“Many small businesses, especially new small businesses, run a lean operation. They focus on necessities and urgent matters, only spending money when they need to. So, it’s easy to see why some entrepreneurs might think a small business website is a luxury item they can afford to live without.
They might even believe a Facebook page is enough for an online presence, or that a sign with their phone number will generate calls, or that a traditional mailer will help them sell products. But the truth is, a great small business website is the best way to showcase your venture.” GoDaddy said it well when they shared those facts.
If you still aren’t sure that a website is right for your business, consider these seven reasons why you need a small business website:
Acts as an anchor for your marketing.
All of your marketing should revolve around your website. Marketing should act as a brief summary of your purpose, to sell your product or service. Grab your audiences attention with the right wording and graphics, keep it short and sweet by accomplishing the end goal of leading traffic back to your website for final conversion. Your marketing material begins with what exists on your website and ends with leading your audience back to your website.
Promotes and sells your products/services.
Your website is the hub of your business. It does all the work of promoting and selling your products or services. It provides a venue to allow you to share as much necessary information and images as needed to successfully promote your business. Your website works for you 24/7, even when you’re not available. Visitors can access pertinent information at any given moment to help seal the deal. With this constant attention, you can update your site with the latest news and information and ensure your website is equipped with the content needed to make finalize the sale.
Utilizing your website to its fullest potential pulls in traffic and establishes a built-in salesman. Your about page shares relatable information that lets the personality behind your business shine through. Your blog provides updated content to your visitors. Your portfolio allows you to display the latest products or services, keeping your site relevant and up to date.
If making online sales is the primary focus of your site, creating a secure eCommerce platform is crucial. Nothing is more prominent in today’s world than the convenience of click, buy and ship right here, right now. Although that convenience is imperative, they also need reliability and quality. A poor functioning app or website will turn visitors away faster than they came.
Connects with new customers (and keeps existing customers).
An effective website should retain customers and attract new ones. When people are ready to find something, they head to the search engines. Google searches for the best results based on core algorithms that monitor all online activity. If you are relying on a simple social profile or word of mouth, you can forget about showing up on the first page of Google (and we all know, no one goes past the first page). You need to prove yourself worthy of those searches, why should a consumer choose you over the leading guy? You can earn your listing by creating a strong website that contains quality content, keywords and the product or service the customer is looking for.
Helps local businesses compete with large brands.
How do you expect to compete with the big guys out there? You don’t have millions to spend every month on paid ads and continuous marketing to put your brand in the face of every consumer. You don’t have a team of hundreds working all hours to market your business in every aspect possible. You can, at least, do your best to create an online presence that works as it should. Social Media, online directories and a website all play equal roles in the success of your business. Without them, you can forget about winning the attention of your target audience when they can find it somewhere else.
A common misconception is that the “small town, local business” will continue to prosper via word of mouth and reputation. While that may prosper to an extent, it’s quickly diminishing. “In fact, an estimated 70% of U.S. households now use the internet when shopping locally for products and services.”
Builds credibility.
“A small business website makes your brand look legitimate, serious and credible. Without it, customers can’t find you, let alone learn to trust you. Not showing up in the search engines (or on the internet at all for that matter) is one of the fastest ways to lose credibility as a business.”
Who’s NOT online in today’s day and age? That’s going to be the first question potential consumers ask when they can’t find you. At that point, you are already forgotten, they’ve moved on and found what they were looking for. If you think they are going to “trust” a reference someone gave them without researching them online first, you can think again. They need to know you are current and your products or services are quality and present.
When your website features legitimate testimonials or reviews, you’re building your credibility. Showcase your own images and link to affiliates or clients when possible; anything that shows you are genuine and true.
Allows you to control your online destiny.
When you don’t have a website, search engines rely on what they can find and what consumers are putting out there. If someone is searching for your business and you don’t have a link for the search engines to find, they will provide anything they have found that relates to your business. This means random reviews, images or stories consumers have shared or old information that was shared years ago. You are at the hands of the world wide web and what they can find when you don’t provide the information for them.
“To avoid setting up a website, some small businesses set up a presence on another platform like Facebook, Medium or YouTube. They believe that they can get the same benefit of having web visibility without needing to develop their own platform. But this could be a big mistake. When you build your brand on a third-party platform, you are locked into their platform. They own your platform, you don’t.”
With a website, you can control the information visitors see first. You can put pertinent information in front of their eyes and guide them towards the right path.
Is simple and affordable to set up.
It’s not as expensive and scary as you’ve built it up to be. Taking this leap on your own might be…but that’s why we are here! Websites are a necessity and because of this, the platforms have become more user-friendly than ever. Working with a development company, like ours, allows you to express yourself while developing a design that is both visually appealing and functional. While proper develop takes some time and commitment, the end result is a well-built “online machine” that will perform to your every expectation. (and when we say time, we are talking a few months, a small timeframe for a lifetime of results). We understand that money is always a factor, especially for small businesses. The small investment for a quality website will prevail and larger return. And best of all, your website is yours! You helped design it, you expressed the functionality needs and now you can play with it and maintain it!
With a secure hosting environment and quality maintenance support, you can grow and add to your site as needed. Make it your own and allow it to build your online presence through a combination of your efforts, strong SEO and linked online marketing.
