7 Reasons You Should Invest in a Business Website
If you don’t have a business website yet, you’re not alone; the same goes for 27% of small businesses. However, most (nearly 9 in 10) say they plan to invest in one soon.
In today’s increasingly digital world, not having a website can result in much fewer leads. It also makes it more challenging to instill brand recognition and recall.
All of that can affect your bottom line and result in your business running out of cash. The latter, in turn, was responsible for 44% of failures among surveyed firms in 2022.
Those should be enough reasons to start your website design and deployment ASAP.
Below, we’ve outlined the top reasons to create and launch a high-quality site, so read on.
Table of Contents
1. Round-the-Clock Presence
You can think of a website as the 24/7 digital version of your business premises. It’s open and operational all day, so visitors can access your content, whatever time of the day it is.
Just as crucial, however, is to ensure your site is operational on any device, not only computers. According to the folks behind EZ Freight broker trucking websites, it should also look great on mobile devices.
Thus, when you design your website, ensure it features a responsive design. That way, it will display correctly on the visitor’s device, be it a computer, smartphone, or tablet.
2. Improved Credibility
The internet penetration rate in the U.S. has reached 91.8% in 2023. That translates to over 311 million internet users.
So, it’s safe to assume that many people would think it’s weird for a business not to have a website. Some may even find it downright suspicious.
Therefore, not having a company website could affect your organization’s credibility. By contrast, having one can improve it because it allows you to be searchable online.
Online searchability is vital because it lets consumers research your business and products. Indeed, almost 3 in 4 shoppers do this before making any purchase.
3. Lower Overhead Costs
Depending on what your business is all about, you can use its website as a sales platform. For example, you can sell goods and services directly to your customers via your site. That can then eliminate the need to operate a brick-and-mortar store.
Even if you need a physical location, you can still save on costs with drop shipping. With this, you can still sell online, but another company does the fulfillment. The drop shipping service also handles the products, from storage to shipping.
As a result, you can save space in your brick-and-mortar store. That reduces the need to rent more space or spend more on utilities.
Your website can also help lower advertising costs, as it acts as a digital marketing tool. However, ensure a professional writes and proofreads your site content. Optimizing its content for search engines can also boost your online marketing results.
4. Expand Your Business’s Reach
With a professional business website, the world is virtually at your fingertips. Anyone, wherever they may be, can visit your site anytime. They may not become instant customers, but they would still know your firm exists.
If your site wowed them, they’re more likely to remember you if their need for your goods or services arises. They may even recommend you to their family or peers.
5. Obtain Consumer Insights
Your website can be a treasure trove for information about consumer behaviors. For example, it can tell you how many visitors you have, the pages they visit, and how much time they spend on those pages. It can also inform you how they found your site, whether via a link or typing its URL directly on their browser.
Such information is extractable through website analytics tools. They help you collect, report, and analyze whatever happens on your site. You can then use the data to determine which components of your site perform well from those that don’t.
For example, let’s say a page on your site has a high bounce rate (percentage of visitors that leave the site). It indicates an issue with that page or its content isn’t relevant or valuable.
If it’s the latter and it’s about a product or service, the high bounce rate may indicate it doesn’t sell well. You can then consider upselling it, lowering its price, or replacing it with one that may sell better.
6. Position Your Business as an Industry Leader
Think of your website as your business’s online portfolio or autobiography. It tells the story of your business, from its history to its goals, mission, and vision. That makes it an excellent way to showcase your organization as an industry leader.
A dedicated blog page on your site can further make your business credible and reliable.
When you create valuable blog posts, they help answer your readers’ questions. And if they find your content helpful and relevant, they’ll think, “Oh, this site is helpful.” That, in itself, establishes your business as an industry authority in their eyes.
7. Excellent Customer Service Platform
One poor experience is enough to drive 54% of consumers away from a brand.
Such adverse experiences can arise from simply not having questions answered ASAP. For example, it can occur if a site visitor can’t find the information they want immediately. Or, it can be due to inadequate product or service information.
A robust, well-structured, easy-to-navigate, information-packed website can help prevent those issues. To simplify things further, add a search bar on your site so visitors can type in keywords.
Another way your site can attend to customers is through a built-in instant messenger. They can chat with you and get answers in real time.
Of course, you still want to be reachable through email and phone. So, ensure that you publish this information on your site’s Contact Us page.
Time to Build a Business Website
From 24/7 presence to better credibility and improved CS, these are all pros of having a business website. By contrast, not having one can be a factor in your firm’s downfall. After all, if consumers can’t find you online, they can’t buy your goods or pay for your services.
So, build and design an excellent and operational website as early as now. The sooner you do, the sooner you can reach more people and improve your bottom line.
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Last Updated on February 23, 2023
