A few months ago I was looking for an electrician. I needed someone to inspect my home for the Infinity Cable recalled by the ACCC. As most would do, I Googled for an electrician in my area.
The top ranking provider had a professional web presence that conveyed to me confidence in their capabilities. I called them only to be told they wouldn’t be able to come out for a month or two.
Not wanting to wait that long, I contacted the next one. Their phone had been disconnected.
Another told me he only worked with electrical cables. Since the Infinity Cable is an electrical cable and he obviously hadn’t heard of it, I took it as a sign to just say ‘thanks’ and hang up.
Just as I was about to give up and submit to a 1-2 month waiting list for an electrical safety check, I found someone; someone with a one-page website and working phone number, who knew what the Infinity Cable was. He came out the very next day.
And it got me thinking …
That shitty static one-page website that you built yourself 5-7 years ago, that is in no way mobile responsive – you might get away with it today. But as soon as businesses in your sector catch onto the relatively new concept of SEO, as they increasingly are, Google will just bury you.
Personally, I don’t mind scrolling a little longer to find what I want. But that’s because I am an SEO copywriter.
Many of my clients are businesses that set up websites 10 years ago so they could pop the URL on their business cards. And that was pretty cutting edge at the time. But the internet has evolved since then and they realise just having a website isn’t enough anymore, which is why they come to me.
Because I know these businesses exist, I know if I scroll a little longer I’ll find a one that hasn’t quite caught up with the times, offering the same product or service and generally at a lower cost with a faster turnaround time.
But I’m not your average internet user.
The average internet user won’t scroll past page one results, trusting that Google will deliver to them the most relevant and trusted web pages. And that’s true – the highest ranking results are those Google deems to be most relevant to your query based on the content of the website.
Due to a lack of competition in some sectors, those shitty static one-page websites are ranking highly – for now – but finding you evidently doesn’t mean choosing you.
This top ranking provider hadn’t monopolised the whole front page of Google. Ranking was just the start. There were other businesses listed, this business just had something they didn’t; a professional looking website that spoke to the quality and credibility of their service.
You only have to consider the availability of the two providers I was tossing up between. The top ranking provider who couldn’t come out for a month or two because they were busy, and the guy who was available anytime the very next day because business was slow.
And in this situation, there was only one top-notch website to compete with. Imagine how much more competition there will be as more professionally designed, mobile friendly, search engine optimised websites crop up.
So, what’s the moral of the story?
If you have a shitty static one-page website that you built yourself years ago and it’s in no way mobile responsive, but you’re lucky enough to rank due to a lack of competition in your sector, it’s time to get ahead of the game. Upgrading your website design and SEO now will not only reap instant rewards, it will future-proof you.
And with SEO, the future is now.