10 Reasons Why Your Small Business Needs a Website

Why Your Small Business Needs a Website

Have you ever wondered what life would be like without the internet? Banks will cease to operate, our phones and social media apps will be rendered useless, and even the maps and news channels you rely on for your daily information will become obsolete. It sounds unthinkable, right?

If that sounds unthinkable to you, just imagine how customers feel when they hear that your small business doesn’t have a website, especially in this age and time where everything and anything is going digital.

Still unclear about why your small business needs a website? Here are 10 solid reasons to settle any doubts you had before about getting a website for your small business.

There are so many reasons why your small business needs a website, but we’ve limited it to the 10 most crucial reasons for this post.

Source:blog.google

Gone are the days when it was okay to have a physical address where your clients could come to make purchases. In this age, customers do most of their shopping online from the comfort of their homes.

They pick up their phones and laptops and perform searches for the goods and services they need because they know and expect any serious business to have a website where they offer their goods and services.

In fact, most people prefer to shop online rather than in physical stores. This is because most businesses encourage online shopping by giving clients a discount when they shop online versus when they come to the store.

As of 2021, 54 percent of US customers said they prefer shopping online rather than in a physical store. This shows you that having a website is no longer for tech-savvy business owners but rather a requirement for any small business that wants to thrive in this digital age.

Everyone wants to tell their stories. Small business owners want to tell prospects and clients what makes their business unique and explain the mission behind their company. Having a website allows you to do that. Not just in written words but also with logos and images that create a visual representation of what you stand for.

Many small business owners have thought about creating a second or third branch in additional locations to reach people within that area. Well, what if we told you that you don’t have to do that.

What if there was a way to help you achieve your core objective without going through the logistic expenses of opening a new branch and hiring and training new staff. You’re excited, right?Well, a website can help you achieve that and more. By creating a website for your business, you open a gateway for people from anywhere in the world to locate you and shop for your goods and services.

Oh, and we don’t just mean people in neighboring towns or states; we mean people from different countries unless you don’t wish to transact with other countries just yet. In that case, your website can be targeted to people within your country or state, depending on your preference.

Increased Revenue

With an increased customer base comes increased revenue, the two go hand in hand. Your website allows more people to reach you through their phones and smart devices, generating more revenue for your business each time a sale is completed.

A 2020 study of various small businesses showed that online transaction volumes in most retail sectors increased by a whopping 74% between March 2019 and March 2020 (and that doesn’t include the pandemic where those numbers jumped even higher).

Yeah, the thought of increased revenue just sends a jolt of excitement through your body, considering what you can achieve with the extra income. You can finally save up for that house, vacation, college fund for your kids, and much more.

As a business owner, you often wish one of your previous clients were present to tell their success stories and help you convert that new client that is still pondering between buying or not buying.

And the truth is that most times, all it takes is one word from a previous client, and the new client will be parting ways with their cash for your products.

Success stories and reviews from previous clients help boost your credibility in the eyes of potential clients. A website allows you to post stories and reviews from happy clients willing to review your business.

Moreover, you can also add written and video testimonials from clients to give it an extra zing and further solidify your business credibility. And with the help of Google reviews, you don’t need to bother about convincing clients again. Instead, sit back, relax and watch as reviews and testimonials do the work for you.

Customers always have a thousand questions about the products they want to buy. Most clients do their research on Google when they don’t have any particular brand in mind.

However, when they visit your website, customers expect to see all the information and prices concerning the product they want to buy. Sure, you wouldn’t want someone calling you when you’re fast asleep to ascertain the cost of your goods or services.

Even the most enthusiastic business owner wants and needs to rest after a long day. Having a website allows you to display your products, services, and the necessary information to help the client make an informed decision.

Moreover, your website can have a contact form where clients can reach out to you concerning any feedback or complaints they might have about your business offerings. So instead of receiving calls from angry or pissed-off clients, you can simply receive their complaints through your feedback or contact form and resolve them cordially.

And before we forget, you can also add a chatbot to your website to help interact with clients on a live basis and answer any questions they might have about your business.

Regardless of the product or service you offer, someone else out there, even within your area, provides the same product and services you offer. And rest assured that if they know what they are doing, they definitely have a website.

Take a minute to think of all the people searching for your business offering that are going straight to your competitors. People that should have been patronizing you. And we’re not saying that all of them would have been patronizing you, but a good percentage of them would have chosen your business.

Without a website, you and your business risk going obsolete and out of business irrespective of how successful you think your business is. This is because customers are constantly looking for a way to easily get the goods and services they need without leaving their comfort zones.

And if your competitors help them achieve that, rest assured that a time will come when even your most loyal customers will be forced to patronize your competitors because it’s just easier to shop online from them.

You’re probably saying to yourself, “I have a social media handle,” probably a Facebook and Instagram page. Big whoop! So does every other business. Moreover, how many people make purchases through Facebook pages or even go on Facebook again.

Facebook in 2018 said that people spent 50 million fewer hours per day than they did the previous quarter. Convinced yet? Okay, here’s another twist. In 2021, 40.5 percent of people said they preferred shopping through websites than social media, while 49.5 percent said they haven’t purchased at all through social media.

So you need a website if you wish to get a percentage of those people that are steadily migrating from social media to eCommerce websites for their shopping needs.

Just think about how much resources you could save on billboards, posters, and mainstream media ads that hardly even get noticed by people within your area not to talk of people in other locations.

On the other hand, a website helps you advertise your business offerings to the whole world at a fraction of the cost you would spend to achieve it using traditional ads. And with the help of paid web ads and targeted landing pages, you can design campaigns to target people within a specific age group or location.

Plus, your small business gains all-important online visibility with a website that helps potential customers locate you without any physical effort on your part.

And don’t forget that as people locate your website, even if they don’t make a purchase immediately, you still have the option of getting crucial leads that you can use for your email marketing campaign.

24/7 Availability

Closed and open signs are now outdated. Being available 24/7 is crucial in this fast-paced world where most people do their shopping at odd hours when they finally remember to buy supplies for the next day or when they get up because they can’t seem to get some sleep.

Running your business 24/7 is excellent, no doubt, but think of the logistics involved in running a 24/7 physical store in different locations; the operational cost and the security involved. And here’s where it gets sad, even if you run a 24/7 store, most people would instead just shop online than leave their homes at 2am to buy a wristwatch.

You don’t need to bother about running a 24/7 physical store when you have a website. All you need is to ensure that your website is up and running at all times. And with the help of SEO, your small business will definitely show up in the search results when clients perform searches for the products or services you offer.

Oh, in case you’re wondering what SEO is, that’s a whole different story altogether, and we have just the right SEO resources to help you learn all about it.

The truth is that there’s just no downside to having a website. We’ve been trying to think about one, but nothing comes to mind; it’s all benefits upon benefits. So with all this in mind, what’s left for you as a business owner other than to get a website for your business? And not just any website, but a website that is SEO optimized and tailored to the specific needs of your business.

If that sounds difficult for you, don’t fret; we can help you with that. We are a web design company with over 10 years of industry experience, creating and optimizing websites for various small businesses across various industries.

We know what it takes to create the perfect website that can simultaneously convey your core values and advertise your business offerings. We have helped dozens of small businesses grow their business and increase their revenue, and we are ready to do the same for you. So get in touch with us today; let’s help you create the perfect website for your business.