It’s not a surprise if entrepreneurs with startups or small businesses are jittery about building a website. It takes additional capital funds and effort. Repurposing resources will also continue as you need to sustain that website, run PPC campaigns, and the like. Some small business owners do not have that a lot of extra resources to give, or simply do not see the full potential of a good website for business success. With more than half of the world on the internet, 4.54 billion people to be exact, any second thoughts on whether you need a website or not should be laid to rest. There are also 3.5 billion Google searches made daily, according to Live Internet Stats.
3.8 billion users are also on social media sites, that is why website owners are even in a race to either produce their own mobile apps to chase where the market is at, or to invest in social media ads. Owning a website then is more than just jumping into the proverbial bandwagon, but is a wise and profitable decision for any small business.
Businesses with web presence bring in higher profit and greater coverage, more than brick-and-mortar stores. It also levels the playing field for SMEs (Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises), so they can compete with big corporations and industries.
You can talk to professionals to know how long does it take to build a website that attracts an audience. It’s not as costly to create a website these days too, unlike years ago. There are services like web apps and platforms that help you create professional-looking websites, without worrying about backend operations or coding.
If you need more encouragement, here are 5 reasons why your small business needs a website:
Control
Any business owner would want to be able to control how their business is received by their target market. A website gives small business owners control in doing so. A website can be an excellent avenue for business owners to connect with their market, know the pulse of the people, and respond accordingly.Actionable data is also easily collected through a website. Business owners can see the searching and browsing behaviour of their audience. They can check what content users positively respond to and which ones are not connecting with them successfully. Business owners can also look for keywords and key phrases that are trending among their audience. This insight is so valuable. You can adjust the sort of content you produce so you can offer solutions to the trending queries of your visitors and customers.
Credibility
As eCommerce increases, the number of online shoppers flooding the market globally also increases. By 2021, it is expected that around 26.8% of the world’s projected 8 billion population will be shopping and banking online. This is inevitable since 4.54 billion people are on the internet, they’d naturally go for businesses that have an online presence.Hence, a website establishes credibility for a website. If you are a small business with no track record, all the more that you should have one. It makes consumers’ feel more confident that you are legitimate. You quickly get found when you have a website too since consumers are doing their business, including banking and purchasing, more and more online. This is the reason why the banking industry is going through digital transformations. You miss such a great opportunity if your business is not even on the radar of a growing digital-savvy market.
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Competition
Having a website levels the playing field for business owners, big and small. With the right SEO strategies and effective campaigns, for instance, a small business can compete with big wigs in the same market. The current buying market mostly made up of millennials, are always hungry for what’s new and innovative. Millennials are projected to spend $1.4 trillion as their influence grows in the market. Once you can sell them a story, it opens up double doors of opportunity for small businesses to get recognised and serve their portion of the market.71% of the Millennial generation will even patronise a brand more if they know the company behind it is charitable. A positive corporate identity definitely increases sales.
Your brand can also get prestigious quickly with viral content or compelling story. So as a small business owner, if you understand these dynamics in the market share, you’ll be able to run campaigns more intelligently. You can optimise social media ads and target the buying market significantly, and bring it all home with clickthrough conversions all the way to your website.
Brand Development
Brand identity comprises all of the outward elements of a brand. It includes the brand’s name, logo and design theme, colours and design elements, verbiage, and even how brand representatives deal with its customers. All these make the brand uniquely distinguishable from other brands in the target market.A website is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes in today’s digital age. It serves as the online face of your business, providing potential customers with a first impression of your brand and offerings. Here are several compelling reasons why your business needs a website:
1. Enhances Online Presence and Visibility
24/7 Accessibility: A website makes your business accessible to customers 24/7. Unlike a physical store or office, a website allows potential customers to learn about your products or services at any time, from anywhere in the world. This constant availability increases the likelihood of attracting new customers and generating sales.
Search Engine Visibility: A well-designed and optimized website improves your chances of appearing in search engine results (SEO), making it easier for potential customers to find your business when searching for related products or services. Higher visibility on search engines like Google can significantly boost traffic to your site and expand your customer base.
2. Builds Credibility and Trust
Professional Image: A professional website enhances your business’s credibility and establishes trust with potential customers. In today’s digital world, consumers expect businesses to have an online presence. A website with a clean design, detailed information, and customer testimonials can make your business appear more legitimate and reliable.
Showcases Expertise: Your website provides a platform to showcase your expertise and authority in your industry. Through informative content such as blogs, articles, and case studies, you can demonstrate your knowledge and position your business as a thought leader, further building trust with your audience.
3. Effective Marketing and Branding Tool
Brand Identity: A website is a powerful tool for establishing and promoting your brand identity. It allows you to communicate your brand’s mission, values, and unique selling points (USPs) through visuals, content, and design. Consistent branding across your website helps create a strong brand image and differentiates your business from competitors.
Digital Marketing Integration: A website is the foundation of your digital marketing efforts. It allows you to implement and track various marketing strategies such as content marketing, email marketing, social media campaigns, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. By integrating these strategies with your website, you can drive targeted traffic, capture leads, and measure campaign effectiveness.
