In this article, we will present you with a big list of reasons why small businesses need a website. I know you may be thinking, but why? I am not big enough. My customers and clients are not tech savvy and they are not on the internet.
Well, you know how everything today is about being accessible online and show what you can do or offer to people. That’s the thing about it. Your clients and customers are online and are trying to find more about your business.
Everything is switching to online. I for one didn’t even want to send a job application to a company that didn’t invest in a website. Because this meant that if they can’t or won’t invest in themselves, how are they going to invest in me.
And I am not talking about money. I am talking about time and knowledge. It’s like they don’t care about their business and don’t want it to be successful in the long-term.
Your business is your passion and is providing for you and your family. The truth is, it’s more than that. And believe me, I know. I started a business (Nomiscom WebDesign), out of urgency, but it became, something that I want to nurture.
It’s my voice to help others and help you to do better in today’s fast pacing era.
I believe you want your business to grow. Owner or not, you do what you do, because you like it.
Not only to provide for your family, lifestyle but from my perspective to provide help to Businesses and help them grow.
And I am sure you want to help businesses and people too because your customer’s success is your success.
You know that you can get more out of your Business and you can serve and help more people by being online. This means you are accessible anytime and everywhere.
The interesting part about the business websites is, that having a website is not only recommended, but it has become a necessity.
Yes, the percentage of Businesses that have a website has increased in one year. In 2016 there were almost 50 % of Businesses that didn’t have a website. The new research shows the percentage is improving.
In 2017 only 29 % of Businesses didn’t have a website. But the alarming thing is that they don’t use it to market themselves.
The information is for the USA, but I think that the results are similar for rest of the World or more likely worse and there are likely around 40 % of Businesses without an online presence.
If you don’t have it, you are losing revenue and reputation. You should understand, that for now you can have enough revenue and clients, but when the younger people will start to be more in the market you will be losing out.
Let this sink in 81 % of people are doing research on the desired product before they buy (Hubspot Marketing Stats). So, this should be a bit of a waking call and you should be leaning toward the yes answer.
Of course, these are statistics and I want to give you some more reasons you should get your Business a website.
your business needs a website and online presence
Okay, you are now probably wondering, why did this guy just add online presence. Well, you should have a complete online presence with website included.
You should interact with your audience on social media and bring them to your website. You should have a marketing strategy set up that will help you convert visitors to your leads and new clients.
To do that you need a website with a blog, social media marketing, and promotion and to have this all do its job it’s an important to know who your perfect customer or client is. You can read more about online presence here.
Here it goes.
reasons why small businesses need a website
No matter how big or small your Business is, you should have a website and bellow are 25 reasons why small businesses need a website.
1. your business is never closed
Yeah, what do you mean never closed? I want to be with my family. Of course, that is the point. The website is there 24/7. It sells and promotes your services and products all the time.
While you don’t want to spend all day in your office and work until 3 or 4 AM. Many people are doing research about their next buy at that time. Why wouldn’t you want to be one of the options?
This brings us to the next one.
2. a website is a tool that sells your products and services
A website can act as a catalog or a brochure for your services and products. If something changes, like prices or packages for your services, you just change it.
You don’t need to wait for your printed materials to arrive, which you have then sent out to your potential clients (print is still a good addition).
This is your billboard. You can instantly put your business in front of millions of potential clients.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you don’t have to do anything else. You need to promote your website and business.
There should be an SEO strategy, content marketing, and social media exposure. Everything is connected and works the best together.
All this combined can also be called Growth Driven Design. This means your site should be ever evolving and be flexible for changes in the market.
3. you can target a bigger market
Your local market will be wider, you will be in front of potential clients that weren’t in touch with your brand before. No matter if you sell products or services. Read our article and understand why branding matters?
If you decide to have an eCommerce store that you can sell right on the spot and the store is up at any time.
4. your business can now do business globally
It’s not just as said above, that you can now reach a bigger market. It also means that your Business can now offer products and services globally.
