7 Reasons to Have a Website for Your Small Business

In an age dominated by social media, it is not uncommon to hear business owners say that they think having a Facebook page is enough. I’m here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Especially when 75% of people think they can judge the credibility of any business by their website.

To this day, 36% of small businesses don’t have a website, let alone an extensive online presence. the reason? Many small businesses do not realize the lucrative benefits of having an efficient website. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why you need a website for your small business.

Benefits of a Small Business Website

1. Develop an online presence

These days, the first thing most people do when they hear about a new business is to search for it online. And if you don’t have a website, you may not be there for those potential customers either.

Unlike a traditional storefront, your website is open 365 days a year, 24/7. There are no holidays and they are constantly operating overtime without incurring any of these additional costs.

Furthermore, a website allows you to shape the way people view your business. Having a website gives you credibility and an opportunity to earn income.

Our client, Spirit, Mind and Strength, contacted us as a startup looking to help create a website that can grow alongside their business. Whether you are a startup, an established company or a large corporation, a website should have a place in your marketing mix. According to a survey by BrightLocal, 21% of customers will work with companies without a website.

2. Expand your business

Limiting your small business to a storefront means that your reach extends only to people who meet you directly, hear about you, or see ads from you. With a website, you can bypass the limitations of a smaller operation and get your name in front of a wider audience.
With optimized web pages, your site can rise to the first page of Google’s search rankings making it easier to find.
A blog can also help increase your chances of being discovered in your target market. It is clear that companies that blog get 55% more visitors than companies that do not blog.

3. Gain valuable insights for customers

Websites are not just about sharing your product and service with the world. If used correctly, it can also be a great tool for getting to know your customers. You can then use the information you collect to increase sales and conversions.

With a little help from Google Analytics, you can determine:

• Where does your audience come from be it a link from a third party site, a blog post, or direct from Google
• general demographics
• Whether they are using the mobile or desktop version of your site. You can also scroll down to see what phone software (iOS or Android) they use.
• Bounce rate and cart abandonment frequency

4. Finding leads and creating new customers

Let’s be honest – the number one advantage of owning a small business website is that it leads to more sales! A good website can attract customers and help you retain them.

Take the website we built for The LevenGood Company, for example. Without a website, customers would be limited to visiting their store during normal business hours. Now, with a digital web presence, they can serve customers 24/7 with dedicated pages for their products and models offering free consultations at the convenience of the site visitor. Without a website, the leads generated through these forms would be missed opportunities and possibly lost sales.

5. Provide emergency situations for your business

It hasn’t been long since the Covid-19 virus obligated governments to enforce lockdowns on society and businesses came to a halt. Well, most companies.

For those with a website, it was “business as usual”.

Businesses with a website have been able to more easily transition to remote work, capturing all online leads and digital ads and implementing live chat features and email support to continue serving their customer base.

If there’s anything we can take away from the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s the importance of a website to your business.

6. Improve business credibility

Think of your website as your digital storefront. It’s where existing and potential customers go to find you online.

Your home page defines your value proposition, the About Us page tells us who you are and what you do, and the Contact Us page shares exactly how to contact you.

These three simple pages give your company an online identity, legitimize your business and improve trust and credibility with your customers.

Our client’s website, EW Smith Tree Service, is a good example of this. The homepage hero image gives the value proposition and the main navigation makes it easy for website visitors to navigate to learn more about the business or contact them if they feel they are a good fit.

7. Low initial investment

Small businesses, while they may not have six-figure marketing budgets, deserve thoughtful strategies and great customer service. We’re here to tell you that you can still make a big impact without a big budget.

If you are running a small or medium sized business that expects quality website design, hosting and digital marketing, please take the time to network.