A lot of small business owners are not aware of the importance of a website for the progress of their business and the growth of their brand .
While trying to get my first job I searched online for the best company in my industry where I could meet a team of professionals to learn from and also add value to . As I searched and found a lot of companies on the web, I had to judge the professionalism and the standard of each business through the look and feel of their website .
A lot of small businesses have a bad website design representing their business while others don’t have a website or web presence at all . The outcome: It was frustrating and hard finding one. Yeah, we’ve all been there!
According to Blue Corona , “48% of people cited a website’s design as the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business ” .
Your website represents you anywhere in the world . And is the first step in convincing a customer whether to buy from you or not.
For small businesses, especially if you’re faced with cost challenges or limited technical skills, investing in a well-designed, professional website may seem daunting . Or if you already have a working outdated site, you may doubt the value of a redesign.
Studies point to the fact that in today’s digital marketplace, businesses without a website are seen as less credible and may look like they have something to hide As a result, this cripples a business’s success and the chance of getting customers even if you have the best product or service in the world .
The importance of a good website for a business should not be overlooked in recent times. Here are some reasons why you need a website for your small business in any industry or niche.
Importance of a Website for an Ecommerce Store
Today, it is much quicker and easier to buy and sell online now than ever.
People are now using their laptops, tablets and even mobile phones to do more things including making purchases and even selling products via the Internet . People can now enjoy shopping and even run their own businesses from the comfort of their own homes.
Having an eCommerce website designed will allow you to reach out and offer your products to customers around the world, regardless of the distance and time zone .
Potential customers are more likely to make purchases when they can place their order instantly , rather than waiting for a regular store to open .
Rather than spending hours searching in physical stores, people are now making purchases over the Internet at their own convenient time or place .
With the various eCommerce opportunities for small businesses, you can generate a lot of profit and make quick online sales every day from your eCommerce website .
With so many property managers and agents striving for a piece of the real estate business, it is easy to get overlooked by potential customers .
To rise above the noise, you want to find a way to market yourself efficiently .
A professional website that lists all your properties and is optimized by location, neighbourhood, and other important keywords, makes it easier for people to find your properties through Google and other major search engines .
Having a real estate brokering website that provides comprehensive details about your properties, such as floor plans, Google maps, 360-degree virtual tours and photos, allows prospective customers to review your properties online, and thus drops the need for you to set up so many property viewings .
Importance of a Website for a Gym or Personal Trainer
Having a professional fitness website for your gym centre is a huge advantage to you and your students/customers . With this type of medium, you can share workout schedules, nutritional tips, courses, and daily inspirational nuggets and even show your clients and students how particular workouts are being done .
You can also prove to your visitors that you are professional, qualified and engaged with your customer base . This will convey a sense of online community, credibility and allegiance among your customers who rally around your brand and expertise . Here is how to grow your fitness business online in 6 simple steps.
A good website can help a gym keep its clients close. You can offer clients a personal account on your site, a special area where they can set goals and track their progress . A personal account is going to make it more difficult for your clients to go to another gym, as they won’t want to give up their fitness and training history . Such small features can take you a long way in the fitness industry.
If your website has the power to make people believe that they can reach their personal goals much easier with your help, they are going to choose your gym over all other options . Invest in hiring a good professional to create the best fitness website for you today!
Simply having a website makes you look like a professional, and not a hobby or wannabe freelancer. Your website communicates who you are, what you do, and who you work with. It shows potential clients what you can do.
Having a professional online portfolio or website is crucial if you want to be taken seriously as a freelancer (and charge the rates you want) . Also, having a website to send to a potential client is a great way to make a great first impression (whether in person or online) . You want that person to take you seriously , and also to think of you as a pro.
Clients are never quite certain of the quality of work they will receive from a freelancer. If you have a website, it can act as a ready portfolio. Where you can showcase your best work to prospective clients, who will immediately get a measure of what you can offer .
Also integrating and optimizing your website for local SEO helps you to gain quick online visibility when prospective clients around your location need your services .
Whether you are a writer, designer or a coder, a website that displays your work is the best way to woo clients who are on the fence about hiring you .
Having a well-designed, fast, interactive and accessible website is crucial for any educational institute .
The fact of the matter is, some school websites fail to deliver the marketing message or the right impression for the school a poor quality website – whether in the issues of content, imagery, responsiveness or accessibility .
In the case of deciding on which school to attend, this may be a deciding factor in choosing or not choosing a particular school . Especially if the parents or students do not know much about the school in the first place.
A school website needs to be a place where students, potential students and their families can go to learn anything and everything they need to know about that school . The website would act as a constant representative where potential students can gain first-hand information about the way a school runs its academic calendar .
This is why a school website must be not only eye-catching but also constantly updated and easy for the student or parent to use .
With a website, you can put up notices online, where parents and students can access them at any time and will thus be updated from time to time .
Benefits of a Website for Small Business
Visibility
Increasing visibility is a major factor that makes having a website important for a small business. Even if people have heard about your company, they may want to find out more things about you online first, before leaving the house .
Accessibility
A website is online and accessible 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Because of this, your customers and potential customers can visit your site for support or information about new and upcoming products and services whenever it is convenient for them .
Your website will act as an invaluable and always-available resource for information which would otherwise only be accessible during your company’s business hours .
Low-Cost Advertising
The Web has a far wider reach than any other form of advertising. While it takes time to build up enough traffic to your website to make a worthwhile impact on your company’s marketing campaign, it costs next to nothing to do so .
Your website will be the centre of your company’s online presence. Through it, you advertise your business around the Web on social networking sites, forums and through pay-per-click advertising programs .
Sales
Your website can sell products at any time. Potential customers are not restricted to business hours. Instead, they can go online and buy products whenever they want. A website with an online shop can provide a dramatic boost in sales.
Resource of Information
Your pages can act as an information bank for your customers. If you have multiple products, these can be displayed online with detailed information. Customers can refer to these pre and post-sales pages to gather information.
Websites also provide unlimited scope for information. This means you can do away with expensive, bulky paper catalogues that you can update within moments . You’re able to display products in rich formats such as multiple images, interactive images and videos .
You can show any information, such as testimonials from customers, or even use part of your site as a full portfolio of your work . Many small businesses use their website as a resource for customers. A restaurant may display a menu online, for instance.
Less Expensive
Developing a website does not cost very high. You can hire a professional website developer to do it for you. In marketing, advertising your business through printed media, radio, and television is expensive! It is necessary to invest in advertising, but it takes tons of money.
Thus, having a professional responsive website is less expensive than those traditional media way .
Conclusion
Running your own business is no easy task, and your to-do list is guaranteed to never end. With this said, you shouldn’t use this as an excuse when it comes to having online visibility.
Starting with your website, it is important to position yourself online with a strong, professional destination that gives customers the impression you mean business and the motivation to want to engage more with your small business .
If you can’t proudly promote the website you have currently available for the world to see online, take it down . A bad website is far worse than no website – but let’s be clear… both are bad for business.
By now, the importance of a website for small businesses is clear. And if you don’t have a website, you’re missing out on opportunities for customers to identify who you are and if they want to spend money with you . While no website equals missed opportunities, a bad website can be worse since it makes your business look bad .
So here we have it, why the importance of a good website for small businesses will immediately convert prospective clients into long-term customers for your brand. Good luck!
Are you still wondering if your small business doesn’t need a website? Comment below! What type of industry do you specialize in?
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I want to have a website for my small business – Lisbon Transport Services (Ltd) Pty. Initially it intends to be a Moving Company for Furniture and had started doing so, but it is very hard to get customers. Having an assistance on getting a website/having someone to create it for my company, will be great full.
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