Why Your Business and Brand Needs a (Great) Website
In today’s marketplace if your business doesn’t have a website, you don’t exist. Customers are searching for the products you sell, the services you offer and more information about you and without a website, you aren’t there to inform them. This surely means you are missing opportunities and ultimately losing business.
The same can hold true if your website is old and outdated. It’s not 1998 any more, where having a website is new and cool, and that’s enough. To be competitive and even considered during a customer’s buying process, you need to have a strong website that provides a clear and concise message, a user experience that is easy to navigate and intuitive functions that make their visit easier. These are just a few steps towards a website that your customer expects in this day and age.
Here are more reasons you need a great website.
1. Customers Demand and Expect It
Your customers are more informed than ever and you need to be the one informing them. When consumers start the process to buy a product or service they often times start with online research. If you’re not there to be found and researched, you don’t stand a chance of being considered. Even in cases where a potential customer is referred to your company, more than half would attempt to head straight to your website to learn more. Let your website be your 24 hour salesperson when your potential customer wants to learn more about you at 9:00 pm after the kids are tucked away and they have time to learn more about your brand.
2. Tell Your Story
Your website allows you to control the voice and messaging of your business and brand. This can set the tone and create a narrative about how your customers perceive you. Storytelling on your website is a great way to humanize your brand, show your dedication to your craft and teach your customer about their interests. This help consumers greatly during their purchase journey and can help you gain higher consideration at the decision or purchase time.
3. Your Competition has a Website (or they don’t).
The internet has made the world a very small place and this means your competition in some instances is now larger than it ever has been. This means the chances are high that your competitors have a website. If you don’t have a site, this means your customers are finding someone else to fulfill their needs. And in the rare case that you are in a niche market or region where your competitors still don’t view strong websites as a tool, this is even more of a reason to have a website Take the opportunity to make sure you build a website soon (or tomorrow) and take advantage of this situation.
4. You Have a greater Chance of being Found on Google.
With studies that show a staggering 81% of consumers do research on line before making a purchase, you need to have a website. Your customers are using Google to start their research process and having a website is a quick and easy way to show up in their results. Getting you to the top of that Google search page can be a difficult, but when your site has the right keywords along with your business name and location, there is a great chance you’ll be found by potential customers who are searching for you.
5. A Facebook Page is Not a Website
Facebook can be a wonderful tool for small businesses, and there is no denying this. We highly recommend business have a Facebook page, but these pages do not function like a website. With Facebook often times changing their layout, you don’t have control of your user’s experience like you would on your own custom built website. Facebook can also be a place where people falsely post negative comments and it can be difficult to accurately control your voice and messaging here. By all means, connect your website to your social media accounts, but social media platforms should not replace the need for a website. Your website should be the center of your ecosystem with social media being supporting arms of your brand.
6. Looking Good
As vain as it can sound, looking good is the name of the game and your website can greatly improve your overall customer perception. If you own a hair salon, or a landscaping company, or a house flipping real estate brand, you are in a very visual field and customers expect pictures. Your website allows you to show off your work, your quality and your craftsmanship and it helps your customers gain trust in your skills. At the sometime if you are an accountant, it doesn’t mean your website should be lackluster. There are always ways to add polish and shine to field that many not be considered overly looks oriented.
7. It Can Make Your Job Easier
Websites can help with what is called Inbound Marketing. This means you are landing opportunities without having to actively sell to your customers. Forms on your website are a great example of this. By having a purposefully created form on your site, customers are able to reach out to you when they are ready. Forms are a great way to gain customer information and this information offered by a potential customer can help you develop your sales strategy when you follow up with them.
8. Websites are Affordable and a Great Investment
If the price tag of a website is what’s keeping you from having a website, there are several free website builders out there to help you get a website up quickly. While there is nothing wrong with using a free website builder, we warn that if design and technical skills aren’t in your skillset, going with an agency might be the way to go (and they aren’t as expensive as you think!). Even if an initial build of a website cost you $5,000 - $10,000, if your website helps you land you sale after sale, it will pay for itself in no time at all.
These are just a few reasons that you need a website. Take a moment and look over your current website (or the one that doesn’t exist). Is it time to up your online presence? If so, reach out to us and we’d be happy to start a conversation about how we can help your business grow with a new website.