Reasons Why Every Business Needs a Website
Do you have a business without a website?
We understand the reasons why you might resist building one for your business: “I’m not tech savvy”, “they’re too expensive”, “I don’t have the time”, or the infamous “I have enough business and I don’t need one”. The reality is, you don’t need to be tech-savvy, getting a professional website for your business can be cheap and easy, and to make it even simpler for you — not having a website is costing you time and money.
Check this out… 81% of people research a business or service on the internet prior to making a purchase decision. That’s 25.92 million people searching for businesses online. Yet, 46% of business owners listed “Business currently doesn’t need one” as their #1 reason for not having a website. We’re not statisticians, but we can see that there’s a glaring disconnect here.
Still unsure if your business needs a website? Keep reading…
Improve Business Credibility.
A simple way to view a website is that it is your online business address. This is where your customers, clients, and associates go to find you on the Internet.
The Home page identifies your branded value proposition, the About Us page tells visitors all about your business and the Contact Us page informs everyone how to get in touch with you.
It legitimizes your business and improves your credibility. It gives your business identity and is virtual proof that it exists.
# 84% of consumers believe that having a website makes you more business.
# 65% of respondents regard a company-branded e-mail as more credible than a generic one.
Enhance Your Online Presence.
Of the 7.4 Billion people in this world, 3.5 Billion people or 47% are online every day. They are searching for information, sharing on social media or shopping on e-commerce websites.
Today there are an estimated 2.3 Billion smartphones worldwide. But in 2020, the total number of smartphones is expected to hit 6.1 Billion. Statistically, 65% of online traffic comes from mobile devices.
A mobile responsive website will help you capitalize on the opportunities available on the Internet through the following ways:
Improve Search Rankings — By optimizing your web pages, it will be easier for people to find your content.
Distribute Content — Create relevant, unique and usable content and distribute them through different channels such as social media and blog sites. People who love your content would want to know more about you and visit your website.
Open 24/7 — Unlike a brick- and- mortar business that operates 9- to- 5, a website never closes shop. It is open 24/7, even on holidays.
Introduce Business Flexibility — If you don’t want to miss out on opportunities, outsource customer service and have your agents manage all concerns and inquiries via chat or e-mail support at your website.
Promote Your Business.
Online marketing is faster, more efficient and inexpensive. There are many tools and techniques that you can use for online marketing but without a website, these strategies will fall short.
Among the most popular online marketing tools that you can use to create inbound traffic to your website:
Social Media — Of the 3.5 Billion people online every day, 2.34 Billion or 67% are on social media.Blogging — Companies that blogged 16 times a month received 4.5 times more leads than those that blogged 0–4 posts per month.
E-mail Marketing — E-mail marketing is 40 times more effective in acquiring customers than Facebook.
Use Videos — Embed a video on your Home page. A video can deliver your messaging content faster and more efficiently than text. Video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80%.
Finally, online marketing is a sustainable process. Your content will not go to waste. You can easily update it and reuse after a few months.
Build Your Business.
A website is a great way to share your story; tell your audience why you started this business, your goals and what you hope to accomplish with it.
Share Your Story — A website is a great way to share your story; tell your audience why you started this business, your goals and what you hope to accomplish with it.
Get Clients — It’s not enough to have a rock star online profile. 36% of clients prefer to deal with businesses that have websites.
By contrast, only 21% will work with businesses without websites. A website gives you the platform to highlight your experience and expertise.
Find Your Team — Set up a Career page on your website where prospective candidates can fill out an application form and attach their resume.
Post your job requirement in social media and link it back to your website. You should have a good number of candidates in no time!
Build a Strong Relationship with Your Market.
80% of your content should be usable or relevant to the needs of your audience while 20% should educate them about your business.
Let the Market Know “Who You Are” — Outside the Home and About Us pages, you can set up a blog page where you can share your thoughts and ideas with your audience.
Address the Needs of Your Market — Invite your audience to engage you by encouraging them to post comments on your blogs. Embed survey forms and ask your audience to participate and convey their needs.
Educate the Market of Your Business — Utilize the 80–20 Rule; 80% of your content should be usable or relevant to the needs of your audience while 20% should educate them about your business.
Improve Customer Service — In addition to e-mail, social media, mobile, and landline, install chat support as the 5th avenue for customer service. This will give your end-users more options to relay concerns and inquiries.
Track Your Business in Real Time.
Analytics will provide you valuable data on how your business has been moving within a period of time.
# Number of visitors going to your website.
# The number of “unique visitors” or those who visit your website only once.
# Pageviews or impressions tell how many times a page has been read or visited. This will give you an idea of which type of content visitors find interesting.
# Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave your website without exploring past the page they landed on.
# Average time on site will show how long visitors view your content. The longer the average time on site, the better for your website.
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