Why do you need a website?

WHY DO YOU NEED A WEBSITE?

 

 

                If you have a business, you should have a website. Create an engaging website- Your website is your online image. Develop an attractive and easy to navigate a website for your business, with the pictures and details of your projects; this will help you attract potential clients from beyond your geographical location as well.

                However, it's not only enough to have a website! The most important thing is to reap the benefits, but you must also have a professional, attractive, and user-friendly site. If this does not convince you to take your business online, then this should help you understand the importance or the benefit of having a website.

1. GAIN CREDIBILITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS

                As time goes on, more and more consumers search products and services whatever they require online on the internet. Regardless of the size of your business, your prospective customers will expect to find you online! Having a website will help you establish credibility and legitimacy as a business. If you already have a website, but it is not achieving your desired results? Try to change the look of your website and redesign it professionally. And it will help you take your business to its peak.

2. A WEBSITE SAVES YOUR MONEY

                Perhaps having a small startup business, you have thoughts that designing a website may be too challenging. But compared to advertising in a newspaper, etc. developing a website is much more cost-effective and also a smart way of marketing, by smartly reaching out to your consumers and promote your business.

                 Websites have progressed and also allow you to take online most parts of your business, such as supply management, billing, shipping, procurement, and much more. Smooth business processes online can allow to significantly cut costs and time. One example is that when you sell through your website, you need not have to maintain stock/inventory. You have an online inventory, so customers can search the website and browse the products that can be delivered. When they have made an order, you then arrange for the product to get shipped from its original supplier.

                Now that most of the processing occurs online, you don’t need as many staff members to handle orders. All of these factors can save you lots of time and money.

3. A WEBSITE KEEPS YOUR CUSTOMERS INFORMED

A website helps us in reaching out to our consumers much faster and easier with updated information about products and services online. Thereby making it a more effective method of letting your customers know about newly added services such as:

· Launching of new products

· Events

· Promotions

· Any new services you offer

Your website will let the customers know some information about your products/services and can contact you for detailed information. 

                Your website will offer the customers with simple information about your products/services. When the customer calls or emails to you through the website to find out in detail about the services your half job is already done. You are already saving time (and money), as the people who call you are interested prospects and are not just after some information.

4. A WEBSITE IS ALWAYS ACCESSIBLE

                A website is available to all your regular and potential customers regardless of how large or small the demand is, allowing them to review your products and services even while you aren't available. As your website will be working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Therefore 8,760 hours each year. Just consider the possibility of getting leads, making money and growing your business while even if you are not available

5. YOU CAN TARGET A WIDER MARKET

                Reaching customers - and potential customers- using online marketing is more a matter of commitment and strategy than it is a financial expenditure. It does not need to be expensive to reach online customers effectively. Using a market-led approach to Internet Marketing, you can build an effective website and attract customers through various Internet-based marketing tactics.

               

                One example that comes to mind is the case of my friend Ryan Little at A40EC who paints shoes by hand so that the customer has the opportunity to own something no one else in the world will have. His website has allowed them to become more recognizable, trustworthy, and established. However, of most relevant to this section is how his website allowed him to take payments from overseas securely, generating orders from across Europe such as Paris. From creating his website in 6 months, he has seen 60% of his overall orders now come from his website as opposed to other platforms.

                Offline options such as flyers for short-term promotions are usually expensive to produce. Also, they take longer to prepare and must be produced in large volumes, which contributes to higher marketing costs. 

6. YOU CAN SHOWCASE YOUR WORK

                For any business, a website is the best place to express your company's services. There are plenty of ways to do this, such as”

* A portfolio page

* An image gallery

* Videos

* Testimonials

* Demonstrations

                Customer reviews are an especially effective way to add that crucial personal touch. This is intensified if you can get a photo of your customer reviews. This raises the trust level much higher and makes you even more credible.

7. A WEBSITE SAVES YOU TIME

                Most businesses, during a sale, must provide information to their customers, which takes time. It does not matter whether it is in person, over the phone, in a brochure, or through emails. By having an online catalog, you can provide vast amounts of information about your products and services, saving time in the long term. 

And "Time is money!". 

How can this happen? Let’s look at some possibilities:

· Automatic emails to everyone who enters their address on your site.

· Social media autoresponders

· Scheduled social media posts

· Online stock—automatically updates

· Contact forms on your site

                On top of this, each business may have additional ways it can automate some of its work. Another way to maximize this is with a “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) page. With an FAQ page on your website, you can put the answers to these repeated questions online. Some of your customers will get the answers there.

