In recent days, a lot of small local businesses are using social media profiles pages as a way of having some online presence and showcasing what kind of products or services they offer, rather than websites, being the main digital face of their operation. Sambet Africa Digital Advertising has conducted a research in Ghana based on the observation of the approach used by small and medium businesses when it comes to building online presence and digital marketing strategy in the local market.

Why are we writing about this topic? Because based on a research and data collected from a recent survey, a surprising number of businesses in Ghana don’t have websites and quite a few number of individuals in the country based on the survey think it’s necessary for businesses to have a website as their main face when it comes to having online presence.

One of the major observations that came out of our research in the local market was the fact that some well established businesses and organisations with websites were not often updated and not mobile-optimised. As part of the reasons businesses are giving less attention to their websites is the evolvement of many other media platforms such as social media sites, business directories and many more which brings competition for relevance in the market.

Today, social media, especially Facebook is having a lot of influence on small and medium sized businesses, which was confirmed from our May 2017 survey in Ghana. 70 percent of respondents said it would be social media if they could only select one form of online marketing to use. With a large margin, website came second at 21 percent which basically explains why social media pages such as Facebook business profiles are increasingly used as the main public-facing landing page for online presence.



There are other profile step-up home pages such as local business directories that are sophisticated enough to make it virtually possible to show all the key information about the business that potential customers may be looking for.

However, all these reasons might sum up to the fact that third party owned profiles and pages seem to be sufficient and quite simpler alternative way for small and medium sized businesses to operate digitally, but somehow, we don’t agree to that.

Here are reasons why we think small and medium sized businesses need websites for local search online marketing;

1. Customers use websites to find or engage with businesses

Even though there’s a study that shows that people spend a lot of their time on social media platforms – which has caused most small and medium sized businesses to focus more on building their online awareness only on social media websites – customers are more likely to search for business websites in search engines or click on the business website link on the social media business profile and business directory pages.

2. Local ranking factors for search engines are related to websites

Due to subsequent changes in online user behaviour, consumers are using search engines such as Google to find information about local businesses. As a result, a business website is an important ranking factor that search engines use for its local organic rankings. Business websites are considered by Google’s organic ranking factors based on how authoritative the website is, quality and relevance of website content and many more.

3. Customers will likely not consider a business without a website

A business Facebook profile or directory listing profile doesn’t guarantee that the customer will be satisfied and wouldn’t also like to see a business website. Research has proven that consumers need to gather information from several sources before making a final decision to purchase or not. Therefore, businesses without websites tend to lose potential customers who have high intent of making a purchase or subscribing.

4. Local businesses need websites to verify location on Google map

For Google to verify a business location on Google map, the business or organisation must have a website to complete their ‘Google My Business’ profile. It’s quite important for customers to locate businesses near them and if they don’t they find other locations where the business is available. Reviews and ratings are also extra packages that businesses who own websites can get once verified on Google maps.

5. Website builds trust for the business in the eyes of customers

There are a lot of ways customers can find you online, but one big part of a business online reputation depends on its website. A website is a tool which businesses can use to influence consumer decision based on its credibility, design, responsiveness, etc. Facebook and other social media platforms may just provide a partial view of a business, with limited ability to personalise design since all information are showcased in a similar way for everyone who creates a business profile.