"My website isn't how we get business" is something we've heard a lot from prospects when we talk about the benefit of a good website.

When we hear that comment, it always turns out because the company's website kinda sucks. Nor is their site showing up on Google's search results. And that is why they never get business from their website.

Speaking from personal experience, we do get new business from our website. Just this month, we've got three calls from companies that found us on Google.

How do we show up well on Google?

We follow the "Gospel of Google," and play by their rules. Because of you don't play by their rules, you won't show up well, or worse, get blacklisted from their search results completely. And if you don't think that can happen, you'd be wrong. It's happened to two companies we know of, and even to JCPenney.

These days, Google's algorithms measure what people do on your website. (Google knows that because, hopefully, you have Google Analytics on your website, right?) There are several factors that come into play, and the main ones are shown in this SEO infographic we've done on what Google looks for.

Are you better than your competitors?

Does your competitor get business from their website? If they do, they're way ahead of you.

So how do you level the playing field? By making your website better than your competitors' websites. That's important, because if you're better than your competitors, your website should be better than theirs.

If your website isn't better than theirs, how would your prospect know what you do is better, or different, than what your competitors do? And if you have a sub-standard website, your prospects might not follow through with that email or phone call

Here are a few areas that will make your site better than your competitor's sites:

• Make it responsive. Half of all searches now are done on mobile devices (smart phones and tablets), so if your site isn't responsive (meaning it works for desktop monitors, and reconfigures the graphics when viewed on mobile devices) Google will demote your website on searches done from those devices.
• Have your company look more evolved than theirs. Crappy websites tell your prospects your product or service may not be top-of-the-line. And that doesn't instill much confidence in people who don't know your company and how good it really is.
• Giving it a marketing perspective. A marketing-oriented website is one that looks at what you offer from your customers' perspective. No one wants to hear how great you think you are. Talk about what you do that makes your customer's lives better.

Finding a good web design firm.

Lots of Columbus web design firms are good, but are they good for you? It's hard to know, even if they seem like great folks.

Finding a web design firm, like finding any company that does something more complex than it seems. We're sure what you do is more complex than the casual prospect might think, not knowing all the details that go into delivering the quality product you do.

To find the right web design firm, it's critical you start with knowing the right questions to ask. So we're here to help by giving you a list of questions to ask any web design firm you speak to. Download this interactive infographic of 7 questions to ask any web design firm.

Look them over, add to it with your own research, and make sure the website design Columbus Ohio firms have done it for themselves, or their clients, what you want them to do for you.