In today’s World, there are almost no limits. You can reach markets and clients that you wouldn’t imagine before. This is the reason you and your Company needs a website. It is your ticket to a whole new level.
Sky’s the limit if you put the right strategies behind your business website.
5. your potential clients are online
That’s right. People are online, and that doesn’t mean that only younger generation is using the internet. Almost ¾ of the Earth’s population has access to the internet.
It doesn’t matter if your Business is big or you run a small family business. You should be online, presenting yourself as one of the providers of products or services.
People are more and more looking to do the research on what to buy and more importantly from whom to buy online. If you are not there they’ll simply skip you. You will be left outside.
6. your clients expect you to be online
There was an interesting research done in 2016 by Brightlocal, that shows, that clients do expect Businesses to have a website.
80% of participants in the age between 18 – 54 say, that they are more likely to contact a business if the business has a website.
You could be missing a chunk of clients that are looking for your product or services and they can’t find you.
7. get new clients for your business
As you can see by now. People are searching for new information online. So they tend to search for solutions to their problem more and more.
With a well-designed website, you can position your company as someone who can provide them with a solution.
This can mean a lot when your potential clients and customer are deciding where they want to buy their next product or service.
Show them that you can solve their problem and that you understand their pain.
There is also an option to implement a “call back button”. This means they can book a call from you in a few minutes. You get a notification and you call them back.
This way you can present yourself on 1 to 1 basis.
8. you can educate your clients about your brand, products, and services
This means that you control what you are saying. You are in charge of your publishing. And what better place can you write about your brand, products, and services than on your own website.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean that you should brag in your posts. Your articles should reflect your business mission, your personality and be valuable to your visitors.
If you can provide value through your website and educate them about your niche they will be more engaged and more likely to become your clients.
A great addition to your blog posts are share buttons for social media. This way your visitors can share your posts and get you even more exposure.
With a blog, you will also improve your communication with your potential and existing clients. Also, you have more influence on visitors and potential clients buying decision, by providing value on your website.
9. showcase your work or what was accomplished with your product or service
The website presents a great opportunity for you and your business to show what you have already done.
Not only what you have done, but how you or your product helped other people and businesses to solve their problem.
If you are a Photographer you can showcase your photos. Maybe you sell outdoor accessories, you can show how your customers are having fun with your gear.
Whatever your niche, you can showcase your work and how your product or services can help solve your client’s problems.
10. your website can provide social proof
Of course, you probably have some type of social proof, like the Facebook page or Twitter account. Not to mention Yelp, Foursquare, and Google Reviews.
All this is great, but if people are already looking for you on the internet, it would be great if they can find your website. This is where you can include your happy client’s testimonials.
Don’t forget that you could do some case studies and provide even bigger value. Because you will show them the process and a happy client.
Believe it or not majority of people love to look for reviews and what other people are saying about you. The results of a survey done by Brightlocal say that 88 % people trust online reviews.
A good reason to have your own business website and include testimonials and if applicable ever star reviews.
Reviews also matter for your website rankings so it’s a great value for you and your potential clients.
11. your business website is the center of your marketing
Whatever you want to do in business today, the first place where it should go live is your website. The first marketing step is having a business website.
This means before you have your brochures, business cards, and flyers printed. All the information, that can be useful and helpful to your clients should be live on your website.
Then you can go and do the rest.
Every marketing campaign should first be live on your website landing page so that what is written on your flyers, or in videos or in brochures can lead them to your website.
Print materials and video materials should be done in a way that your clients are motivated to visit your site for more information.
The website should be designed to convert those visitors into your new clients.
12. a website builds your business credibility and legitimacy
Your business can gain instant credibility. Also, if you connect this to the above reason. You are providing your clients with extra information available on your site.
This isn’t only the information on your Company business info, but also other marketing related information. As well as proving yourself as a trustworthy business.
Put all above written in a good structured and a professionally designed website and you will close sales deals more easily.
