[itslennysfault]

> If you don't want to do business with them just because you shun platforms

I don't do business with them because I can't access their hours, menu, services, etc... I've had this happen a few times. I'm not avoiding these businesses because I'm a snob. It's because I literally can't access the information. So, I go back to google and find a business that provides the information I need to decide if the business meets my needs before traveling to their location.

[mlrtime]

You can't even find a phone #? How about calling and asking? How do you know this place even exists without any information?

This is the opposite of old man yelling at clouds, it's young people complaining about the dumbest shit.

If the article writer is reading this, I feel the opposite. No, I don't want 1000 different websites. I like to use consolidated feeds.

No More Websites!

[latexr]

There used to be a particular restaurant I ordered from. It was a real restaurant, not a ghost kitchen. It was listed on Uber Eats and similar, but you could also order from them, which was significantly cheaper. We used to have an image of the menu and the phone number but eventually lost it. Because the restaurant was only listed on Facebook, none of us have a Facebook account, and Facebook aggressively tries to keep you out without an account, it was a royal pain to get the number back. But even after getting the phone number, it was WhatsApp only. Which I don’t use. Some of my friends do, so that was taken care of like that.

There was another place which was on the brink of closing and kept shifting its opening hours and days. I went there on occasion but because there was no official web presence I couldn’t trust the hours online (photographs of the schedule). So I called. Sometimes they picked up, sometimes they didn’t. When they didn’t, sometimes they were closed but other times were just busy and couldn’t come to the phone.

So no, you can’t always find a phone number, and you can’t always call and ask. Having a roughly up-to-date web presence is very useful. It doesn’t need to be a bespoke website, you can use a platform, just don’t exclusively use closed garbage like Facebook and Instagram which walls you off from customers.

[I-M-S]

From my experience, you can't count on businesses to update their website to correctly reflect their working hours at all times either (especially if it's a one-off change, for example being closed for a day)

[mlrtime]

If they don't have any of that, how do you think they will have a website? This is a solution looking for a problem.

[latexr]

Again:

> It doesn’t need to be a bespoke website, you can use a platform, just don’t exclusively use closed garbage like Facebook and Instagram which walls you off from customers.

[LatencyKills]

> 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.

[mlrtime]

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.

[abustamam]

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.

[LatencyKills]

> If I'm looking for a physical place I usually just look at Google maps.

Ah yes... I'm sure that is what 99% of people do. /s

You don't like reality... and that's fine. You do you. But, most businesses do need a web presence if they want be be discovered by the majority of potential customers.

[mlrtime]

They actually don't. Especially one that doesn't do any e-commerce.

[LatencyKills]

I'd literally bet my house that most people do a simple google search. No one goes to google maps as the first option when trying to find things unless they are in their car. (Well, except for you, of course)

In 2026, companies who want their customers to easily find them will have some type of web presence. I'm sorry that it is such a hardship for you.

[itslennysfault]

The phone. Wow. Great solution..... Literally the whole point of putting information online is so your employees don't have to waste time answering the same question 999999x per day.

[abustamam]

> You can't even find a phone #? How about calling and asking?

Wait what? How does he contact the website if he can't find contact info?

I don't disagree with your point BTW — not everyone needs a website. But at the same time, a business often needs to meet customers where they are. If they're OK with losing a small subset of customers because their business info is only on <insert platform here> and some people don't use said platform, then I don't see what's wrong with that. But if they're not OK with that, then they'll have a presence on more platforms which could include their own websites.

At the end of the day I don't really understand why anyone's arguing about any of this. If a business finds value in a website and it serves their business interests, they'll probably have one. If not, then they won't have one. No amount of philosophizing over democratizing the web will make my local café make a website.

[mlrtime]

>Wait what? How does he contact the website if he can't find contact info?

The same way you find the website, you google it. I have never had a problem getting a phone number of a business that doesn't have a website. Am I living in bizarro world? Why does a small business need a website just to provide a phone #?

[abustamam]

You are right that a small business does not need a website just to provide a phone number. But I think you are underestimating how many people truly do not want to make a phone call. Personally, if I see two businesses, one has no info but a phone number, and the other one has basic info even in their Google map profile, then I'm going with the one that doesn't make me pick up the phone.

[xigoi]

How does Google know the phone number if it’s not on a website?