Have you ever tried to Google a smell?
Maybe something in your house smells so familiar—something related to a restaurant you went to a few years back—but you just can’t put your finger on it. So, like we all do when we have a question to which we don’t know the answer, you turn to Google.
But what do you type? How do you describe a smell to Google? More importantly, how do you use that description to ask Google to find the restaurant you may have been to several years ago?
Imagine the search query.
what restaurant smells like citrusy deep-fried food with a hint of lavender candles?
You’re going to give Google an aneurysm.
But say, just before you type in this ridiculous question to Google, your spouse comes home, takes a big whiff of the room, and declares, “Wow. It smells like that county fair we attended 10 years ago. The one next to the orange plantation, remember?”
Of course! you think. It wasn’t a restaurant. It was a county fair. You were way off. Google would have never figured that one out.
Personal Connections Matter More Than Ever
Try as it might, digital communication will never usurp the King of Context: personal connections. The relationships we build with each other help us build context with our shared world. That’s why Google can’t tell you which aunt makes that cake you like so much, what color dress your mother wore to your cousin’s baptism when you were seven, or what the smell in your house reminds you of.
Websites companies like Squarespace or VistaPrint or Wix may have all the technology in the world at their disposal: online chats, email help support, weekday helpline, etc. But what does all the technology get you if you’re passed around from one customer support rep to the next?
I started Little Rocket Sites to provide affordable web design for small businesses in Arkansas. But more than affordability, I want to provide peace of mind to my clients. At the end of the day, all you have to do is call or text me. Because I know you, I know your business’s challenges, and I can help you figure out a solution. I have context because of our personal relationship.
Who knows? After a while working together, I may even help you remember what that smell reminds you of.
