LBS websites: what’s helpful and/or interesting?

[OakLeaf]

I like to see that the shop is involved with the community.

That can mean different things for different shops. Maybe they help with kids' bike safety education. Maybe they sponsor a race team. Maybe they maintain MTB trails. Maybe they support a patch ride or two.

Whatever it is, it tells me that the shop is giving something back, and that if I give them my money, it really is going to stay local. It also tells me something about the shop's priorities and specialties. Maybe I want to support them because I admire their mission, maybe they have extra expertise in something I need for my own riding.

Ride schedules are nice; whether or not the shop itself sponsors rides, it can link to local clubs.

I do like the life story, actually. If it's an established shop, history is cool. If it's a newer shop, then why are you here?



+1 that if I'm choosing a company I don't know, their website is a BIG factor. I want it to show me that they care about attracting new customers and retaining the customers they have. So it has to be accessible and attractive, and the who, what, when, where has to be in plain sight. In theory, too big and too glitzy is a turn-off, just as too-big yellow pages ads were before the internets, but I've honestly never seen a LBS website that I would describe that way.