“Do I Need a Website for My Business?”
Well, the answer is YES. You do need a business website, A GOOD ONE. A professionally designed lead magnet, sales booster and brand-differentiating website.
In the digital era, a website is a “home” for your business on the internet. If your business does not have a website it is “homeless”, and that makes it difficult for potential customers to find it or get any information about your services or products online.
Consumer behaviour changes over time to adapt to modern technology, and consumer behaviour has changed to adapt to the digital age. The number of consumers that go online to find a local business is increasing. If you want them to choose your company, you need to be found online—meaning you need a website.
And the Covid-19 pandemic has also highlighted the importance for businesses to have an active presence online. While every business was shutting down, businesses that already had an established way of transacting online excelled.
On the hand, if your business has gotten this far without a website, you might be wondering: do I really need a website for my business? What’s the point if my business is already successful without one?
The short answer is that there has never been a better or more important time to invest in a website for your business. A website offers a wide variety of benefits for businesses, it’s not just about customer acquisition. For example, a website will enable you to automate some of the things you manually do, saving you time and other resources.
Why You Need a Business Website in 2021 — No Matter What Industry You’re In
Still doubting how a website will benefit your business? Here is a list of some of the benefits.
You can answer basic questions quickly
People visit your website when they want to know something or do something. They also expect immediate gratification, which means visitors should be able to answer three questions within three seconds of landing on your website:
- Who are you?
- What do you do/offer?
- How do I contact you?
We live in an age of NOW, where consumers want the information they seek immediately—meaning your company’s website should answer each of the questions above without the user needing to scroll down the page at all.
It will help you beat the goliaths in your industry
Did you know that having a website can help you beat the Goliaths in your industry? It can if it’s optimized for search.
Social media reach is diminishing
So, you think you don’t need a website because you’re on Facebook.
Great, so is almost every other business. You need a website even if you have a Facebook page.
And guess what? It’s getting harder for businesses to connect with users on the platform. Facebook algorithm screens posts from business pages from the user’s feed to improve user experience.
While social media can help your business grow, don’t bank on using it as your sole marketing channel.
Brand Credibility
84% of today’s consumers think a website makes your business more credible than companies who only have social media profiles. Your website is also the perfect place to show off any professional certifications or awards to help boost trust.
Beyond that, having your own business domain name (website address) lets you create a business email address which adds a level of professionalism to all of your correspondence.
Attract New Customers Through Google
You may be happy with the current size of your business, but every company experiences customer turnover. To encourage continued success, you need to attract new customers, and one of the best ways to do it is by making yourself visible on Google.
Search engine optimisation can help your business website rank well for a number of search terms and attract a steady stream of new customers.
Showcase Your Products and Services
You can show potential customers what they’ll get when they work with you by displaying high-quality photography about your products on your website. Another thing you can do is publish important information about your services on your website to make sure you’re attracting the right customers.
It Provides Social Proof
Displaying your best reviews and/or testimonials prominently on your website is a great way to establish social proof.
If your business has appeared in articles from newspapers or popular local blogs, you can also feature those.
Makes Your Business More Accessible
A website is a great place to make your contact and location information easily available to potential customers. You can even publish your contact information on the header or footer so it appears on every single page.
Furthermore, you can embed a map to make it easy for people who don’t know your area to find your business.
Establish Your Place in the Industry
If your competitors aren’t online yet, they probably will be soon. Establish yourself as a leader in your field by building a high-quality website first.
If your competitors are online, you have a different kind of opportunity: you can build a website that’s completely different from your competitors’ sites, showing potential customers what makes your company stand apart.
Having a Website Is a Time Saver
Whether you’re trading emails, taking calls, or sending out proposals – communicating with potential customers takes time. Your website can save you that time by providing answers to common customer questions and inquiries. Some customer interactions can also be “delegated” to the website through automation.
What does this mean for you? You can spend your time doing more valuable things.
It’s Not as Hard or as Expensive as You Think
You don’t need to be tech-savvy to get a website or to manage one.
Websites offer a better return on investment than any other form of advertising. If you’re planning to market your business, a website should be your first priority.
Over time the relatively low investment of getting a business website will pay dividends by driving you new customers and building your brand.
It Is Affordable to Get Started
Building a website isn’t just easier than it used to be; it’s also more affordable. If you’re willing to follow a simple, non-technical DIY approach, you can build and run a website for as little as MK15k per month.
Final Takeaway: The Price of Having a Website Is Much Lower than the Price of Getting Left Behind
Hopefully, by now you’ve realized that the question isn’t “do I need a website for my business”, but “can I afford to not have a website in the digital era”. And the answer, if you want to continue thriving in the long term, is no.
A website is one of the best investments any business can make to secure its future
In 2020, almost 4.54 billion people (59% of the global population) were using the Internet, and more and more people are getting online. Without a website, your business is invisible to these people. As we progress further into the digital era, your business will become invisible to everyone unless you invest in a website.
If you think your business doesn’t need a website you are just plain wrong.
“Those experts who say you don’t need a website unless you’re an online business or an e-commerce business, they’re also wrong”. Websites are essential to every business today. If you don’t have one already, we strongly recommend creating one. You can improve it over time, but the key is to start.
It costs very little to get started with a web presence. If you need help, give us a shout—we have a wide range of website design packages for every budget, and we’d be happy to walk you through your needs.