Probably the question that any search engine optimisation specialist is asked most frequently is “What is the most common SEO mistake?” You might be surprised with the answer that Matt Cutts, head of Google’s own web spam busting team, has to this question.

In a video that he has posted this week he has said that the most common search engine optimisation mistake made by businesses is not to have a website. He goes on to say that by doing so businesses are invisible on the web. In his opinion too many businesses rely on services such as Yelp or other listings sites to carry their contact details and hope that that will be enough.

Looking at the 2013 statistics for Internet usage in the UK from the Office of National Statistics we can see that 73% of adults in the UK access the internet on a daily basis and that 53% use a mobile device to access the internet. In addition 83% of UK households have access to the internet.
This gives you some sort of idea of how important having a website can be in today’s digital economy. More people are looking online for suppliers of goods and services than ever before. Information is key to converting online browsers into your clients and customers. By not having a website you are limiting the amount of information that potential customers can learn about you.

You already know how great your business is but does having your contact details on a listing site tell others of your greatness? A website can help you to build trust that you are the preferred choice for the goods or services that your company provides. It allows you to give details of the services that you offer, helping users to understand why they should use you. You can add case studies to reinforce your message. The list goes on and on.

Of course having just a website does not necessarily mean that you will get instant success. You will still probably need to be found by search engines such as Google in order to get people to your website but by having a website at least you have made a start. There is generally no quick way to success in any field. Getting your website to the top of search engines through search engine optimisation will take time but one thing is for sure if you do not have a website you will not be found by Google.