Do I Need A Website For My Small Business? 10 Reasons Why The Answer Is Definitely Yes
You may think you don’t need a website because you’re a completely local business. You don’t ship packages across the country, and all your customers are within a 5-mile radius. If you’re an established brick and mortar business, you might see websites as frivolous or unnecessary. Why should you make a website when customers already know about you? Isn’t a Facebook page enough?
It’s thoughts like these that ignore a crucial fact: the majority of people now turn to their mobile devices for information on local businesses. Even local customers will Google a business first to read reviews, check prices, and look up social media accounts. According to a report, 97% of people read reviews of a local business before making a purchasing decision. This means consumers are no longer waiting for business referrals from a friend or family member. They’re looking up the information they need themselves.
Without a website for your small business, you’re missing out on an incredible opportunity to increase revenue, attract new customers, and scale your business. If you’re still not convinced, the 10 reasons below might change your mind.
10 Reasons Why You Need A Website For Your Small Business
Your Customers Expect It
The hard truth is that without a website, it becomes very difficult for customers to trust you. People look at a business website to make sure it’s “legit,” and not having one will seem unprofessional. Everyone knows how easy it is to create a free social media page, and if that’s all you got, customers will find it hard to take you seriously.
We live in a digital world, and if you want to grow and scale your business, then you need to keep up with the times. The key takeaway is this: absence of a website will certainly make you stand out, but not in a good way.
Clearly Show Your Products & Services
Your website presents amazing opportunities to clearly show your products and services. Photo galleries are a great way to draw people in and highlight the benefits of your products.
This is especially important when it comes to e-commerce stores. Customers count on having clear, detailed images in order to make a purchase decision. Great images inspire potential customers to take action, and are a critical part of the customer journey.
Helps You Attract New Leads
Every single day, millions of people are entering in keywords and search phrases on Google. You might wonder what they’re looking for, and the answer is you!
Without a website, you’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity to generate new leads and make more money. Even worse, all those potential customers will be directed to your competitor, simply because they had a website. To put it simply, you really can’t afford to not have a website.
Showcase Reviews & Testimonials
Your website is one of the best places to highlight positive reviews. Featuring them prominently on your homepage lends credibility to your business and gives people a reason to trust you. If you need more evidence of why online reviews are so important, two-thirds of consumers believe that online reviews are essential to the decision-making process. By placing your reviews and testimonials on your homepage, you’re making it even easier for potential clients to say yes.
It’s Essential For Reaching Local Customers
If you still think you don’t need a website, check out this statistic from HubSpot: 46% of searches on Google have local intent. That means your ideal customer is actively looking for you. What’s more, 70% of people will visit a store based on what they found online, according to the same report.
Not having a website results in a major loss of potential revenue. Basic word-of-mouth just can’t compete with the power of internet search engines. Local SEO drives more traffic to your business, which means more sales. Having a website makes it possible for you to be found by the right people, at the right time.
Provides Lasting Value
Perhaps the best reason for investing in a website is that it continues to produce value. All you need to do is take action once to get it going, and it will keep generating value for you over time. Even years down the road, you can still be enjoying revenue from your website and reaping the rewards of increased business growth.
Unlike paid ads where your visibility relies on the length of the campaign, a small business website steadily increases your ROI over the long term. That’s because the longer your site is active, the higher your reach and visibility, resulting in increased traffic and conversions. The cost investment you make upfront for a website is a small price to pay when you think of the years and years it will be producing revenue.
Improves Customer Service
With a website, it’s easy for customers to quickly find the information they need such as business hours, services, and location. People expect to have access to information at all times, so they’ll only get frustrated if they have to spend their free time tracking down your business’s contact info.
Providing answers to basic questions on your website also cuts back on support calls, thereby saving you valuable time. And saved time means increased productivity. Best of all, your customers will appreciate getting quick answers to their questions, resulting in a great customer experience.
Relying On Social Media Isn’t Enough
Social media is a fickle beast. With algorithms always in flux, it makes zero sense to stake so much of your online presence on social media alone. Just because you have a Facebook page doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a website.
The reality is that none of us really “own” our social media profiles; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube all have the power to take down your profile for whatever reason, which often happens.
Because of SEO, customers will find your competitor’s website much faster than they’ll find your social media page. The crowded nature of social media also means your reach is weakened, so you’re not getting noticed by the people that matter. With your own personal website, all these problems go away.
More Control Over Visual Impression
Having a website for your small business is key to standing out from the crowd and making a great first impression with customers. Think about it: there may be several other people who offer the same things you do. How do you differentiate yourself from the competition? With your website.
A small business website is your chance to show personality and flare. Your logo, color scheme, and even your website’s typography are how customers remember you when they’re ready to purchase. By using eye-catching designs for your website that tell a story, you’re one step closer to attracting your ideal customer.
Compete With Bigger Players
When you have a website, it doesn’t matter if there’s a large chain store down the street. People searching for your services will find you in search results based on local SEO. This makes it possible for small businesses to compete with big-box stores, even when they’re in the same neighborhood.
With proper optimization, it’s even possible to rank higher in search results than larger chain stores. A quality website can essentially level the playing field when it comes to staying competitive.
Saris Marketing – Website Design For Small Businesses In Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Looking for small business website design in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls? At Saris Marketing, we believe a website should be more than just a calling card. Because if your website isn’t making you money, then what’s the point?
Most marketing agencies don’t look out for their client’s best interest when it comes to building a website. But that’s where we differ. We make sure your small business website is doing the heavy lifting to bring in more clients and sales. If you’re going to invest in a website, you should get all you can out of it. Contact us today to start building a small business website that works for you, and not the other way around.
Want to learn more about how having an online presence can grow your business? Check out Blogging for Business: 7 Reasons To Start A Blog next!