Ask Dale

The short answer to this one is, a qualified yes. Google+ is Google’s attempt to take on Facebook and lure eyeballs away from the dominant social network. Google is a savvy company, and Google+ has some features that make it better than Facebook. But once again, the marketplace has proven that having a good product – or even a better product – is not enough to win the day. Especially if you’re late to the party.

The answer is – yes, you should have a mobile-ready site. Mobile traffic continues to rise, and is approaching 1/2 of all web traffic. Based on this undeniable trend, Google has upped the ante and raised the stakes for the search game: they will rank you higher in search if your site is mobile-friendly.

Your web site isn’t an IT project or a waste of money on technology no one understands. It’s a marketing tool, and it should be paying for itself many times over. If your site isn’t doing its job, or if you think it’s a waste of money, let’s put it back to work.

If you’ve read any of my other “Ask Dale” columns, you probably know what the answer is going to be: it depends. How much does a new web site cost? It depends on what your marketing goals are.

Should you have a Facebook business page? As usual, my answer is… it depends. If your target customers are on Facebook, then you should be where your customers are. But take care, and make sure you don’t become a digital sharecropper.