• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, April 14, 2020

Websites are often the first place searchers go when they want to learn more about the products or the business, but more than one in three small businesses -- at 37%, down from 40% in 2019 -- do not have a website, according to findings of a recent survey.

Data from Visual Objects, a sibling of Clutch and The Manifest that launched in 2018, suggests that while 69% have in-house employees managing their websites, 77% of those in-house employees balance running the website with other responsibilities. They also have discovered that visual content is the most popular form of website content for small businesses, and the most effective at driving traffic back to websites. In fact, the survey finds one-quarter of businesses participating in the study say visuals drive the most traffic to their website.

The survey analyzed findings from 500 small business owners and managers at companies in the U.S. with fewer than 500 employees.

Rankings in search engines is important, but data suggests it is more important to build a website for potential and existing customers, rather than ranking in search engines like Google and Bing.

Some 29% say they have a website primarily to better rank in search engine results and 23% struggle with the time and expertise required to build and maintain a website.

More than one-third -- or 34% of businesses -- said they use their website primarily to showcase products and services. Don’t kid yourselves. Many consumers can spot websites trying to rank in the search engine result pages at the expense of their customers.

Keyword stuffing is one example of websites trying to rank higher at the expense of the consumer experience, but the websites copy typically usually read unnatural.

Half of people will leave websites permanently if the content isn’t relevant to them.

Even simple websites require dedicated time to make sure content and interface are helpful to site visitors.

Neglecting or putting off website maintenance risks increasing website bounce rate.