Why a properly optimized web site feeds referrals.

How many times has a friend or family member mentioned that they where looking for a good (insert service here) and you reply “oh yeah I went to this great place in place in (insert city) or I think the place was called (insert name)

This person loved your service wants to recommend your business but they can’t remember all of your info. So what does this person do? They hop on the Internet and start searching on Google.

So they punch all of information they know about your business into a search engine and bam out comes the results….”oh there they are its called “your company name”

Because you have a web site that ranks well for business relevant search terms this person was able to find you and refer you to their friend.

Here is another example. Say your company has a hard to remember url, well the person receiving the referral probably wont remember your url but they will remember your company name. Once again a quick search for your name yields your web site and boom you just got another referral.

Web sites feed referrals, having a web site allows co-workers and friends to quickly email text or forward your business information. Every small business persons knows that referrals can be their most significant source of business because referrals are pre qualified and a layer of trust has already been established easing the sales process.

I hear small business people tell me all the time in response to where do your current customers come from? They say “referrals” proudly. They quickly follow with I don’t think a web site will help me because all of my clients are from referrals.

My response is how many referrals are you losing because you don’t have a web site?

Now days with the mass of information available on the Internet many times when a friend or colleague refers us to a product or service we quickly check the Internet for information on that company. We want to see for our self if the company being recommend is worthwhile. We are a skeptical bunch who often times trust reviews of strangers on Yelp or Google just as much as we do our friends.

So make sure the source of this information is your source. Managing your review sites and maintaining a web presence is vital to capitalize on the new wave of referral customers.