In an era dominated by social media, it isn’t uncommon to hear business owners say they think having a Facebook page is enough. I’m here to tell you that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Especially not when 75% of people believe that they can judge the credibility of any business through its website.
Still today, 36% of small businesses don’t have a website, let alone, a comprehensive online presence. The reason? Many small businesses are unaware of the profitable benefits of having an effective website. Let’s take a look at just a few of the reasons why you need a website for your small business.
These days, the first thing most people do when they hear about a new business is look it up online. And if you don’t have a website set-up, you might as well not exist for those potential customers.
Unlike a traditional storefront, your website is open 365 days a year, 24/7. There are no holidays and it’s consistently working overtime without incurring any of those extra costs.
Moreover, a website allows you to shape the way people perceive your business. Having a website gains you credibility and the opportunity to generate income.
Our client, Soul, Mind & Strength, approached us as a start-up looking for help creating a website that could grow along with their business. Whether you’re a start-up, an established business or a large corporation, a website should have place in your marketing mix. According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 21% of clients will work with businesses without a website.
Restricting your small business to a storefront means your reach only extends to the people who directly meet with you, hear about you or see ads from you. With a website, you’re able to bypass the limitations of running a smaller operation and get your name in front a wider audience.
With optimized web pages, your site can rise to the first page of Google Search Rankings making it easier to find you.
A blog can also help increase your chances of being discovered by your target market. It’s shown that businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors than businesses that don't.
Websites aren’t only about sharing your product and service with the world. If used correctly, they can also be a great tool for learning about your customers. You can then use the information you collect to drive more sales and conversions.
With a little help from Google Analytics, you can determine:
Let’s be honest – the number one benefit of having a small business website is that it leads to more sales! A good website can attract customers and help you keep them.
Take the website we did for The LevenGood Company for example. Without a website, customers would be restricted to visiting their store during normal operating hours. Now, with a digital web presence they are able to service customers 24/7 with pages dedicated to their products and forms offering free consultations at the convenience of the website visitor. Without a website, the leads they generate through these forms would be missed opportunities and potentially missed sales.
It wasn’t too long ago that Covid-19 necessitated governments to impose community lockdowns and businesses came to a standstill. Well, most businesses.
For those with a website it was “Business as Usual”.
Businesses with a website were able to more easily transition to remote work, capturing all leads online, digital advertising and implementing live chat features and email support to continue serving their customer base.
If there’s anything we can take away from the Covid-19 pandemic, it would be the importance of having a website for your business.
Think of your website as your digital storefront. It’s where current and potential customers go to find you online.
Your home page identifies your value proposition, the About Us page tells who you are and what you do and the Contact Us page shares exactly how to get in touch with you.
These three simple pages give your business an online identity, legitimizing your business and improving trust and credibility with your customers.
Our client’s, E.W. Smith Tree Service, website is the perfect example of this. The homepage hero image gives the value proposition and the main navigation makes it easy for website visitors to navigate to learn more about the business or contact them if they feel they are a good fit.
Smaller companies, while they may not have six-figure marketing budgets, deserve thoughtful strategies and great customer service. We’re here to tell you that you can still make a big impact without a big budget.
If you run a small or medium-sized company that expects quality website design, hosting and digital marketing, please take a moment to reach out.