In this post i take a brief look at 6 key benefits of a small business website, there are many more. They key thing for me is that there are no downfalls to having a website for your business in today’s digital world. So its best to adopt the new ways of the world or be left behind by competitors who do.
Credibility – More and more people are now going online to look for products and services, it can actually harm your business if you don’t have a website, some small businesses rely on social media as their online presence, which excludes everyone else who does not take part in social media. 55% of local consumers find it difficult to support local firms due to them not being online (this was in 2014).
The world is Online – Around 80% of consumers use the internet to search for products and services, most consumers will assume you have a website, chances are your competitors do, don’t let them steal the march on you, things will only accelerate, everything is going online.
Online Hub – Your business website can act as a central location for interacting with your clients and customers, every post you write can be automatically pushed out to any social media account you currently use. One of the best marketing tools for your services is running a small blog, writing about your chosen field, giving tips and tricks, special offers, price changes, or even product evaluations; again all this is automatically shared to your social media accounts.
Personal Touch – When you restrict your business to only using social media, your online presence looks exactly the same as every other, for example. You can make small changes to your profile pictures etc, but at the end of the day, Facebook is Facebook. Your website is not only your central hub, it can also reflect more about you than social media can. You can style it in any way you feel fits your needs and you can change it anytime you like.
Google is King – Over 60% of searches on a search engine are done on Google, so getting your business listed with Google makes sense, also having your website show up in search results is also key. Google has found that 50% of smartphone users who perform local business searches will visit a store within a day and 18% of those will lead to a purchase. For example if you are a hairdresser in a small town, we can direct the local search results people are doing for hairdressers in your area to your business website. With smartphone searches increasing 120% in the last year alone, not using Google is not good business.
Larger Audience – Not only is having a website brilliant for local business, it’s also the ultimate tool for gaining access to a wider audience to sell your products and services. This taps into all of the above, as you use your local credibility, your personal touch and the use of your central hub to form an online presence that if done correctly allows Google to send customers to you organically after a period of time. The benefits of a small business website will be evident through time, if used correctly it can actually save you money.
Get in touch to see how we can help your business, not just with a website, but in your total online presence.