Unless you’re a small business owner who is not interested in growing your brand, you need to have a website.
These days building a business website or eCommerce store is easier than ever: it doesn’t cost much money, you don’t have to know how to code or design, your online store is not restricted to business hours, and it’s one of the best means of free advertising.
Having a small business website isn’t just about selling your goods and services — it’s also about providing something of value to potential customers.
With so many low priced web design services in Brighton, there’s really no excuse to keep putting it off.
Deloitte’s analysis in Connected Small Businesses in the United States found that digitally advanced small businesses:
- Earned two times as much revenue per employee
- Experienced revenue growth over the previous year that was nearly four times as high
- Were almost three times as likely to be creating jobs over the previous year
- Had an average employment growth rate that was more than six times as high
Still not sure how having a website will help you grow your business?
Digital advancement starts with a website. If that’s not enough to convince you, here are some reasons you need not just a website, but an optimized, well structured and accessible one.
#1 30% Of consumers wont consider a business without a website
Your website is your number one marketing asset because we live in a digital age. British people spend an average of 11.3 hours per week online at home and are on their mobile devices for up to 5 hours per day. By now, consumers expect companies to have an online presence (including a website) and will consider a company that DOESN’T have one as less professional.
#2 People are searching for you Online
One of the benefits of having a website for small businesses is to be where your consumers are. There’s a reason so many companies invest in a website with search engine optimization (SEO): 93 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine. Believe it or not, there are more than 4.5 billion searches on Google per day, and at this very moment there is someone in your area online and searching for your exact service. Guess who’s getting their business? That’s right, your competitor.
#3 66% of consumers use websites to find and engage with businesses
According to LSA’s (Local Search Association) April 2017 report, “The Digital Consumer Study,” 68 percent of consumers primarily use a company’s website to find and engage with businesses. That’s a pretty big chunk of consumers. Combine that with the fact that 93 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine—you do the math. Another compelling reason your business needs a website? Research by YellowPages and LSA found that, on average, consumers use approximately three sources before making an individual purchase decision, and 30 percent automatically strike a business from consideration if they don’t have a website.
#4 48% of consumers say a website is the biggest determinant of whether they think a business is credible
Not having a website makes consumers trust you less. In fact, 48 percent of people think that a website’s design is the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business. People are more likely to do business with a company they trust, and a website is the first place they go to check for credentials, reviews, and awards.
#5: You need to answer basic questions quickly
People visit your website when they want to know something or do something. They also expect immediate gratification, which means visitors should be able to answer three questions within three seconds of landing on your website:
- Who are you?
- What do you do/offer?
- How do I contact you?
We live in an age of NOW, where consumers want the information they seek immediately—meaning your company’s website should answer each of the questions above without the user needing to scroll down the page at all.
#6: Beat the Goliaths in your Industry
Did you know that having a website can help you beat the Goliaths in your industry? It can, if it’s well developed, designed and optimized for search.
#7: Social Media reach is diminishing
So, you think you don’t need a website because you’re on Facebook.
Great, so is every other business in UK and almost everywhere on the globe. You need a website even if you have a Facebook or Instagram page.
And guess what? It’s getting harder for businesses to connect with users on the platform. Within the last Facebook algorithm update, organic reach plummeted lower than it was already and the social platforms are forcing many businesses to pay for promoted posts to reach to their own page audience.
While social media can help your business grow, don’t bank on using it as your sole marketing channel, especially in the future. Why should you pay continuously for ads when you can just invest once for your own website design?