4. Facilitates Customer Engagement and Communication
Information Hub: Your website serves as a central hub of information for your customers. It provides essential details such as contact information, business hours, product descriptions, pricing, and FAQs. This helps customers make informed decisions and reduces the need for them to contact you directly for basic inquiries.
Interactive Features: Features such as live chat, contact forms, newsletters, and customer feedback sections encourage direct interaction with your audience. This fosters better customer relationships, enhances user experience, and provides valuable insights into customer preferences and behavior.
5. Increases Sales and Revenue
E-Commerce Capabilities: For businesses that sell products or services, a website with e-commerce functionality can significantly increase sales and revenue. By allowing customers to browse, purchase, and make payments online, you can reach a broader audience and offer a convenient shopping experience.
Lead Generation: A well-optimized website is a powerful tool for lead generation. By offering valuable content, downloadable resources, or special promotions, you can capture visitor information and convert them into leads. With proper follow-up, these leads can eventually become paying customers.
6. Provides Data and Analytics
Understanding Customer Behavior: A website allows you to collect valuable data and analytics on customer behavior, such as which pages they visit, how long they stay, and what actions they take. This information is crucial for understanding customer preferences, optimizing your website’s performance, and improving user experience.
Tracking Marketing Efforts: Through tools like Google Analytics, you can track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions. You can analyze website traffic, user demographics, conversion rates, and other key metrics to refine your strategies and maximize ROI.
7. Competes with Larger Businesses
Leveling the Playing Field: A website enables small and medium-sized businesses to compete with larger companies. With a well-designed website and effective digital marketing strategies, smaller businesses can attract and engage customers just as effectively as their larger counterparts.
Targeted Marketing: A website allows businesses to focus on niche markets and target specific customer segments. By tailoring your website content and marketing efforts to a particular audience, you can better meet their needs and increase your competitive edge.
8. Improves Customer Service and Support
Customer Support Resources: A website can provide various customer support resources, such as FAQs, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides. These resources help customers resolve common issues on their own, reducing the burden on your support team and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Automated Customer Service: Features like chatbots and automated responses can provide instant assistance to customers, answering frequently asked questions or guiding them through common processes. This not only improves customer service but also frees up time for your team to focus on more complex inquiries.
9. Adaptability and Scalability
Flexibility to Grow: A website can evolve with your business, allowing you to easily update or expand content, add new products or services, and adapt to changing market conditions. Unlike traditional marketing materials, which can become quickly outdated, a website can be continuously modified to reflect your business’s growth and innovation.
Scalable Solutions: Whether you are a start-up or an established business, a website offers scalable solutions that can grow with you. You can start with a basic site and gradually expand its functionality to include e-commerce, customer portals, and more as your business evolves.
Conclusion
Having a website is no longer a luxury but a necessity for businesses in today’s digital landscape. It enhances your online presence, builds credibility, supports marketing efforts, increases sales, and provides valuable insights into customer behavior. Whether you are a small business or a large enterprise, investing in a website is a strategic move that can drive growth, enhance customer engagement, and position your business for long-term success.
On the other hand, brand image is the actual result of these efforts, whether successful or unsuccessful. How did the market receive your efforts on building your brand’s identity to reflect in your brand’s image? A company's outward expressions will portray its image to the consumer.
A website is a great avenue to express and build a company’s brand identity and image. You want your customers to hear your voice clearer, be more familiar with who your company really is, and get to know you deeper. When customers feel they know you, they trust you even more. The more trust, the higher the patronage.
You can be as creative as you can. You may leverage content in your blog for brand awareness. More than the aesthetics of branding, you can also include blogs or short articles from your top people in the team to endear your brand even more to people. You have so many ways to tell your brand’s story through your website, so tell a good one.
Marketing
SEO strategies are for your website to rank high on SERP. It’s not just for prestige. The higher you are on SERP, the greater the chances for you to get found by future subscribers, patrons and customers. A good marketing strategy includes a website. And small business has no excuse but to practice the right marketing strategies. You owe it to yourself and your business team to use the most profitable and wisest methods to sustain and grow the business.Lower visibility is not good, not just for brick-and-mortar stores but for business websites as well. If in a physical store, this means bad business, it’s the same for an online store. Digital marketing efforts are easy to gauge just because of traffic metrics and other analytics. You can access data right away to know where your market is, what’s working for others, and the like. You can find out what your market is targeting so you know how to target them.
Conclusion: A Website May Be that Missing Piece in Your Small Business
Despite the massive impact that websites can do on small businesses, 29% of small businesses still don’t have a website. It’s time for small business owners to enter the digital space and see what they are missing. If you have been struggling to get your business some traction, consider having a website. Start targeting your locality or your target market more efficiently, regardless of distance or any other physical barrier. A website gets you on the global playing field just like that, and if you believe your brand has so much to offer, then have a website, because the world needs to know.
