The digital world is changing very fast, and with each passing day, we see lots of changes happening in the digital space. As per the studies conducted by major media houses, the target users spend more time on mobile applications and social media pages than your company websites. Observe the dynamic changes in the behaviors of internet users worldwide and you will make out that trends are challenging for the websites to remain relevant.
We have seen people discussing the relevancy of websites for businesses when they can get 100 times good results from the other digital marketing platforms. The relevancy of websites should not be overlooked. It will be hard for you to find mobile applications or social media platforms running without a website as they are well aware of its importance. Today we will try to conclude a question that are websites still important?
Before we jump into it we should first discuss the key factors we think decreasing the relevancy of websites these days:-
Mobile applications – These days every big or small brand has its mobile application, and users prefer to spend more time on these applications rather than surfing their websites. The increasing trends of smartphones can be blamed, but the ease to use and access is also one of the primary factors behind it.
Increasing trends for Voice search – Most of us are well aware of devices like Alexa, Echo Dot, and others. These voice search devices had revolutionized the way we use to search things. Now you are no more required to type your search queries and click on the blue SEO links to get relevant results. Just make a voice search and everything you search will be in front of you within seconds.
Increasing trends for VR Versions – You can also observe that these days brands are shifting their focus on the VR versions and it is working well for them. VR version provides the 3D experiences to the users by creating a virtual environment. We have seen a commendable growth in VR versions in 2020.
A decrease in direct traffic – Yes, this is one of the significant factors which concerns the digital marketing experts. Due to increasing trends of social media pages, targeted advertisements, mobile applications, and virtual reality versions a sharp fall in the direct traffic of the brand’s website has been observed in the past two years. It is one of the prime reasons why we ask the question that are websites still important?
Well, these were some of the prime reasons for experts to think about the relevance of websites but we do have some supporting facts too. Ignoring the websites due to these trending factors can prove to be a big mistake for you. Overlooking your website to get quick visitors can lead to drastic effects on your brands, and below are some points which justify this fact.
Why websites are still important?
It is pretty safe for you to say just yes when someone asks whether websites are still important or not. No matter in what direction you want to take your marketing efforts having a website for your business always comes with added advantages. Even for your social media pages if you do not have a website to back up the page then you may lose the trust factor from the user’s point of view. Let’s jump into the benefits of having a website for your brand:-
Google search – It is the known fact that without a website you cannot rank for the user’s search queries. Google does read the information on your mobile application or social media pages to rank. It becomes essential for you to have a website so that your potential users can see it on the results for related queries. Websites with content relevant to user queries have more chances of converting your users into satisfied customers. If you want to work as per logarithms of search engines then having a website is one of the key things to appear on the search results.
The credibility of your brand – Have you seen any brand social media page or advertisements without a link to the website? Yes, this is where the relevancy of a website comes into play. You have a very good chance of losing your credibility if you do not have a website to back up your marketing efforts. As per studies it has been observed that more than 70% of internet users consider the website as a more credible source. More than 30% of the users don’t even consider buying products from brands that do not have websites and just rely on their social media pages.
Analysis of user behavior – The website allows you to get crucial data for traffic sources both from your free as well as paid digital marketing efforts. You can know the exact sources from which your visitors are coming and analyze their behavior to optimize your marketing efforts to get better ROI. Such data plays a very crucial role in competitive markets and can act as a vital component of a full-proof digital marketing plan for your business.
Unpredictable Changes – Do you remember the times when Yahoo AltaVista was in trend. We bet many of you are not even aware of the existence of AltaVista. With changing times and the introduction of innovative ideas, the things which are the strength of your digital marketing success may get outdated. How many of us use yahoo to search for things anymore? The same can happen to your current practices also, and having a website for the business will provide a prolonged backup for your strategies.
To be successful with your marketing efforts in the digital world we understand that social media, mobile applications, and other marketing channels have significant relevancy. It does not mean that we start ignoring our website as all the marketing efforts you do are for driving relevant users to your main hub i.e. your website. We hope that this article can remove your doubt regarding whether to have a website or not for your business and will help to formulate a better internet marketing strategy for your business.