alt Hacker News> How do you know this place even exists without any information?
You want to find an antique book store in another state. How do you find it? You search the web. And what information bubbles to the top of the search results? Answer: businesses with websites.
If you are a business owner, you will lose customers without a website, because that is how most people will find you.
You might not like it... but that is the reality.
Replies
mlrtime • yesterday at 3:24 PM
I don't think so, for the majority of the world (not HN), the first hit will be google maps or equivalent if there is no website. It works fine.
A website also works, I'm not anti-website. But the tone of the article is absurd IMO.
If I'm looking for a physical place I usually just look at Google maps. "Minneapolis antique bookstores." I'll look at pics, see if the vibe is cool, etc. Relying on Google SEO is a recipe for disaster in my experience because there's no guarantee that the bookstore is even in or near Minneapolis. Other people probably browse the web differently though.
I honestly would not expect an antique bookstore to have a website, unless they let you buy their books online.