Over the years, the WEBPRO team has encountered many clients who say they don’t need a website. The reason they believe they don’t need a website is that their business is referral-centric, that is, they receive most of their business from referrals.
If this is true, we totally understand why they would think a website is an unworthwhile investment. But this is seldom the case. Referral-centric businesses often fail to see how many people were referred to them but didn’t get in touch because they lacked an online presence.
The sales funnel journey that non-referred leads take is almost identical to one that a referred lead will take. And they can both be put off by a non-existent or unsatisfactory website. To show this in action, we’ve explained the typical journey of a referred lead.
Step #1: An online search
Some referrals might just give you a call straight away without doing any of their own research. This is more likely among populations who don’t use the internet frequently, especially older demographics. But many of the people referred to your business won’t just pick up the phone. They’ll do an online search to see if they can find your website.
When they do, they will either find:
- Your website
- Your competitors’ websites
Because Google search results show a number of relevant links, there is a very good chance that searching for your business will also show them your competitors. So, if they cannot find your website, they will have instant access to a competitor who is ready to snatch your referral. We should also mention here that even if you have a website, it might not show up on the search page if it hasn’t been optimised. WEBPRO’s Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) team can help you make your website more visible on search result pages.
Step #2: Reviewing your website and its content
Let’s imagine you do have a website and the referred lead did manage to find it. Your site then needs to convince the lead that they should contact you to enquire or for a quote. There are several ways this can be achieved, such as:
- The information they need to make a decision, such as informative service pages
- Providing engaging content, including written content, images and even videos
- A user-friendly design that makes navigation effortless
- Fast-loading web pages – people don’t like to wait around!
- A consistent brand identity
If your website doesn’t engage the lead, they can easily press the back button and look at your competitors’ websites.
Step #3: Checking reviews
Multiple pieces of research have looked into the number of people who look for online reviews before they engage with a business online. The figures uncovered mostly exceed 90%, suggesting that at least 9 in 10 people will read a review before buying.
Your referred leads will be no different and they might still look for reviews even when you don’t have a website. It’s still possible to have Trustpilot reviews and online Google reviews without a website, but you will need a Business Profile and a free Goggle My Business account for the latter.
It’s not just negative reviews that put people off. Having minimal reviews and responding poorly to any negative reviews can stop people from making contact with your business.
Step #4: Checking social media
Another part of the journey for some referred leads will be to look at your social media. This becomes even more likely if you don’t have a website. But they may still look here when you do. Social media can be a good way for leads to see if your business values align with their personal values. Moreover, it can be another great place to check for reviews.
Recap: Referral-based businesses sometimes tell us they don’t need a website because most of their business comes from referrals. This seems logical, but when you consider the steps a referred lead will take before getting in touch, it’s simply not true. Most referred leads don’t just pick up the phone. They search for your website online. They check to see if your product or service is what they’re looking for. They check online reviews. And they might even check your social media accounts.
The bottom line? If you’re abandoning your online presence, you’re also abandoning referrals, letting them slip through the net to competitors.
WEBPRO Knows
Around 88% of people who search for a specific business online will make contact with that business within 24 hours!
