The lockdown made businesses realize the importance of a website.
Your business needs to have an online presence now more than ever. Because people stuck at home can’t go out and find it for themselves. The only option they have is to look it up online.
And yet, 40-50% of businesses don’t have a website. Most of them are on social media, and that’s it.
But there is a limit to things you can do with a 280 character tweet. Those limits don’t apply to your website.
Plus, there are plenty of other perks that you’re missing out on here. And that’s what I want to focus on in this article to show you how a website can help your business.
9 Importance Of A Website For Business
An online presence is crucial for any business. And a website can help your business to show the wondrous benefits.
Let’s see the 9 incredible facts which will make you understand the importance of a website. Start with the very first one, visibility.
1. Online Visibility
Easy To Find:
Verisign performed a study where they found 9 out of 10 people search for goods online. So, they are looking to learn about the brand. That means they are looking for a website.
But Clutch, a market research firm, found out, 46% of companies are missing a website. And if you’re one of them, then you’re already behind 54% of your rivals.
That isn’t nice for business. How so?
Let’s say you have the best pastry shop in the area, but there is no existence of it on the internet. But an “ok” shop has an online presence, and that’s where people will be headed.
That’s because they made sure people found them online when they lookup for a pastry shop in the area.
What’s the difference-maker?
Yes, right! The website. It does the trick for them.
Get More People To The Front Door:
Your email is the place where people contact you. Your home is the place where people come to find you. Those addresses make it easy for others to contact you.
So, don’t you think your business deserves the same?
And you might argue, you already have an address. That’s the store where your customer comes looking for you.
But that’s just a tiny piece of the pie. There are 4.54 billion people on the internet. And even with 5% of them, you can get 227 million new eyes on the store.
Even your prime location store can’t get that many eyes. You can only imagine doing such numbers with online existence.
That’s the importance of a website: You go from local to global just like that.
2. Strong Reliability
Make It Look Credible:
Imagine a friend of yours came and told you about a better streaming service than Netflix.
What would be your instant reaction?
You will take the phone out and search for it. And if you find the website, you will look into it. But what if you see only a download like from the app store.
Already you’re having doubts. Now, why’s that?
Because you didn’t find a website for the service, and that’s enough for you to have second thoughts about its credibility. It’s not only you. A 2015 study shows that 84% of consumers would have similar reservations about services without a website.
And 65% of them won’t consider such services, credible if they get mail from generic accounts like Gmail instead of a business domain.
So, your brand needs to have a website to earn credibility.
Trust Depends On It:
Maybe, the streaming service is better than Netflix. But will you go and get it? It doesn’t look credible, so you don’t trust it.
And it turns out people don’t go on a buying spree like before.
As a study shows, more than 80% of people research products online. And only if they trust it then they go and buy it. A similar 2019 BrightLocal study portraits a clear picture.
They found out that 33% of people searched local businesses daily compared to 27% in the previous year.
Meanwhile, only 21% of people trust a company without a website. But the number increases by 15% when they notice one.
So if you’re thinking, how does having a website help business?
Simple, it builds trust.
3. Become A Brand
Build A Brand:
The first stepping stone to creating a brand’s identity is to have a website. And everything you put on the website serves to shape the brand’s image.
From the logo to the colors: every single detail lets your consumers associate with the brand.
Coca-Cola did the same thing with Santa Claus back in 1931. They portrayed the iconic Santa in red and white color like their drink.
And that’s the image you know of Santa to date. That’s why whenever you see the guy, and you think of Coca-Cola.
It’s hard to replicate something like that today, especially for small businesses.
You don’t have the funds to do such elaborate branding. But Ascii System can help you build your brand from the ground up with a website that connects with the consumers.
And if you already have one that lacks to portray the brand’s vision, no worries.
You can get the benefits of a website redesign with our agency, as Santa did for Coca-Cola.
Build Up The Brand Authority:
You’ve painted the brand image for the business. Now, people can connect with the brand.
But you need to shape your brand.
And it’s not going to happen by chance. You’ve got to start the conversations in your industry. In simple terms, you need to become the authority. The brand people look up to for guidance.
And the website is the place to do that. You can concentrate on your buyer’s pain points and guide him in the right direction.
And 82% of consumers want that from a brand. They want answers to their queries. And the blog is the place to address them.
This is one of the ways how a website help business to become the authority in the industry.
That sort of power can bring you, loyal customers. And loyal customers are worth 10x times more for a brand.
Share Your Story:
The best way to connect with the customer is to share your story. People love brands that tell a story. Take any big brands. Whether it’s Amazon or Tesla, everyone knows how they got started and what they become.
Those brands share their history and their future vision with their users. And that makes people more invested in them.
So, even if you’ve just got started, it always helps to share the story. People love to know how you made this a reality and what you wish to achieve.
