So you’ve opened a new business or been in business for some time and you’re wondering if a website or a new website is worth investing in. Do I really need a website for my business to be successful? There are more important things to spend the little money I have right now to keep my business going.
These are all important thoughts and questions that every business owner will have and in this article I will answer those questions and give 5 solid reasons why your business really needs a website.
1. YOUR COMPETITORS HAVE ONE
I’m sure you’re like most people when it comes to finding something you need. What do most people do? They go online. Whenever we need something, whether we are in a new city or at home, we search the internet for the things we need and if your business is not online with a reliable professional website, these people will find your competitors.
2. IT COST A LOT MORE NOT TO HAVE A WEBSITE
Touching a bit on reason #1 if your business is not online or even if you are online but you don’t have a credible professional website, your customers won’t find you and will pass you on to your competitor who has a strong sales targeting website. Whatever niche you are in, on Google there are thousands of GEO-targeted searches for your business niche every month. If only 100 of them generated sales, how much revenue did your company lose because your competitors were better equipped to attract? those sales.
3. YOU ARE OPEN 24/7
With a brick and mortar business, it is open from 8 to 12 hours a day. Did you know that most people search the web at night when most businesses are closed? But if you have a website, your customers can still learn about your products and services, even sell if you have an online store while dining, sleeping, or on vacation. Your business continues to operate 24/7, increasing your leads and sales without you even realizing it.
4. MAKE YOUR WORK EASIER AND IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE
Having a website can make running your business much easier and more effective. For ex. A simple FAQ page can answer popular questions about your products or services, saving you time and hassle. If your business requires forms or information that your customers need, you can direct them to download them from your website.
You also get interactive feedback from customers and prospects using forms, surveys, and questionnaires. This gives you valuable market research that adds value to your customers and increases your customer satisfaction, which in turn increases sales.
5. YOUR BUSINESS WILL GAIN CREDIBILITY
As we have already established, people search for your products and services online. If you have a PROFESSIONAL website, not only will they find you, but a professionally created website (not a free gift, although even a free gift is better than nothing) will say, “I’m here, I’m professional, I’m here for the long haul.” and I want to do a good deal” This immediately puts a potential customer at ease and they start to trust you instead of having no website or a poorly built one. This may drive them away as they may realize too little money and effort was put into it and say, “I don’t care about quality, I may be gone tomorrow, I don’t care who finds me or worse, I’m not legitimate”. To understand this, just think about the last time you visited an unknown website to make a purchase. It can be a very scary process and you will most likely not continue if the website looks bad.
Those are five reasons why your business needs a website. There are many more important reasons and benefits to having a website, but to keep this article short and sweet, I’ve chosen just these five.