In today’s digital age, the best way to find new businesses, products, and services is by searching the web for options.
It’s really of no great surprise that most businesses today have gone down the online route to connect with consumers in a way practically unheard of 30 years ago.
Now, only you can decide whether or not a website is right for you, but here are eight reasons to consider before making a change.
1. Your main competition is already online
While “everyone else is doing it” is not a valid argument that fits most decision making, choosing to get your business online with other businesses that have gone online is a no-brainer at this point in the digital age.
In 2019 not having a website for a business is rather like saying that you do not need the revenue and online presence for your business.
The simple fact is that if you are a business today most, if not all, of your competition is already online, and they’re getting customers that you’re not as a result.
Not having a website is a huge disadvantage to your own business.
2. It will increase your audience
Having a website opens up your business and your products to a global audience, which is especially important if you utilise your website as an e-commerce store.
Selling your products online is a great way to supplement your offline business, and even if you’re not selling a product even the simplest of websites offers exposure to a free market otherwise left untapped.
Plus, we live in a culture where “Google It” is a phrase uttered by almost everyone across the globe on a daily basis, and I think not having a website is a bit of an oversight for any business in existence.
3. 24/7 Customer Service
Having a well-functioning website is a great move for customer service, allowing your customers to find basic information online that they would otherwise have to call in about taking up the time of you or your employees that could be better spent doing other work.
Information requests by customers, or prospective customers, can be handled instantly.
A website can work for you while your business is closed, allowing customers to figure out vital information they would otherwise have to wait to have answered.
Your business can run online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. With some attention to detail and a solid SEO strategy, your website could become your most valued asset.
4. Allows you to create an impactful first-impression
First impressions count right? We are living in the genesis of the digital age where your customers can pull a tiny computer out of their pocket and access your website within 15 seconds.
You can likely see how this kind of instant gratification also results in a viewer making a judgment about your website and any service it offers. Unless your website is well designed, instantly informative, and user-friendly you’re likely to lose a customer.
Just like your business front, it is your job to create the first impression that passersby have of your shop.
Creating a new website puts you in pole position. A good web designer knows how to implement a style that evokes the impression you intend users to have leaving your business.
5. Great for recruitment
Your own website is a great tool for recruitment when you’re looking to fill positions within your business.
The classified ads have all but disappeared from traditional print, making the move to digital (like everything else).
Your website can be a direct hub for processing online applications, alleviating the hassle of collecting and sorting through endless piles of cover letters and resumes.
6. Having a website makes you more discoverable
Getting discovered online goes beyond search engine results, and having a website with well thought out keywords, proper coding, and appropriate classification aids in having your business information indexed on GPS devices, social media, and other websites that index your business’s information for users to access.
7. People are already talking about your business online
This comes as a surprise to many small business owners, but there’s a significant chance that your business already has a web presence. With websites like Yelp, Google, Facebook, Twitter and other websites that allow user feedback, you can bet that someone has already reviewed you.
It’s an unfortunate truth, but a customer who has had a bad experience with your business is considerably more likely to take to the internet to write a review than someone who had a pleasant experience.
Bearing this in mind, having a website and utilising search engine optimisation techniques allows you to push this kind of website further down the page of results.
Even with positive reviews, if the first thing that pops up when users search for your business name is a user review site like Yelp your credibility takes a steep slide into non-existence, even if you have more good reviews than bad.
Having a website gives you the opportunity to guide the conversation. While simply having a web presence won’t stop people from writing negative reviews about you, it does give you a voice in the game that would otherwise be lost.
8. It is your shopfront to the digital world
The web is a tool without geographic boundaries, it allows your business reach anywhere in the world so if you have a business that is focused on growing internationally, a properly designed and optimised website can provide really good results.
CONCLUSION
If you would like to discuss your project or just need some advice, comment below, get in touch via email us or call on 086-8710018.
