Do I need a business website? 12 Reasons we think you do

Many small business owners, creatives or new entrepreneurs ask themselves “Do I really need a website for my small business?”

Here are 12 really good reasons, why we think you should consider it.

 

 

1. Build your brand, showcase your business or ideas, extend your influence

A website helps showcase your business and your brand on your terms. It helps customers to get to know you, and to research your products and services.

For business that employ staff it’s also a great way to attract potential candidates and promote career opportunities.

2. Sell your products and services

This one is pretty self explanatory, but providing detailed product descriptions and the benefits of your product or service helps customers to make purchasing decisions. Online they can do that at any time of day, when it best suits them.

Before making a significant purchase 81% of shoppers undertake online research.

(Source: https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics)

Using your website to capture customer information can also support building ongoing customer loyalty via targeted promotions and email campaigns.

3. Credibility

This is a big one. We are so attached to our tech nowadays that it’s become an expectation that businesses will have some form of online presence. This expectation means that when people search for your business either by name, your location or business type, your business should show up somewhere. Not having any online presence can start people second-guessing whether they should use your product or buy services from your competitors. Making a positive first impression is important.

4. Social Media alone is not enough

Many new businesses start out with Facebook and other social media channels as they are cheap to set up and paid social media advertising can be very cost effective when compared with traditional advertising methods. Facebook and the like are fabulous tools for social engagement attracting different types of customers and could form part of an overall strategy for many businesses.

There is however some risk with any third party platforms that you should be aware of. If the platform closes your account or changes the way they allow users to interact with the platform you have no control of those changes or what might happen to your content as a result.

Here’s an interesting newspaper article discussing an Australian business and what can happen when you displease facebook.

5. Let your customers help you – social proof

A website is an easy way for customers to share positive experiences with your business, or to provide a testimonial. Today’s consumers are very likely to…

Using your business customers as your brand advocates can bring sought after word of mouth from people researching reviews and asking their friends what they should be buying. This is social proof to other potential customers for your business.

Your website is also a super easy way for people to share your business information by email, social media or text – they can just send a link to your website or use social sharing buttons that can be provided on the website.

6. Get feedback to develop your business

Getting feedback from your customers is vital to the continuous development of any business. Customers can provide instant feedback to you via your website through multiple channels and in a way that works for them. This could include using contact forms, email, phone, reviews or surveys.

7. Conquer your content marketing

A website gives you a place to publish news and information about your business, your customer success stories, showcase your work and your products and services.  It let’s you take the lead on how your business is positioned and promoted online. Your website will often be the first place customers engage with your business and you can create this experience.  This type of content is also great for search engine optimisation.

8. Local search for local businesses

The level of search engine sophistication today combined with location services in the devices people are using to find local businesses, such as their phones and tablets, means local search is better than ever. If you have a physical business or a business that services a particular area then a properly geo located business website could be a huge advantage for driving sales or leads to your business.

9. More cost effective and easier to maintain than ever

With the constant development and improvement of online technologies, getting online and maintaining an online presence has never been more cost effective. This is especially the case when compared with traditional advertising methods.

Website hosting charges are also very reasonably priced today due to the number of competitors in the market. Widely used open source technology and content management systems such as WordPress, have also made maintaining websites easier than ever before.

10. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Need more leads? SEO aims to rank your website in the search engines organically versus paying for advertising to appear in the premium spots on a search page.

In the example below the first search result in Google is a paid advertisement. You can identify these by this symbol  beside the websites url.

The second listing is an organic search result.

SEO techniques can be very sophisticated but at a foundational level, driving organic search listings involves creating targeted content and generating quality links to your website or having someone do this for you. The aim is to try and achieve a high position in the organic search results.

Why bother? The internet is often the first place people will turn to when faced with trying to solve a problem. With an SEO strategy, you can optimise your site for search terms that relate to your products, services or industry and by doing this successfully; expose your business to potential new customers.

Even if you have an engaged existing audience or client group, most people nowadays when looking to purchase new products and services will start their search online. After researching, purchasers may buy immediately online, come to your physical store or contact you for more information. If you’re not there they can’t find you.

11. Your website is a business asset – ROI

While a well designed website does come at a cost, it is really an asset of your business rather than an expense. A website creates value for you as the business owner, returning the investment not just in potential leads, sales or customer management, but also creating potential for value in a future sale or acquisition.

12. Operational efficiency

Sometimes an overlooked benefit, but having a well developed website can help to reduce low value interactions with your customers and within your business. Developing things like Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and publishing these to your site could save you time and money.   General enquiries take up valuable staff time and can often be answered with a quick look at the website. Customers often just want a quick answer to a simple question, so it provides a better customer experience as well.

When it comes to efficiency of your business operations, many small businesses don’t have significant internal IT infrastructure such as intranets or Customer Relationship Management Systems. This is where a website can help bridge the gap. Your website can be developed so it can be used to store content only accessible by your staff to help them with procedures, serving customers, provide technical information or training they need to do their job.

So there you have it, 12 reasons why we think a well designed website can help you in your business.