There's no longer any excuse for not having a website, whether your business is booming or not. Many potential customers will not take you seriously without a well-designed website. Plus, there are so many ways to create one that not doing so will come across as unprofessional.
One of the most obvious benefits and advantages of having a site for business big and small, is that it makes it much easier for people to find you online and get in touch with you. Having an effective and compelling website can even lead to sales you wouldn't have made otherwise.
In the next article, we will discuss 15 reasons why you should set up a website. Then we'll show you how a website builder, like WordPress, can help any entrepreneur create a website in just minutes.
Advantages offered by a website on the Internet:
1. A greater online presence
These days, the first thing a lot of people do when they hear about a business is to look it up online and inquire about it. If you don't have a website set up – or at least a social media profile – you may not exist for all those potential customers.
Moreover, a website can help you change the way people perceive your business. For example, you can fill the site with reviews, photos from the location, useful information and anything else that strengthens your image. We are not exaggerating when we tell you that online marketing is a critical component to the success of any business in today's market.
2. Target local customers
Most people look for the nearest firms or companies when they decide to buy, as they can be much easier to research and check. For example, let's say you need a haircut and you don't know the neighborhood very well. Most likely, you will search online for hair salons in the area and be interested in each one.
If your site appears among the top results on Google for these types of local searches (building a strategy to rank your site as high as possible for keywords is known as a SEO optimization of the search engine), this will also help you build brand awareness of your business among the local community, in addition to accumulating more customers.
3. Provide address and contact information to your customers
Imagine someone knows your business exists, but doesn't know how to get there or how to contact you. Ideally, the site should include your full address, directions on how to find you, and a map of the area. Google My Business it can increase your online visibility, but it's only part of the whole promotion process.
It's also helpful to have a place for your company's phone number, email address, and other contact information. This way, people can contact you if they have specific questions.
4. You can communicate and receive feedback from your customers online
A lot of entrepreneurs prefer online questions or comments to phone calls. It's easy to see why. After all, you can respond to emails at any time, and it doesn't matter if 20 people are contacting you online at the same time - you can access and respond to them all.
Ideally, your website should offer visitors multiple ways to contact you. We already mentioned that it should include your phone number and email address, but a contact form is also a great addition that allows customers to get in touch without leaving your site. Some companies have even resorted to the option of including a live chat with answers to common questions.
5. You save money on ads
Before, if you wanted to advertise your business, the options were limited. You could send out flyers, place ads in the local paper, or pay for a TV spot. Today, the site offers completely new ways to reach the desired audience.
Even if you don't want to pay for online ads, the website itself helps you get your business out there. If you use the right keywords, your site can also be displayed when people search for those words on search engines. At the very least, you can publish the latest news on the site so that people visit your business constantly.
6. Online content can help you create a good image
There are plenty of successful businesses that provide news to visitors and keep them informed through content marketing. One such example is Mensis Agency blog – which consists of updating news from and about SEO and web development.
Also, Google Bot deals with content indexing and generally favors websites that are rich in new resources and information.
In the long run, you can also use the site as a platform to publish content and blog posts. Content marketing not only makes you look like an authority in your field, it can build a trustworthy reputation.
7. It's a way to learn more about your customers
Websites are not just about sharing business information. If used correctly, they can also help you learn more about your customers. You can then use this information to drive more sales and conversions.
You can create surveys on your site to find out what your visitors' interests are to increase the quality of shared posts. You can even track results and get tons of data about visitor behavior.
8. It's the perfect way to publicize job opportunities
Good help is hard to find, no matter what field you work in. If you are looking for new employees, there are a lot of platforms where you can advertise online. However, it is much more appropriate to use your own site for this.
After all, a lot of people visiting your site are likely to be interested in the job opportunities you offer. In addition, this way you don't need any middleman. When someone applies for a job, you can contact them immediately.
A good platform to make hires can be though Jooble.
9. You can provide custom email addresses for employees
When you buy a domain for your website, you can use it to set up personalized email addresses. This is very useful because an email address like mihaipopescu@afacereata.com looks much more professional than mihaipopescu123@gmail.com.
10. The site helps to grow your business
If you own a small shop, most of your business income will probably come from locals. They'll find out what products or services you offer and what your prices are, and after that, all you can do is hope they come back for more. In other words, most small businesses have a narrow sphere of influence.
Setting up a website allows you to overcome the limitations of running a small business. You will be able to address more of your target audience and attract customers from outside the local area.
11. Mode of online marketing
Apart from expanding the scope of your business, a website also gives you a complete and new channel that you can use to make sales. Thus, you will no longer be restricted to selling products only through the physical store.
Setting up an online store is relatively simple and you can even combine it with your business website. That way, you'll be able to make sales even when the work schedule ends.
12. Social Media helps you promote your business
Many people think that social media can be a substitute for a website. As for you, however, you need both a website and a social media presence if you want to maximize online reach. Additionally, you'll want to advertise all of your social media pages right from the site.
In other words, the site is a place where you can publish any content you want, in any format. Social media marketing, on the other hand, is a useful tool for getting that content out there, making room for more, and driving traffic back to your website. The two work in perfect harmony, so it makes no sense to limit yourself to one or the other.
13. Email lists help you stay in touch with customers
Email marketing is one of the most effective tools when it comes to staying in touch with customers, generating sales and getting conversions. You can also easily create email marketing campaigns.
Moreover, the site gives you the perfect way to get people to sign up for your email list. Once you build an audience, you can send them emails as often as needed.
14. You can educate users
Customers don't always know what they're looking for. If you're new to web hosting, for example, it can be difficult to figure out which plan best suits your business needs. There is a lot of information available on this topic.
Imagine being on the other side of this dilemma. You run a hosting service and you need to figure out how to help people choose the plans they need. A website is the perfect tool for this task. You can use it to educate your audience about the best products based on their requirements and goals.
15. You can build a community
One of the best things about having your own website is that it can provide a place for your visitors to chat with each other. For example, if you have a blog for your business, you can enable a comments section so that visitors can ask questions and have discussions with each other.
Depending on the platform you use, you can also set up more complex community features like forums and even public chats.
How to Create a Small Business Website Fast (and on a Budget)
The advantages of having a website for any business speak for themselves. However, the potential costs and investment to launch such a project can become a problem. It's true that creating a website from scratch can be expensive and time-consuming. However, there are alternative ways to quickly launch professional websites even on a small budget.
Website builders are tools designed to help you create websites, even if you have no experience with it. These are especially suitable for building your business website, as you probably don't want to implement a lot of complex features from scratch.
For example, our WordPress website builder service can help you set up a basic business website in a matter of hours – even if you have zero coding knowledge.
For example, if you are working on your home page, you can use one of the professionally designed WordPress themes. Then you can customize your site to match your brand. With a few clicks, you can add more elements – contact forms, galleries and more – and rearrange them until the page looks exactly how you want it. You can even customize each web section so you have full control over what your visitors see.
As your small business grows, you can enhance your online presence by coming up with ancillary services. The WordPress platform will give you the following advantages: SSL certificates, blogging tools, plugins for e-commerce stores and WordPress plugins.
We can increase your brand awareness quickly and efficiently
Every entrepreneur needs a website. If you don't have one yet, now is the perfect time to start doing so. Although, it is possible for your business to grow without a website, a presence can help you open many more doors and in a much shorter time.
If you don't have a lot of knowledge about website design, don't worry. You don't have to spend a lot of money to create and develop something. Mensis Agency comes to your rescue with a powerful and professional looking website.