There’s no doubt that websites are extremely important to businesses.  As we meet various station managers and owners around the state and country, we are asked if they truly need a website.  So we thought we’d share and address a few of their common questions and concerns.

Isn’t Facebook (Social Media) Enough?

We have heard, “I have a Facebook page for my station and we use that to communicate and engage with listeners.  Isn’t that enough?”  We always respond that a business Facebook page isn’t intended to be used in place of a website, but is intended to be used in unison with your website.  Your website should be treated as “home base,” while your Facebook page should be treated as a way to share articles and features of your website with your social media followers.

A good station website should be considered a sister product to your radio brand.  The content that you put online should be a similar copy to what you put on-air.  That way it’s indexable and searchable.  That content will allow your station to be more easily found on search engines.  Social media outlets alone are not enough to accomplish these very important tasks.

Also, whenever we get this question we have to ask, “How much money is Facebook sending you each month?”  Facebook’s content policies do not allow certain contests and third-party advertisements.  So, you couldn’t sell the local car dealer a sponsorship of your Facebook page.  Disregarding this policy will likely get your Facebook account banned.  Having your own station website where you can drive traffic too, gives you something else to offer advertisers, listeners and your community.

Does My Old Website Still Cut It?

The internet is constantly advancing and evolving at break-neck speeds.  In order to stay on top, any station needs a website that looks modern, utilizes modern technology, and connects with listeners and advertisers.

If your website was built in 1999 and has not been touched since, it needs a complete overhaul – not an update!  Even if your website was built in 2009, the world of web design has seen a ton of growth since then and has new, valuable technology that your station should be taking advantage of.

Again, we have to revert back to the money question, “How much revenue is your current website bringing in?”  Let’s say you have a modern website, but if it’s more of a brochure than a content platform.  It’s safe to say that you’re not bringing in any revenue from it.  “Brochure” websites do not have much return traffic.  These websites have very little information that engages the visitor.  It might be a logo, a number to the request line and sales office and a cool map.  Why would listeners or anybody else want to return to that?  Little/no return traffic means that you have a website that is extremely hard to sell to advertisers.  If your website isn’t returning well above your monthly investment then you might as well not have one and save the monthly fees.

Is Mobile Responsiveness Important?

Mobile responsiveness is extremely important!  Mobile phones and tablets are in everyone’s hands these days.  They are literally changing the landscape of how content is being delivered.  This begs the question…how does your site look and perform on these mobile devices?  If it looks and performs poorly, you should take immediate action to remedy this problem.  We cover responsive web design and why you need it in detail here.

Skyrocket Radio Can Help!

If any of these topics have opened your eyes about your station’s website, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  We can bring your station into a new age online and show you different methods to engage your audience and bring in digital revenue.  We are looking forward to helping you succeed online.

This article courtesy of Skyrocket Radio and originally appeared at http://www.skyrocketradio.com/business/how-important-is-your-website-to-your-station/.