The benefits of a website for small business with this strategy is greater than anyone else. Because you get the chance to bond with the consumers.
So, make sure to depict a clear vision for the business with the website. Otherwise, people might not feel convinced to invest in the brand.
4. Market Your Brand
Make Buzz:
You make wickedly good cupcakes at home. Why not ship them out nationwide? You don’t need a shop for it. All you need is a website to start selling them.
That’s what Wicked Good Cupcakes did in 2010 when they started. The mother-daughter owner of the cupcake company had a brilliant product, so they put together a website and began selling.
Then they got some TV exposure, and soon people started looking for them online.
The website started everything. And now they do $2 million in revenue per year with two of their locations. But online is where they do most of the business.
Imagine a website doing so much marketing for the brand.
Selling 24/7:
Your brick-and-mortar store can’t be open 24/7. And even if it does, people aren’t walking the road around the clock to notice it. People have to get back to their nest at night.
That’s how things are. But do you know where most people at night go?
Yes, you’ve guessed it right: The Internet. A 2017 ReportLinker survey discovered 75% of people keep their phones on even at night time.
And 10% of them admit to waking up at night to check their phones. So, people are always on the phone.
The website will let your customer wake up in the middle of the night from their sleep to lookup your service because you’re open 24/7 with the website.
Will no one wake up at night and come to your physical store just like that to get the goods?
It was never going to happen in a million years.
Cost-effective Marketing:
What’s the importance of a website for marketing your business? Consider the market value alone, and you will realize the benefits of a website.
Undoubtedly, it works as a great marketing channel.
Yes, if you want an instant impression of your business, Facebook and other media may cost you much less.
But if you take the lasting impression of a website into account, the value is much more than theirs.
Let’s do the numbers to make it more obvious.
Professional companies like Ascii System can create a custom website for your business for $1000 to $15000 bucks. The price varies depending on the complexity of the site.
Say you’ve spent $15000 on the website, including the domain and hosting. And you get a moderate view of 50000 every year.
Now, if you do the numbers, you are spending $300 for 1000 impressions.
Absurd!
But let’s think about 3 years. Then the impression cost goes down to $100. And the more year passes on, the less it cost.
In the meantime, can you imagine how many $1 ad campaigns you’ve got to run in these 3 years?
It would cost much more and do less. Because social media ads might get more eyes, but they don’t explain a lot. So, people don’t feel compelled to spend on the product you’re selling.
But your website has everything your customers need to know.
So, you’ve got a better chance to make sales through it.
5. Customer
The Greatest Support System:
Customers can have any queries about your business. From what you sell, how you deliver, and how you take payments, they have a list of things to ask.
And they want to ask about it anytime.
But they can’t go to the store, find someone working there, and ask them these things whenever they desire.
And even if they do, the sales associate at the shop might get tired of answering all these questions.
And that can lose your business. Because 80% of people stop doing business with companies if they experience poor customer support.
So, a lot is riding on your sales attendant’s temper.
But if you have a website set up with all the information for your customers, they might not have to come and ask these questions. They can simply visit the website.
Creates Bond:
A website is a great place to create a bond with your customers.
The truth is, you are here to do business. But it’s the brands that create a bond with the clients that do well in the long run.
So, use the website to create a community. Don’t just keep selling things to them. Help them out once in a while.
And you can use the blog to do that. You can provide informative content to them with no hidden agenda. This way, you can build trust among them.
But if you try too hard to sell, it’s only going to blow up on your face.
So, build a relationship with your clients. This way you have a better opportunity of doing business with them.
Remember, acquiring a new customer costs 5x-6x times more than retaining one. So, your focus should be retaining the ones you have. And having a strong bond will help the cause.
24/7 Instant Response:
Most customers don’t have patience. As you can recall, 82% of customers want quick responses to their questions.
Now, your website content can help answer most of the queries. But you can’t expect to answer everything with a blog.
That’s where the importance of a good website for business lies. Our agency can help your website provide 24/7 customer support with a live chat service.
It’s one of the biggest benefits of a website that many fail to capitalize on.
But we make sure you make the most of it with a proper chat system. So, no questions would ever go unheard. And everyone gets an answer in a flash.
6. Decision Making
Help Them To Settle Down:
Your potential customers will always have second thoughts. It’s hard for them to choose between you and all the other contenders.
That’s where your brand authority can come to your aid.
You’ve built a community where they come with their problems, and you provide the solution. Solve their many doubts. Give answers to all their queries.
You’ve educated them about the product. So, they take your say seriously.
Now, all you need is to push them a little further. Use your authoritative voice to do that. Give them suggestions about your business within the contents.
Use the 80-20 rule. Help with 80% of the content and educate about your service with the rest. Let them know how you stand out from the rest.
