I was thinking about the best topic to launch the Inspire Media blog with. I thought long and hard, and the answer become clear to me. How do business's find you and choose to visit your site over your competitors? It's through Google of course!

In recent times the development and importance of web and digital and how people find you and your business is imperative to the success of your marketing strategy. In the past you would go to the trusty yellow pages if you needed to find a business, but today the yellow pages is close to being obsolete. You would think that the next logical step would be people using the Yellow Pages website to find a business, but as it turns out, going to Google is much faster, simpler and more precise.

So to all those marketing managers out there who are struggling to get the digital web message across to their directors, just ask them one simple question: "When you want to find something, someone, or a business, where do you go"? Their prompt response will be, "Google' (with a small smile on their face).

Once you have established with your director that everyone goes to Google as their first port of call, the next phase is to Your website is the 'first experience' a potential new client has with your business and your brand emphasize that your website is the 'first experience' a potential new client has with your business and your brand.

Every piece of research I have read over the last 3 or more years shows that when people are looking for a company to do business with, they will go to Google, type in a few relevant keyword searches, and hopefully they will look at your website before those of your competitors. From here they will read the information that you have presented on your website, and compare it to your competitors. If you website is lacking in looks and information and most importantly doesn't engage the user compared to your competition, it is very unlikely your phone will ring after this review process.

I could go on all day writing about this topic, so i'll cut it short here. The purpose to my first blog post was to illustrate why your digital web presence is one of the single most important assets your business has in this new "Digital Age", and if you don't put the required time into your website, then you will find it hard to compete with your competitors no matter how great your product and/or service is.