The idea of building a website for your business can be a daunting one. If you’re not the kind of tech-savvy person who knows how to do it, you’re probably wondering where to begin and why you need a site in the first place.
Hopefully, we can debunk some of the myths about building a small business website in this article. It doesn’t have to be as tough as it seems, and the benefits are pretty overwhelming.
We’re going to explore a few of the reasons to have a custom website for your business, touching on how to get it done along the way.
The Importance of a Small Business Website
We’ll take a look at 8 important reasons to have a website. You’ll see that the digital age has brought a distinct need for an online presence.
Let’s get started:
1. Locals are Looking for a Personalized Experience
Most people have a smartphone in their pockets and a computer at home. It’s likely that you do, too, considering you’re browsing the web to read this article.
When we go to a new town or are looking for specific products in our own town, we go online to see what’s available. It’s often just a search that ends at Google, but many times we dig a little deeper and explore the sites of various businesses.
Small businesses that don’t have websites can’t be included in these user searches because they’re just not there. Websites, no matter how well made, are essential for this kind of exposure alone.
2. Social Media Won’t Cut It
Odds are, you’ve got a business account on social media. You might even have accounts on a few platforms.
Generating a following on social media is really important for businesses. That said, you can’t always make sales or express your brand’s identity on social media alone.
Users need a place to go in order to check out the fine details of your business. Further, they have to have somewhere to go to make purchases and explore your products.
3. Foot Traffic Can Only Reach So Many
A lot of small businesses rely on foot traffic and word of mouth to generate business. This is a great way of doing things, considering it’s the way businesses have run for most of modern history.
At the same time, word of mouth and foot traffic doesn’t have the same force as they used to. A lot of people rely solely on their phones and devices for references. When they get the reference, they’ll use their GPS to go straight to the store instead of wandering around.
If you’re looking to find new customers, the way to do it is to be present online.
4. Search Engine Optimization
Digital Marketing is largely based on search engine optimization (SEO). This is the process of making your website rank on Google searches. You could use different search engines, but the bulk of optimization works off of Google’s search algorithm.
The goal is to rank in the keyword searches that your customers are making. The main pages of your website as well as all of your additional posts should be optimized for popular keywords at the time.
If you do this well, you’ll come up in the searches that will lead to sales and new customers. It’s impossible to do this if you don’t have a website.
5. Display Your Credibility
Websites also offer businesses an opportunity to express their credibility online. The quality of your website is a testament to your business.
When you’re discovered by potential customers, you can curate a reliable first impression through the design and function of your website. It’s important to make sure your interface is intuitive, the design reflects your brand and all of the functions of the site work.
That means no broken links, functioning images, and sales interfaces that actually work.
6. You Don’t Have to Do All of the Work
One of the key things to keep in mind through this process is that you won’t be doing most of the work.
There are a lot of professionals who build websites for a living. Additionally, there are professionals that manage your website and make sure it’s optimized for search engines. These people will keep your site up-to-date and ensure that you’re in the best position to attract and keep customers.
The investment you make to create a website with the help of professionals is sure to pay itself off over time.
7. Things Aren’t Turning Back
If you’re dreaming of an era where devices lose importance and things go back to normal, you might be out of luck.
Digital presence has gradually become more important and it shows no sign of slowing. You may be able to get by without a website now, but it’s getting more essential by the minute.
Customers do a lot of their shopping and browsing online, and it appears that they’ll continue to do so. In this way, a website is absolutely essential if you want to keep up with the competition.
This brings us to our final point.
8. Your Competition Is Already Online
At this point, almost every small business has some kind of online presence. That means that they’re experiencing the benefits of having a website and web design.
Eventually, that competitive edge could cut you out of the market and leave you with very few customers. If your competition is doing well online and you haven’t even started, don’t get too overwhelmed.
Once you do get online, there are some very effective ways for you to get caught up. Your optimization, social media outreach, and website quality all have the potential to set you apart from your competition.
The only thing is, you have to get started. Online presence leads to sales. That’s a fact that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
Need Help Getting Designed?
Are you looking to start crafting your small business website? Fortunately, there are tons of resources for you to move forward and find success online.
We’re here to help, contact us today to get started.
Explore our site for more resources and opportunities to shift your business in a digital direction.
