This is  a serious topic that really doesn’t require much explaining. How many times have you heard, first impressions are everything? I hear complaints all the time regarding how something looks. Our society is totally based upon first impressions. Yes,  there are a few cases where someone does great just on referrals alone. Maybe they had a huge network already, logistics being the only game in town or just mere blind luck. But for everyone else starting out, isn’t every customer important?

I can’t think of anyone that doesn’t hit the internet to check out a company in some way first before using them. Your site reflects YOU. It’s you in a digital form. Having a bad site whether it’s broken, bad links, or just plain ugly is like having Drunk Uncle Bob introducing you at a job interview. Would you let Drunk Uncle Bob go into the board room to present your product before you got there? NO!

Opportunity costs here could be HUGE just because you want to save a few bucks and in the near long term it’s costing you tons more! How many potential clients are you losing a month, a year. Multiply that number by what you would have made. 12 clients in a year at $100 per client is $1,200. Now how many referrals could have been had. Another 10? so really $2,200?

Let’s us a gym or an automotive shop as an example. Someone searches the available shops in town. Here is where SEO can help you by putting you further up in line. First one up will usually be the first one clicked on. If your site is hideous, the first thought will be wow, this site is amateur are their mechanics the same or if a gym will my work have the same amount of attention.