If you can do this thing the right way without sounding too pushy, then the decision will always be in your favor.
7. Social Media
Don't Depend On It:
Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and others are great for creating advertising campaigns.
You can also use them to connect with the customers and talk about your business. But if it’s your only source of online presence, then you’re doing things wrong.
You’ve got no controls over the platforms. So, you can’t be sure what will be taken down and what they would let people see.
They have all the say.
Also, remember, social media buzz fades at some point in time. And people aren’t into sponsored ads anymore as 71% of them distrust them.
The only way to keep the trust is to have a good website with all the information.
So, it would help if you thought about using social media with the business website.
If you don’t identify the importance of a website and solely depend on social media, you’re not going to survive for long.
Not Suited To Do Business:
Most small businesses think social media is all they need. And that’s where they are wrong.
Yes, the medium can help you get attention. It can help to create buzz for the business. But it won’t convert the visitors to sales.
Because, like you, there are hundreds of other pages providing the same service or product.
How can you make your business stand out from them?
Everything looks the same to the naked eyes. The consumers don’t feel the personal touch, and it frustrates them.
A 2017 survey from Segment confirms this theory. They saw 71% of consumers express frustration with the shopping experience.
But if they enjoy a personalized experience, around 44% come back to the brand.
Our web development service can help you create the perfect customized experience for the buyers using the website. So, you may have a 40% greater chance of selling expensive products rather than selling nothing.
8. Referrals
Spread The Word Out:
One of the easiest ways businesses acquires new customers is through their existing ones.
Positive reinforcement is real, and it works.
That’s what spinach-eating Popeye the sailor man did for the green veggies. Popeye increased spinach consumption by a third in the USA alone.
And he was just a cartoon character.
Studies show 85% of consumers trust online reviews. And 81% of consumers trust business referrals coming from their friends and families. So, if a cartoon can create such an impact, then imagine what good word of mouth can do for real people.
However, you need to simplify things for the brand. And that’s where an easy link to your business websites comes to the rescue.
But that’s not enough to seal the deal. BrightLocal found in their research, people read at least 7 reviews before trusting a brand.
For that, you’ve got the testimonial section on the website.
You can display reviews of your clients to encourage others to try your service.
9. Others
Recruit The Right People:
You need the right people working for your business to help it grow. But hunting down them can be a task in itself.
One of the other advantages of a website for businesses is that it helps you draw on the top talent.
They can visit your website, see your vision, and can connect with it easily.
A recruitment ad won’t pursue them this way like the website. So, it’s not only a great way to get customers, but it also is the platform to put together the best team possible.
Use The Affiliate Program:
You’ve got people in sales that bring in the customers. You can have the same thing going for your business online with a website.
Just create an affiliate program for the business. It will encourage others to bring in more people to your place. And they will try to make others buy from you.
That’s because the affiliate program will let them get a cut from each sale. So, there will be an incentive.
And it’s what every major brand does to expand their business. From eCommerce giants to five-star hotels, 81% of brands depend on it for growth.
Yes, you’ll be giving up some of the profit, but you’ll be making more at the same time.
A Place To Land On- Landing Page:
No matter what platform you use to reach out to people, you need to direct them somewhere.
Let’s say, you’re using email marketing, when people click on the mail, they need to be brought to a place where they can come to shop right away.
The website is that place for the business.
Because when you redirect the customers to the website, they can learn all about your brand. But if you don’t have a website, they are less likely to know about your services.
So, having a website with great landing pages is important if you want to get 12x times more leads.
Another Pipeline For Revenue:
Your website can not only earn from bringing in the customers. It can also create different sources of income for the business.
Your content section can open a new stream of revenue.
But it depends on your brand’s influencing power.
If people listen to you, some people would love to pay to have a guest post slot on the site. They would love to get exposure to your following to help their brand use yours.
But this passive income channel only works if your brand occupies the top tier in the market.
Why You Need A Professional Touch?
You’re coming late to the party. All your rivals have their website up and running. And n doubt your competitors have already ranked their business sites on the search engines.
So, you can’t expect to set up a website and outrank them just like that.
You need the help of an expert web design agency to sort things out to thrive with your business website.
But how do they help?
They can assist you in creating an attractive website that’s easy to navigate. That’s something people tend to get wrong with on their business website.
They add too many things, which only confuses visitors to the site. But experts realize the importance of a website that is easy to navigate.
So, they plan out the perfect blueprint for the website that makes people stay on it.
That way, you’ve got a better chance of converting those visits into sales.
And if you recognize the usefulness of a website for a business that’s easy to find on search engines, then it’s time to get experts’ help.
So, who are you gonna call?
Ascii System is right at your service. We will assist you in creating the ideal website for the brand. And help you take the business to new heights by blowing the competition out of water.
