 | info@sunmediamarketing.com ©Copyright Sun Media Marketing 2017

5. 5 Reason Why a Website Is Still Better 1.You won’t be considered as a business unless you have a website People still tend to rely on multiple sources before making a purchase, and it is a fact that they are going to check out your website. Research by YP and LSA found that over 30 percent won’t do business unless you have website. And just because people are looking at your Facebook page or read review on Yelp alone does not results in more business. Studies have shown that on an average, customers use approximately three sources as reference guides before making a decision. Generally, this means that if you don’t have a website than you will strike out with around 30 percent of your potential customers. So, if you chose to forgo setting up a website, then be ready to face the fact that you will be at a loss of some potential customers. 2. Website are used still to engage with and find businesses Majority of your potential consumers still use search engines to find the businesses and use websites as a reference before making a purchase decision. As per the 2017 report “The Digital Consumer Study”, it examined the use of digital media in 12 cities in the US and found that websites we the second highest used source to find local businesses. Even though the trend would suggest that with the wide variety of media available to the consumer the use of website would decrease, the numbers show that 2016s weekly website usage rate of 63 percent was a definite increase over 2015s 60 percent rate. Despite the rise of social media, the value of a business website has only increased. Thought the Wordstram study shows a decline in the CTR through Google search. Consumers are finding and engaging with business website through other sources such as Yelp, Yellowpages.com and Google my business listing. Thus, increasing the need to have a great business website. www.sunmediamarketing.com | Call us +1-917-267-8626 | info@sunmediamarketing.com ©Copyright Sun Media Marketing 2017

6. 3.To show up in Googles top 10 organic search results, you need a website According to Moz’s 2017 Local Search Ranking Factors, to get listed in Googles top ten organic search results, all the factors considered are related to a business website or domain. These factors include your sites authority, your sites linking, third party links pointing to you and the most important, the quality and relevance of your website content. In 2016 Brightlocal survey noted that only 5 percent of consumers had never used a search engine to find local businesses. Meaning that 95 percent actively use search engines to find businesses, while 65 percent reporting that they searched for a local business at least six times per year. And those number to any online business should be a big deal. While one may argue, that these factors can be achieved using a Facebook page or other social media page or third party listing the reality is that does not happen. A major factor in search results is Site Authority, which is rather impossible to achieve using social media pages, as Google does not consider social signals such as likes or followers to increase authority. You can try this on your own, try to perform a Google search and see how many of Facebook pages show up on first page locally in your area. You will see that the search result is being dominated by local businesses who have setup websites and put in the SEO work. A properly structured website, with high quality and relevant content, a site has a good number of referenced links coming from reputed sources such as third parties, directory listings, articles and posts will always show up. This enables customers to find you and do their research about your products and services before they buy. 4. Websites are the biggest factors for trust building. Customers may find you using your Facebook page, Google Maps or even Yelp for that matter, but your biggest digital asset is still your website, as that the major part of your online reputation and trust building. A 2002 Stanford research found that 46 percent of consumers decide on a business’s credibility based on the websites design, layout and content. In general, a listing may provide images, reviews and basic details such as address and contact information. But on a website, they can get to know what you have to say and gauge your credibility. Social media platforms provide a stage for you to showcase snippets of your business personality, but they have to come to your website so they www.sunmediamarketing.com | Call us +1-917-267-8626 | info@sunmediamarketing.com ©Copyright Sun Media Marketing 2017

7. can get to know you. Your website allows you to the ability to personalize designs and give you the ability to show case information in a unique manner, which is different for the rest. Website is the digital face of your business that reflects your personality, your ideas, thoughts and opinions thus creating a unique identity for your products and services. This enables you to increase your trustworthiness and enables a potential customer to decide whether they want to engage with you and identify if your product is the right fit for them or not. This is especially true in the case of businesses who are providing services, due to the fact that there is no physical product it is even harder to choose the correct provider. 5. Google maps and Google Local results are also influenced by websites People think that the biggest factor for Google local ranking is you’re Google My Business or GMB profile and the proximity of your business to the searcher. Even though a complete GMB profile does not always guarantee that your business will show up in the Google local searches or map results. This is a common misunderstanding that once you setup a GMB profile, you automatically show up in your locally listed area. Despite what logic would have you believe, Google often shows listings of businesses that are not in the locally search area while taking out results that would otherwise show up. And it’s not for just the small brands that are affected by this, even the big brands get caught in the loop. So, what are the factors that affect such organic SEO rankings, well some of those are, backlinks, domain authority and click through ration from searches. The more clicks mean more relevancy and higher Google rankings even in the Google local and Google map searches. It also helps if you have location based information on your website to increase authority and linking that page to your GMB profile to enhance your local search results. www.sunmediamarketing.com | Call us +1-917-267-8626 | info@sunmediamarketing.com ©Copyright Sun Media Marketing 2017

8. Before you go We are in no way trying to say that you should not focus on Social media or deter you from using other media sources, far from it. In fact, a good Digital Marketing strategy should include a comprehensive use of all potential outlets. We just would like to educate you that even though Social media may be all that and more, your website is still at this day and age going to be most hardworking digital asset. As part of your digital strategy, the website should be front and center and the rest should be aligned around it. This will ensure that you keep on getting a good organic long term result, and keep appearing in local searches which are so curtail in gaining business. www.sunmediamarketing.com | Call us +1-917-267-8626 | info@sunmediamarketing.com ©Copyright Sun Media Marketing 2017

9. ABOUT SUN MEDIA MARKETING “We are an End-to End Digital Marketing Company With Expertise in Web Development” Sun Media Marketing is a full service digital marketing company with core expertise in a wide array of web design and development technologies. Founded in 2014, the company helps businesses grow their reach and visibility through advance digital marketing techniques. It also helps businesses create an enduring online identity with its proven web development services. We Create Better Branding Experiences At Sun Media Marketing, we are well aware that branding and that too digital branding needs to be taken to the next level. You cannot make an impression on your target audiences with regular run of the mill digital marketing campaigns and web development solutions. We constantly challenge ourselves to think out-of-the-box and come up with strategies that break through the clutter and help businesses beat their competition. Our Mission is Delivering Honest and Successful Solutions www.sunmediamarketing.com | Call us +1-917-267-8626 | info@sunmediamarketing.com ©Copyright Sun Media Marketing 2017

10. Need help with your current Digital Marketing Strategy? Sun Media Marketing 249, 2nd Floor, Maruti Plaza, Nr. Vijay Park BRTS, Highway No.8, Krishna Nagar, Naroda, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382350, India Call us on: +1-917-267-8626 or +91-9898630296 http://www.sunmediamarketing.com