Does your small business need a website? Of course, Yes!
Did you know that according to a Nielsen Company audience report for the first quarter of 2016, about 81% of people in the United States use smartphones? Plus, 88.5% of people in both the U.S. and Canada are internet users? With these facts, as a small business even with ten employees or less, you should have a business website, as it’s where your potential customers are looking for you.
However, the problem is, small business owners like you still don’t understand the importance of the Internet. Based on a survey by research firm Clutch, about 46% of small businesses don’t have a website for their company. Maybe you think why to have a professional site when you can do everything on the social media and save money. However, if you really want people to know about your business and not just rely on word of mouth, your business sure needs a professional website. In fact, you are losing a whole lot of eyeballs that could be your – if you had a professional site. If you still not convinced here are five more reasons that may persuade you to develop a website to grow your business online.
Why should all small business have a website?
The Internet is the New Window Shopping
Gone are those old days where people used to take out time to stroll down the local market to check out stores to see what’s trending. Window shopping is now a coffee break activity these days, where people just go to the online and plan their next purchases. If you don’t have an online presence, by first and foremost, having a business website, your business is losing a considerable number of customers to your competitors. Create a business website, list your business with the correct business name, your street address and phone number on the business listings like “Google My Business”. It will help your customers to find you easily online and also visit your brick and mortar store if needed. A business listing can also act as review platform for your business. When people see good reviews about your business from your customers, they would want to trust in your store. Social media is also another platform where people spend time, browsing to see new trends. You can integrate your social media channels with your website and post all the details about your product and services. However, if you decide to grow your business on social media, ensure you update it regularly, or else it may tamper your business credibility.
No Business Website Meaning Losing Customer – Your Customers Expect it!
Isn’t that enough of a reason? Your customer expects your business to have a website. I’m sure, by now you understand that if don’t a website, you are losing an opportunity of your customers knowing your business. Be it a small brand or a large entity; people tend to look for their website to understand more about the company and more importantly about their customer service. Regardless of how many customers and clients you have, not having a website meaning, you are losing your digital-savvy customers. There’s honestly no excuse for not having a website. If you want to target audience online, create a fully functional site with quality content about your business that engages and encourages people to spend money in your business.
Why Limit to Offline Marketing Campaigns? Go Online with a Website
Having a website gives businesses a whole new marketing and communication opportunity that didn’t exist before. Having a web presence is like having an online billboard to attract new business by using low-cost digital marketing techniques like search engine optimization. You can have complete control over it and reach a growing customer base that was hidden to you until now. A website is an investment which gives you an ongoing opportunity to communicate with your customers and promote your business. Your business website is your first marketing step. Your website can also be used as the landing page for your advertisements. By including the URL of your site in your ads, you are offering your potential customers an opportunity to know more about your products or services. Your website is a stamp of credibility of your business.
A Website Gives Your Business Legitimacy and Credibility
Your business website is like a real physical address to your online store. It gives instant credibility to your business. There was a study conducted by Verisign in 2015 that showed 84% of people who browse for a product or service online trust businesses that have a website than the ones without. Many people are looking online for various things like a solution to their problems or booking a vacation or a restaurant nearby. If you don’t have a website, you are losing your business credibility. Furthermore, you are even losing your customers to your competitor who has a business website. Looked at another way, if you have a site, you are proving yourself as a trustworthy business. It tells your customers, you are there to address any query they have and they can contact you anytime.
A Website Can Save You Money and Time
A business website can save you a lot of time and money by being able to give your customers all the information they need and not print any marketing material. The best part is, it’s available all the time regardless of you being open or not. Let me ask you something, if you didn’t have a website, what was the possible way your customer would have contacted you? Either on your phone number or an email address which he may have got from a flyer or a brochure. However, isn’t answering all the questions via phone or an email time-consuming? Also, you would have to hire a person who is always available to answer the calls and emails, which adds up the cost to your marketing budget. Instead, if you had a professional website with a strategically placed contact form on it, the consumer would directly visit the website. If he still had a query, he would fill in the form to get in touch with you. It provides you with two opportunities – a potential lead and when you get in contact with the consumer, you already know what he is looking for. You can provide him with an exact solution increasing the possibility of the lead getting converted to a customer.