There are lots of ways people look for information when on the customer decision journey. They may ask for recommendations among family and friends, they might post a recommendation request on social media, they might open a browser and text search, hear a TV or radio ad, see a billboard/bus sign, direct mail, or they might just ask Siri or Google using a phone, tablet or voice assistant. Regardless of how they investigate, is your business going to be visible? Will you be prominent in the results so that your offering can be considered? What if the customer never visits your website?
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Regardless of how they investigate, is your business going to be visible?
If customers know your brand or company name, it can certainly help with visibility. After all, isn’t the goal of marketing to make sure that when the customer is in the process of searching for a solution to a challenge (aka, researching a purchasing decision), your company/product/service shows up as an option? What will they see? Will it differ depending on the question asked? What other companies/products show up? What does their review profile look like, compared to yours? Are the correct address, phone number and hours listed for your business? What results are shown if they don’t know your company/product name?
THE CHALLENGE OF DIGITAL KNOWLEDGE VARIABILITY
It used to be that a website was viewed as the leading authority on a company’s products and services. As the sophistication of search engines and the people conducting the searches have progressed, data shows search engine results pages, apps, voice assistants, and maps get an average of almost 3-times the visits than do websites.
Yext says more than 70% of high-intent customers never visit a company website before making a decision. What’s more, when you are sent to a website, it is likely to be to something other than the home page. Does that mean a website isn’t necessary any longer? No, it means you need to also be more aware of how information about your company is being presented in the more than 60 search engines, apps, and voice assistants. You need to take steps to ensure your business is awesome everywhere.