Your website will show your clients that you mean real business.
If you don’t have it, your potential clients could think you don’t follow the technological progress (even if in reality you are) or worse they’ll think you are in such tough situation that you can’t afford it.
These are things that you don’t want your potential clients to think about your Business.
Years ago it was important that your business had a real physical address.
Today it’s important, that you have a website.
It can look suspicious to your potential customers if your business doesn’t have a website.
13. you can improve your customer support
That’s right. You can improve how you help your clients. You can have an online chat, so clients that are on your website can talk to you immediately.
This can also help answer questions from potential clients and can save you time and money.
Have an FAQ page on your website. You know your industry better than anyone. Why wouldn’t you answer frequently asked questions right on your online home?
If you sell services, maybe you can set up a ticketing system, that will help you organize help requests and keep your customer happy. Did I mention you can save a ton of time?
Your website can have a big role in your business, as it can help you to keep providing the best for your business clients.
14. you will save time
Whatever your business is selling, services or products. Your website can answer many questions from your customers.
This can take much time in your busy schedule. Answering questions on your phone or email (of course there will still be emails) this takes time.
But your website is usually the first contact with your potential clients. And if you can answer their questions before they contact your business you can do them a big favor.
The best part as mentioned above it’s always available to provide value to your customers.
The time that you save here, can now be a time that you invest in your business growth and development.
15. it can save you money
Your website can save you money on printing marketing material. Everything that you would print can now be provided on your website.
And I mean everything.
Do you want to offer discount coupons? No problem, you can offer a discount on your website as a pdf. And get a new subscriber in the process.
Are you planning to have a new catalog? Sure offer it on your website and allow your visitors to download the catalog in pdf format.
You can get a new subscriber and you allow them to view the catalog when they want to and whenever they feel like it.
Also, with the right marketing campaign, you can have targeted audience eyes on your offer in no time.
If you build a large subscriber list you can save money on flyers, brochures, and offers.
If you are wondering how, you can now send your subscribers an offer, flyer or any other material directly to their email.
But, please no shady stuff. Only if they have given you the permission to do so.
16. a website can help you with your business goals
As your business website can’t work without the content that will educate and inform your visitors. The content will also help you rank better.
Of course, it must have quality and value.
But while you are writing your content, you’ll find out that, there are many things that can be done better or different.
This will help you revise your business and get you to correct some things.
Set yourself new goals. Structure your business in a better, more lean way.
17. compete with the big guys
Okay, you may be thinking, but I can’t compete with them. They have an unlimited amount of resources.
Well, they may have big resources. But people don’t always look at that, and with a well-designed website, that has the right strategy behind it, you can and will mix with the big guys.
If you have a sound strategy and your website isn’t just a quick design you can do it.
Your website can answer questions that big companies’ website doesn’t because they have become too big to realize that.
It’s important that your website is built for your ideal clients (you can have more than one). So it addresses them directly and visitors can relate to your content.
Your website, your rules.
18. business email (info@website.com)
Your Business Email Address
I know, that this can be done with other methods, but it’s usually related to having a website.
You usually buy a domain when you plan to have a website.
This is an important aspect of the business, that many people neglect. The reason is they don’t believe this playing any role when doing business.
But, I can assure you, that it is important. Why? It looks unprofessional if you use Gmail account.
This is a reason that you might not close the deal of maybe your store isn’t selling as much it could because people think you are not the real deal.
And customers will remember your email easier.
19. a website gives you another way to collect data about visitors and generate new leads
Collect Data
Okay, now you may think to yourself, why would I do that. It sounds scary. I assure you, that you don’t need to worry.
It’s usually about, what pages are your visitors visiting. What country are they from. Nothing personal should be collected with analytics.
Of course, you can and should also collect emails. This will help you get new subscribers and potential clients.
But you shouldn’t use shady tactics. If you want your visitors to subscribe, you should offer them a value. Maybe you can offer an ebook, or a discount, a free consultation of an article upgrade.