8. A WEBSITE IMPROVES CUSTOMER SERVICE

                Just because of customer retention is just as important as getting new customers, even if you include the referrals they bring. Through websites and the Internet, businesses nowadays can provide more effective customer support. This means increased customer satisfaction and profitability. Many people find it easier to talk through websites rather than calling you or speaking face to face. A broad range of marketing tools is available to help you develop and strengthen your relationships with both current and prospective clients. 

                One example is that your website can store information from your visitors, such as their birthdays/anniversaries. When these special events occur, you can use this to build your relationship with and/or market to them.

                People often say that many still prefer to do business with people they “know.” While it is very easy to give your website a more personal touch and make people more likely to want to do business with you.

9) YOU CAN OVERTAKE THE COMPETITION

                While you’re contemplating whether to get a website, your competitors are usually doing so, growing stronger and attracting business that should have been yours!

                If you are in direct competition for a contract with another business that has a website that markets well, creates trust, and has a clear call to action, that business has an advantage over you. By having an excellent website, you will play on a level field with your competitors and will get ahead of any companies that don’t have a website or that have a poor, outdated website. 

                eCommerce spending is increasing every year, making it more important that you do not fall behind. A study taken at the end of 2014 found that 71% of companies planned to increase their digital marketing budgets in 2015 by an average of 27%. 

10) A WEBSITE PROVIDES ADDITIONAL AVENUES FOR SALES

                Through eCommerce websites, the Internet is providing a perfect path for securing sales without people having to reach your store. Depending on your business and target market, websites can offer the most cost-effective means of securing your business, both local and beyond.

                You are open to the door to a much broader spectrum of people. For example, you run a company that sells “flower vases” in Liverpool. Your only clients are people in the local vicinity, either living in or visiting Liverpool. However, you know that your products are good enough to attract people all over. You take your business online with an eCommerce website; suddenly, you advertise and sell to millions of unknown people.

                There’s absolutely no way that a website will cause a decline in sales. There isn’t much risk in getting a website for your business; either you stay as you were or you more than likely grow.

Providing visitors with lots of helpful information will create a mentor; it will help build more of an attraction and harmony with the future client. 

The more you give to visitors, the more confident potential customers will feel in making a purchase.

11) YOUR CUSTOMERS EXPECT IT

                The Internet has become such a tremendous influence in people’s lives to solve problems and fulfilling needs that many people, especially the younger generation, use it for literally everything. I know I look online for every holiday I go on. I look for where to eat and what to do, seek answers to questions, conduct research everything.

                The Internet has replaced the Yellow Pages; an online presence allows your business to become part of that research and to have a chance with that prospect as opposed to being disregarded. They said, make sure you include a phone number on your website. Customers might not use it, but it’s always comforting to know that there’s a person you can talk to if a problem arises. Add your web address to all your material like stationery, business cards, and any other advertisements, and you’ll have visitors knowing exactly where to go for answers to their questions and where to send their friends for great service.

12) YOUR PHYSICAL PRESENCE COULD BE ANY LOCATION

                One thing that attracts many people, myself included, is a website, and even more so for a business that is solely online. You can do business from any part of the world. Your physical location mustn’t be strict and confined to one place. How does a weekend away sound? While you’re gone, your website is still generating leads and money for you.

13) YOU CAN CONDUCT RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

                Through your website, you gain a better understanding of your clients and also get feedback so you can continuously improve your service or product. You can do this by asking for feedback—organizing debates and polls on your website to gather information and thoughts from your customers and clients, then analyzing that data to carry out improvements or change your marketing strategy.

                One example is getting people to write their email addresses on a piece of paper and handing them in at your store; this would be difficult and slightly strange. It’s common to practice online to get people to type their email addresses into a box, especially when they’re getting something in return, such as a newsletter, a special report, or an eBook. Once you have an email address, you have another way to reach your potential customer. Then you have tools such as Google Analytics. Using this, you can see what percentage of your viewers buy something, how long they stay on the site, and who signs up for email lists and newsletters. If you are looking to progress further, you can purchase other tools, such as Moz, to maximize your analytics/research. You can then enhance your site based on this analysis. You’ll take your business to the next level.

14) YOU CAN GATHER CONTACT INFORMATION

                One of the key points to have a website is to gather visitor's information to market them. However, being online and having a website increase your chances of having more visitors and can contact you easily through web forms on the website. So visitors can email the queries or inquiries for the service. Using the contact information you get from your website, you can send proposals/information to all the people in your database automatically!

                Unlike old-school newsletters, which are expensive and time-consuming, you can use your website too quickly and consistently build relationships with your prospects and clients, directly leading to more sales. Word of mouth is still more important for our business, and always will be one of the best ways of increasing your trust in the market for small businesses to get clients.