Fixing Lame Web Sites

Cable operator, have you looked at your Web site lately? Does it have a robust home where small- and medium-size business services can easily be found, researched and acted on by potential customers? Can small- and medium-size businesses even find these services through a simple online search?

Unfortunately, our research shows that the answer is a resounding no. And that’s surprising, because small and mid-sized businesses are on the hunt for alternatives to incumbents and the time is ripe for cable operators to be front and center making their offerings.

The research shows that many of these businesses heavily rely on word of mouth and the Internet to find alternatives to incumbents. This is cable’s window of opportunity. And, given that Internet marketing is highly effective and low-cost, it’s overdue to be tapped to its full potential.

So, what’s lacking? Deloitte Consulting’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications practice conducted a series of Web searches for business and data services using the top three search engines, Google, Yahoo and MSN, and found slim results when typing in a variety of simple business-service terms, including “business telephone services” and “business data services.” This remained the case even with the word “cable” added to a few of these searches. And, when using the phrase “business Internet services,” there was no cable company listing. What this tells us is that cable operators aren’t fully utilizing search-engine optimization techniques.

On the Web sites themselves, few cable operators clearly differentiate their business services from their residential services, making it challenging for potential business customers to learn about offerings appropriate for their needs. Strikingly, few cable operators’ business-services sites have a strong call to action, which inhibits the ability of potential customers to request information or a sales call.

Finally, our research found that cable operators have inconsistencies between corporate and regional or local Web sites. In contrast, telephone companies are far more consistent in differentiating their business brand from residential and in capturing leads online.

The good news is that these oversights can easily be remedied. Let’s face it: If you’re not in the top 10 search results, you’re not in the running for the sale.

We’re talking the basics here. In the search arena, this includes:

• Incorporating techniques such as appropriate keyword density;
• Increasing the number of links to the page;
• Placing meaningful keywords within the title tags of the page;
• Developing a concise description meta tag.

And, no matter where in the country the potential customer is, that customer should land on a Web site that consistently and clearly shows the cable operator brand and its offerings for small- and midsized firms.

Two to three years is a short time in the business world. It’s time to take advantage of a marketing asset you already have — your Web site — to help new customers find you and learn more about what you can offer them.