You can also see where your visitors come from. Like, is it an advert (AdWords), or is it from a search engine.
This way you can see what performs better, and where you need to improve.
Collected data can offer you a better insight into your audience. This way you can make better decisions about your marketing and sales.
Your offer can be more personalized and with that in mind, you can reach a more targeted audience.
This means more leads and clients to your business. It also means your website creates measurable results.
20. your website helps you
Fulfill Your Brand Promise
Unique Experience
The thing is, many business owners and directors forget, that a website is the extension of your business.
This means you can develop a unique experience for your clients when they interact or do business with you.
By having a professional website, which reflects your business values, you are showing your uniqueness. This is something that will separate your company from your competitors.
21. the benefits of webrooming for your business
Webrooming
First, let’s see what is this thing called “webrooming”?
This is a phenomenon that has occurred in the days of the modern web, where customers research a product online and then buy it in your physical store.
If you have a website, which provides useful information about a product, that you are selling in your physical store, you can take advantage of this phenomenon.
For example, you are selling bathroom tiles. And you provide a nice catalog on your website with all the important information. Like colors, size etc.
You can get more customers buying from you after they inform themselves about your product. Webrooming is a good tactic for local stores to employ.
22. online store sales are growing
eCommerce Spending Is Growing
A report from eMarketer is revealing that the expenditure in eCommerce is growing and it will continue to grow.
The percentage of eCommerce retail sales in the overall retail sales is increasing yearly. More and more people are buying online because is cheaper and more convenient.
Of course, you shouldn’t be fooled and think that physical stores are going away, they are not.
But you can increase your revenue if you have a physical store and add an online store.
Not only because you will sell more online, but because you will increase sales in your physical store with the help of your eCommerce store (remember webrooming).
23. create a knowledge base and resource center for your staff
Create A Resource Center
Until this point, we have been focused on your customers. But the thing is, you can provide help to your staff too.
This is also important these days.
You can create a site on sub-domain, not visible to anyone else but your staff.
Upload instructional videos, learning material and other resources that can help them improve their work.
Your staff will feel more appreciated and this can help you run a better and more people oriented business.
The staff is not your cost they are your investment. Treat them right and you will get the best results.
24. Test Your New Ideas With Ease
Test Your Ideas With Ease
If you decide your site will not be a static one, and you have and CMS attached to it. Or if I put it more like this, your business website is developed with CMS, you can have new ideas published in seconds.
This means you can test new ideas and visitors can tell you right away if your message on the campaign is working or not. This way you don’t print material for a campaign until it’s good.
No need to waste money. You can test your ideas out with real people, that are likely your potential clients.
You can also easily test if some product would be good for your market or not. What works the best for your targeted audience and what is not.
25. your competitors have a business website
Your Competitors Have A Website
I saved this one until the end. Because hopefully, you will see, that your competitors can and will overtake you if you won’t be careful. And if you are still in doubt why small businesses need a website, this one will help you realize you do need one.
Customers these days are researching what to buy online. This is usually the starting point of the buying decision.
As we saw at the beginning, the vast majority of buyers will rather buy from a company that has an online presence.
If you are not online, you are not following technology and you are falling behind your competitors, that are online.
You are giving your potential clients an excuse to buy from your competitors.
conclusion
If you are still wondering why small businesses need a website, I hope you have gotten enough reasons to get your business online.
But it’s not enough to have a website if that website is not professional or it doesn’t have a good design.
Your website should reflect your brand. It should be a reflection of your values. You should tell your story and give the visitors a journey to form the start until the end of the buying process.
The website should be designed for the needs of your ideal customer (or customers). But that said, it’s not just about your pages, you should also care about your posts. They should bring your brand closer to your potential customers.
Hopefully, you can see from the article, that it’s important to have a website designed with strategy in mind, so it can support your marketing efforts. leave us a message to see if we can help
