In today’s era of E-commerce and sheer domination and influence of social media, you may lead yourself to think that you are good to go without any website. If that is the case, then you are not alone.
You have your hip Instagram page, your Facebook page, as well as your old-but-still-deemed-gold Twitter handle. In addition, you may have your YouTube channel which is full of pocket-sized 10-minute videos.
What use is a dated site in this world of social media giants? In case you’re thinking along these lines, it is time to rethink your strategy. A website is not only useful, it is also vital for your business.
Not just this, if you aren’t present on the web at all, how will you stay updated with the market trends, competitors and their strategies and even more importantly, how will your customers find you? Keep in mind that you will not get the type of online presence that you desire just with a Facebook page.
Having an effective website is important for your business for the following five reasons.
1. Relatability
The knack of relating to a well defined audience and forge meaningful relationships is another reason for developing and maintaining a business website. Using the website to tell an engaging story about you, your products or services and your business starts this relationship.
The following fundamental questions will help you in creating your brand story, if you haven’t created it as yet:
- What is unique about your business?
- What is interesting about how it was founded? About the founder?
- What problem is your company trying to solve?
- What inspired the business?
- What “aha” moments have you had?
- How has your business evolved?
- What’s a nonobvious way to tell your story? Can you look to analogy instead of example?
- What about your business that you consider normal and mundane would other folks think is cool?
Understanding the audience and the way your service or product could provide one or more benefits will continue to strengthen this relationship. Using the website for earning and retaining a customer is the eventual goal and the result of effectively relating to and serving your customers.
Consumers, in this day and age, are more likely to visit a website in order to learn about a business and its products than they’re to pick up the phone and make a call.
2. Your Business will Gain More Credibility
A business website is one of the best ways to collate and organize all your work and successfully use it as a portfolio or CV of your various offerings, where you could display any figures or testimonials in order to promote and market your business.
Keep in mind that customers seek products and services they can trust and, at times, price does not factor into this equation; therefore, if you’re trying to increase sales and improve your ranking on search engines such as Google and Bing, you will have to be consistent and accurate with your product or service offering. If you are business in Orlando and looking for more credibility and trust in your business you always have the option to hire professional SEO service provider in Orlando. SEO services in Orlando.
3. It can save Money in the Long-Term
As a small or local business owner, particularly one who is starting out, you may think you cannot afford a professional website. However, you really cannot afford NOT to have one. While the costs of designing and developing a professional website will vary depending on your specific needs, once the site is up and running, it will be worth your initial investment.
This is especially true if you have built your website using WordPress as it allows you to add and modify your content on a regular basis, saving you plenty of money in updates.
Compared with the expenses of conventional forms of advertising, like newspaper adverts or radio commercials, when you take into account the potential market that you could reach with your website, you will realize that it’s an extremely cost-effective way to advertize and promote your business in the long term.
4. Your Competitors have Company Websites
Customers usually begin their buying journey with recommendations and research from social network connections and peers.
According to recent studies, once a customer has a general idea of what he or she needs or wants, they start to research, and more than seventy percent of them prefer going online in order to find relevant educational materials, testimonials and reviews.
Therefore, if you do not stay competitive with your competitors, you are only giving your shoppers another reason to purchase from a competing brand.
Irrespective of what type of products or services you sell, you could share tips with your customers on how they can care for or use the products or services they have purchased from you. If you market compression garments, for example, you can offer tips on how customers can wear their garments. On the other hand, if you sell hot beverages, like coffee or tea, you could provide tips on brewing times or temperatures.
5. Paves the Way for Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization, the buzzword (buzz phrase, rather) that has been going around for several years now is really the Holy Grail when it comes to online presence. And you just cannot stand out from your competitors if your website isn’t search engine optimized.
It goes without saying that if your business does not have a site to begin with, you can’t have the website search engine optimized! Therefore, by having a functional website for your business, you’re giving yourself a great chance to develop a strong online presence.
