I have a distinct memory in high school when one of my friends held up a wrapper that had the company’s website printed on it and we all thought it was so funny for a company to have a website. I mean, what was the point? Who was going to visit a company’s website?
Granted, this was way back in the 90’s when our understanding of the internet was that it was only good for school research, instant messaging with friends, and downloading all the music you could ever want from Napster (sorry, not sorry, Metallica!). Little did I know we were about to experience a huge shift in how businesses would market their products and services.
One result of this shift is the growing importance of search engine optimization, or SEO. Another result is increased competition because the barrier to entry, to create a website, is now so low.
It’s a lot like the running boom in the 70’s.