Full Transcript
Lauren: So I was talking to a friend who just moved to SLO County with her toddler, and she's trying to find childcare. And she's literally on her phone at the playground, searching for preschools while her kid is on the swings. And I'm thinking... how do these preschools even get found?
Honor: Welcome to the 805 Web Minute with Lauren and Honor... We make interwebs and website stuff make sense... Let's get into it.
Honor: Okay so your friend at the playground? She's not unusual at all. That's actually how almost everyone finds childcare now. Let me throw some numbers at you.
Lauren: Alright, hit me.
Honor: 96 percent of people find local businesses through online searches. Not driving around, not asking neighbors... Google.
Lauren: Okay, that's high but I guess not surprising.
Honor: Here's the one that gets me though. 84 percent of those searches happen on phones. Like your friend at the playground.
Lauren: Oh wow. So if a preschool's website doesn't work on a phone...
Honor: They're invisible to most parents. But here's the really wild part. 76 percent of people who search for a local business will visit or call within 24 hours.
Lauren: Wait... 24 hours?
Honor: Yeah. Parents are stressed, they need childcare now, they're making decisions fast. So if they land on your website and can't find your phone number in like... two seconds... they're calling the next place.
Lauren: That's like... if you're a restaurant and someone's starving and standing outside your door, but your menu is written in tiny print on the back of the building. They're not gonna go looking for it.
Honor: Exactly! They're gonna walk next door.
Lauren: So what does a preschool website actually need to have? Like, what are parents looking for?
Honor: There are a few trust signals that matter. Real photos of your space... not stock photos of random kids. Staff bios with actual faces. Your license number visible. Testimonials from real parents. And pricing... don't make people call just to find out if they can afford you.
Lauren: Oh, that's a good point. If I have to dig for the price, I'm already feeling suspicious. Like... what are you hiding?
Honor: Right. And here's a stat that surprised me... 63 percent of parents say cost is a key factor. And 71 percent care about socialization, so show kids playing together, not just learning their ABCs alone.
Lauren: Oh, that makes sense. Parents want to see that their kid will have friends.
Honor: Exactly. And here's one that blew my mind... 67 percent of parents care about location relative to home. Not work. Home.
Lauren: Wait, really? I would have assumed near work...
Honor: Me too! But nope. So your address should be super easy to find on your website.
Lauren: Okay so basically... don't make parents hunt for the basics. Phone number, address, pricing... front and center. It's like... your website is your first handshake with these stressed-out parents. And if your handshake is weird and confusing, they're gonna trust someone else with their kid.
Honor: That's exactly it. And 62 percent of consumers flat out ignore businesses with no online presence. So if a preschool doesn't have a website at all...
Lauren: They basically don't exist.
Honor: To most parents, yeah. And 98 percent read reviews before deciding. You're trusting a stranger with your kid... you're gonna do your homework.
Lauren: Okay so the moral of the story is... if you run a preschool or daycare, pull up your website on your phone right now. Can you find the phone number in one second? Can you see real photos? Is the address obvious? If not... fix that today.
Honor: Because stressed parents are probably calling your competitor instead.
Lauren: And if you don't want to figure out all the website stuff yourself... give YouGrow a call!
Honor: Yeah. 79 dollars a month, I build the whole thing, it works on phones, and when you need to update your hours or add a new staff member... you just email me. I'm local, I'm in Arroyo Grande. No dashboards, no logins to remember. Month-to-month, cancel anytime.
Lauren: Love it. Alright, this has been 805 Web Minute. Thanks for listening.