A website is essential for competing in today’s digital realm. Surprisingly, many business owners are still unaware of the tremendous mistake it is to not invest in a website. Here are five reasons why a website is key to unlocking the potential of your business and why the investment will reap vast dividends.
1) Most consumers are online: An enormous percentage of your clients and customers, both potential and current, are browsing the web on a mobile device.
"Earlier this year, the U.S. Small Business Administration reported that only 51% of small businesses have websites, despite the fact that 97% of consumers shop online."
In this age of rapidly advancing mobile connectivity, consumers no longer think to make a purchase by calling a 1-800 number to order a product they saw on TV. The same reigns true for consumers no longer flipping through thick catalogs or driving to the mall to buy something. Even more impressive is the fact that shoppers no longer have to sit at their home computer to purchase or browse. In today’s world, where instant gratification is king, consumers like to be efficient with their time. Tablets and smart phones have propelled commerce into the mobile realm, and it’s up to you, as a business owner, to keep up.
"Out of the mere 51% of small businesses reported to have a website, a staggering 93.3% of those sites were not compatible with mobile devices."
To guarantee success for your business, not only do you need to have a website available to your consumers, but making sure the site is responsive to mobile devices is equally as crucial.
2) A first impression is everything: A clean, organized website is the qualifying gateway to consumer engagement. The more skillfully designed the website is, the longer your visitors will stay, buy and share their experiences on their social networks. Do you ever visit a website or blog and love everything you see, to the point of visiting each page and sub tab in order to fully experience their brand? This is the goal, so be thoughtful when curating your content. The website in general must be user-friendly, mobile responsive and easy to navigate. A cluttered or tacky looking website will not only turn away visitors within seconds, but also significantly affect your brand’s image, ultimately your bottom line.
"Stanford University conducted a research study on web credibility and found that 75% of users judge a company’s credibility based on their website’s design."
It has also been reported that it only takes about half of a second for visitors to decide whether they will stay on or leave a website. First impressions count! Investing on web design that is current, and able to appeal to different consumers’ aesthetics is non-negotiable.
3) Your competition is online: If they don’t currently have a website, then they’re working on one.
Whether your business has a website or not, you must know that consumers will have their first experience with your company online.
They will search for it and similar ones on Google and on social media before ever setting foot inside of your physical location(s). Search results will inevitably pull up your competitors, too. Whether they see no website and first click on your Yelp page, if you have one set up, or a Google My Business page, controlling the information they come across is completely in your power. A well designed website is built with the right keywords and SEO (search engine optimization) in place that will land you at the top of the search engine results. When you are within the first primary results, consumers’ confidence in your company is reinforced. By coming up first on Google, your consumers have more trust in your organization than they would if you didn’t show up until further down or later pages. It’s essential to establish an active, trustworthy presence for your company online – it ultimately shows consumers that you're worth their time and money.
It’s not only the keyword integration and design that matter, the functionality of your website compared to your competitions’ significantly impacts consumer behavior. The takeaway here is being user-friendly. Have an easy to navigate site that is succinct, yet detailed when needed. If you don’t invest in a terrific website to draw your audience in with, you run the risk of losing countless leads to your competition. This should be non-negotiable to your business plan.
4) Your global reach matters: An amateur or outdated website with a weak online presence will have a very limited reach. Like a dark, murky, “hole in the wall” in a remote part of town, no one really knows your business is there, and the few visitors you do get don’t stay long enough to understand your offerings. On the other hand, a sophisticated and professionally built, optimized website is like a beautiful office building in a prime location, offering maximum exposure, and an approachable, commendable ambiance that draws people in. Add to that an effective social media strategy, and your business becomes a fixture in the minds of your target audience.
"This year, it was reported that 82% of small business websites were not utilizing social media."
Integrating this invaluable tool into your marketing plans ensures that your website becomes a frequent place new and loyal clients visit to find relevant information and new products. To maximize your global reach, you need a strategic website working in tandem with your social media strategy.
5) 2015 is the Age of E-Commerce. These days, a physical business location has become a mere option. Over the last decade, e-commerce technology has emerged as the single most powerful evolution in human history. Your business' website is an imperative part in this exciting and profitable evolution. Integrating your business online is a smart, efficient, and cost-effective way to automate and expand.
A well designed, functional website is like having a highly skilled customer service employee working around the clock, seven days a week, managing your business while you sleep… for free!
Many businesses have opted out of having physical locations for this very reason; having a website is all they need to be profitable. It is possible for many organizations to offer the same products and services online while saving a great deal of money on overhead expenses.
Over 200 million people are online right this very second, and a professionally made business website has the potential to access them all, right now. For that reason alone, having a website for your business should be non-negotiable.