Do I Need A Website For My Business? 7 Reasons Why The Answer is YES!
Google processes over 3.8 billion searches per day. That’s 40,000 search queries per second. These are all people searching for procust, services and information – just imagine you could tap into a small percentage of that!
Before we dive into the various reasons why your small business needs (and deserves!) a website, let’s do a quick test: Open another tab and search for your services within your local area. Does your business come up on pages one, two or is waaaay back…or maybe not at all? If you answered way back or not at all, we’ve got some work to do! It’s time to consider getting or refreshing your website and setting up a Google My Business page at the bare minimum!
7 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Website
Your Website builds legitimacy
Your Website gives your brand a voice
Your Website can be found by search engines
Your Website is owned by you
Your Website streamlines your business operations
Your Website is your 24/7 customer representative
Your Website builds authority
Small businesses have to work extra hard at getting customers to find us online because we don’t have big budgets for digital marketing or staff to produce content. If you’re still not convinced you must launch a website for your business, make yourself a cuppa, get comfy, and read the 7 reasons why every business needs a website.
1. Your Small Business Website builds Legitimacy
Up until about 10 years ago, you could have a business and not have a website. People might think you were “old school”, but they wouldn’t question your credibility. Nowadays, if you don’t have a site, not only will you NOT get business online, but people will also question your business’ legitimacy and your personal integrity.
A website lets people know what you offer, why they should care, and how you are going to solve their problems – better than other providers. It provides you with the chance to build a trusting and credible relationship with your customer, especially when you showcase all your awards, accreditation and positive reviews!
Ultimately, your customers want to imagine how great their life will be after they have worked with you or bought your products. For that, they need to be 100% sure that your business is the right fit for them and if they’re under the age of 35 they will NOT call you…ever. But on your website, they can find all the details, contact you through a form or, when they’re ready, book your services right there and then – based on their own schedule (hello convenience!).
People NEED to have enough information to make an informed decision to buy and a website built right will do that.
2. Your Website gives You A Brand Voice
A brand voice is your company’s distinct personality and way of expressing itself. This includes words, language, tone, and the overall story you are telling about your experience. Your brand voice is used in all your marketing material including email campaigns, printed flyers, social media posts and your website!
Your website is hereby the most vital tool to communicate what you believe, why you believe it and who you are talking to. It helps you express your brand’s mission and vision; explain the problems you solve and showcase your unique persona!
Through your brand’s voice, you can build trust with your audience. Your website hereby becomes the central piece of communication.
3. Your Website Can Be Found By Search Engines
Search engine optimization (SEO) strategy and marketing efforts help your website appear higher in search rankings and increase your website visibility. And let’s be honest, who scrolls past the first page on Google? The higher your website ranks, the more people will click on your site, and just by getting more site traffic, you’ll have a larger pool of eyes on your brand and more people are likely to do business with you.
If you have a website but still struggle to be found, you likely need a better website with industry-specific keyword-rich content and SEO-optimised design. This might all sound a bit daunting but there are a few cost-effective and quick SEO hacks you can use today to get your website more visible on search engines. Here’s our blog post on how to improve your website SEO in 5 easy steps.
4. Your Website Is Owned By YOU
Why is a Facebook page not enough? Okay listen, a few years ago a Facebook page would have been enough for your business, especially when you're first starting out and have little budget for professional web design. However, there’s one big downside of only using social media platforms for tour business: You DO NOT own the content.
What happens if the terms no longer favour your business model? Well, your only options are to continue with the unfavourable terms or shut down your page altogether. And you know what? Facebook will still make billions whether you choose to stick around or close your page.
Your website, however, is all yours. You are in charge of the customer experience and like your broken-in, fuzzy slippers, your website will always be there.
5. Your Website streamlines your Business Operations
When you use the right tools, it’s easier to run and grow your small business. One of the best tools to use for streamlining business operations is your website! And let’s be honest, we all could use a bit more free time!
Your site is your #1 communication platform. We love using the Squarespace platform for small businesses because it’s an all-in-one website solution with a lot of tools and features built in.
On your site's pages, you can capture email addresses to help grow your email list for marketing purposes, schedule appointments for time management, and process payments for sales. Say bye bye long processes and hello to streamlining!
6. Your Website is your 24/7 Customer Representative
One of the main purposes of your website is to encourage people to contact you. Your site is available 24/7 to answer questions and provide information for your potential clients and customers, and allow people to book a call, or submit an order. Having these processes and automation set up is key to growing your business.
Worried about being overrun with enquiries, calls and emails? Your website can help you with that as well! Create an effective FAQ so potential clients can get the specific, detailed information they need before they contact you.
Use your website to save time and make visitors happy by posting ALL the information they would need to make an informed decision. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to buy from or work with you.
7. Your Website Builds Your Online Authority
Online authority is a person who is trusted by its users, industry, other websites, and search engines. Someone who is an authority has the expertise, skills, and shares insights with others. Your website is the best place to hone and build your online authority—using your content, writing, images, and more—it’s the platform for you to shape the story of your company.
There are a few things you can do to start building online authority on your website today:
Start sharing loing-from educational content (like this!) to improve your ranking on Google
Share video content that captures the hearts and minds of your readers. Try adding an introduction video of yourself and your team or highlighting one of your most popular services.
Have a user-friendly & optimised website. Your website is the pillar of your online presence and needs to look 9and work) the part! Remove broken links, test the speed of your site and optimise the flow of your user to improve your online authority.
Need help building a website for your experience business?
Websites are essential to increase your leads and grow your business. We’ve helped many small businesses create their online presence and incorporate functionalities to streamline their business.
We strongly recommend you create a website if you haven’t done so already or upgrade your website if it’s outdated.
If you need help, we’d love to discuss your website needs and share our expertise. Check out our services or schedule a quick discovery call with us.
