Do I need a website for my small business?
If your business has gotten this far without a website, you might be wondering: do I need a website for my business? What’s the point if my business is already successful without one?
The short answer is that there has never been a better or more important time to invest in a website for your business. A website offers a wide variety of benefits for small businesses, and most of these benefits increase in value exponentially year over year, just like the Internet itself.
If you are a business with a physical location, such as a coffee shop or restaurant, then your website is the perfect place to tell potential customers that you exist. Even if you don’t sell directly from your site (more on this later), it’s still essential to have one because it allows potential customers to learn about your business, even if they can’t visit in person. As Internet access becomes more widespread across the world, potential customers are no longer limited by location when it comes to purchasing goods and services.
People are seven times more likely to buy from a website than offline
One of the best benefits of having an online store is the ability for people to purchase goods online without ever having to leave their house.
As suggested by this study, online shoppers are willing to spend more money online than offline. The average online shopper spent $800 out of pocket in 2015 on online retail purchases, whereas offline shoppers spent only $150 dollars. This figure does not take into account the additional money spent on gas to get to physical stores, which is an average of $40 for every trip.
The web provides a level playing field
As your business gets bigger, it becomes harder and harder to stand out in the sea of competitors that exist all over the web. Because of this, having a website actually helps small businesses compete with their larger counterparts.
In a web where everyone is trying to stand out, having a web presence allows small businesses to do things that bigger companies can’t, such as personalization and engagement with individual customers.
A website provides great branding opportunities
The web is an amazing branding tool because of how visual it is. With internet users watching over 2.5 billion videos a day and spending more than 5 hours online per day, there are plenty of opportunities for your brand to be seen.
A website is an excellent place to advertise your products and services because of how customizable it is. A website allows you to tell the story behind your brand, creating a more personal experience for customers plenty of opportunities for your business to engage with customers on the web.
The web is also an interactive medium unlike print or TV, creating countless possibilities for creating brand experiences that engage consumers like never before. The best part about creating these experiences is that creating them doesn’t have to be expensive.
A website provides free exposure
In addition to increasing exposure to new customers, a website also acts as a search engine that casts a wide net in search of the perfect customer for you.
As search engines have become more sophisticated, SEO has become a huge factor in determining where your business ranks in search results. A search engine will not only bring new people to your site who are looking for what you are selling, but it will also increase the amount of website traffic by sending people directly to your website.
By providing search engines with all of the information about your business that they need, a website allows you to rank higher in search results, which means more people visit your website. This is great news for small businesses because studies show that website traffic is one of the most important factors in generating sales.
Your website acts as a 24/7 salesman
one job of your website is to provide potential customers with all the information they need about your business, even if you are not there to do it yourself. Whether it’s hours of operation, payment policies or customer testimonials, your website can be your most effective salesperson.
A website is a valuable investment
Because of all the benefits previously mentioned: providing new and returning customers with information about your company and boosting search engine optimization (SEO), having a website for your small business will provide an abundance of benefits that you cannot get from print or TV advertising.
In addition to website design costs, website hosting is a necessary service for your website. A website will need a host in order to be accessible 24/7 by web users from all over the world.
Your website can boost your business with these five benefits, providing the brand exposure you need to compete in today’s digital marketplace. As creating an effective website is more complicated than creating a brochure, it’s important that you have expert guidance from dedicated web design professionals who know what they are doing. If building a website sounds too daunting for your small business, digital marketing companies have the knowledge and skill to design a website that will take your company to new heights.
Here at OC Imagine we create easy-to-use websites that will provide all of the information about your business necessary for both customers and search engines to find you online. In addition to offering high-quality web design, we also provide the latest SEO strategies to help you gain a better online presence. If your business is ready to compete online, give us a call to schedule a free consultation.
Your website establishes your place in your industry.
Your products and services because of how customizable it is. A website allows you to tell the story behind your brand, creating a more personal experience for customers plenty of opportunities for your business to engage with customers on the web.
The web is also an interactive medium unlike print or TV, creating countless possibilities for creating brand experiences that engage consumers with your products and services.
Mobile websites can encourage customers to call you
Having a mobile-friendly website is essential for small businesses because mobile user statistics show that mobile users tend to be more engaged with their mobile devices than PC users. More importantly, the mobile marketplace is expected to grow by 1,700% by 2020 (Merkle). This means an increase in sales and revenue for your business.
On mobile, your mobile site will designate mobile users to important areas on the website like about us, contact information, and hours of operation. Your mobile site can also include a mobile click-to-call feature that allows mobile users to quickly dial you by simply clicking on one phone number in your mobile device.
A successful website can attract new customers, boost search engine optimization (SEO), act as a salesman 24/7, provide all the information necessary for customers to make informed purchases, and establish your place in your industry. With these five benefits, creating an effective website is definitely worth the effort for small businesses.
If you are a small business owner, and need to create an effective small business website, call the digital marketing company OC Imagine at 949-989-4589.
