“More than 25% of small business owners don’t have a website, according to a report from Washington, D.C.” – Research firm Clutch.
Many digital marketing companies and internet analysts agree that web presence can enhance the bottom line of any business despite its location and size. Hence, it has become important to have your business card – your website in this digital age. Businesses that do not have a website till date are losing many potential customers online.
“Estimated at 51 million, India is home to the world’s second largest base of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), accounting for more than 17 percent of the country’s GDP. If leveraged well, an effective online presence has the potential to be a strategic asset and a harbinger for future growth for these businesses: from helping to expand their footprint from hyperlocal to Pan-India, and even global or to growing customers incrementally. This is not an unrealistic expectation and of those respondents who already have a website, 63 percent say their business grew once their website was up and running, with nearly a third witnessing growth in excess of ten percent.”
Source: Dnaindia
Your website is a powerful marketing tool. Having a website can be a great investment in your business as it adds an impetus to business by helping you get more leads and prospects, increase sales, enhance your professional “brand,” and improve your customer service.
Top 5 Reasons your Business Needs a Website
Here are top 5 reasons why having a website can help your businesses
Higher Visibility
The study comes as data from the Pew Research Center shows that nearly 80% of American adults own a desktop or laptop computer, and 64% own a smartphone, with the number of the latter seemingly on the rise and each device offering accessibility to the Internet.It may be the most surprising set of facts learned from the survey of small business owners, which had 354 respondents from around the country of companies that varied in size and revenue.
One of the major factor that makes having a website important is ‘increased visibility’. In today’s digital age, even if people have heard about your company, they research online first. A website provides your company history so, mention all the necessary details including your establishment year, achievements and important milestones. This will position you in the minds of visitors as a well-established company that can be trusted.
Social Media Game Point
Least to mention, social media integration has become essential for every website. So, if your business doesn’t have active social media accounts, get on right away! In today’s digital age, social media platforms are one of the fastest and easiest way to spread the word about your business. This platform is also one of the greatest mode for communication with your audience. Businesses can either thrive or be destroyed due to comments, likes or shares. So, it is vital to be active on social sites, post relevant and unique content or share blogs that trace back to your website. This may increase the chances of your customers to become interested in you and spreading your website around themselves!
For example, Facebook is a free marketing platform. Although Facebook isn’t a search engine, why not consider Facebook as one of the best tool to promote your business? Advertising itself can be unbelievably expensive if you are not sure what traditional method works best for you. So, why not leverage the power of social platforms and search engines!
Increase Sales Online or Grow Footfalls
Websites helps businesses attract customers 24×7. Customers are not restricted to business hours and an online shop can provide a dramatic boost in sales. If you wish to drive more people to your site, keep it updated and consistently promote the contents of your site.
Don’t be too promotional, instead sell information about how your product can address their problem. The more value you sell, the greater are the possibilities of increasing your sales.
Better Relationship with Customers
Email your customers about new products or services, give them information about your business or even ask for their feed back and reviews about your product. Get new ideas to bring them back to you… here having a website helps to build better relationships with your customers.
Up-Sell products or Services
A clearly navigable online store can generate significant revenue as compared to traditional stores. Your website acts as a showcase where you can display all your products. Your readers can have a look at the range of products you offer. You can even impress them with the size of your business and your unique offerings.
Generate Leads
Not all websites have a product or service for sale. These web sites are more about providing information than completing the sale. Many sites will offer free products such as a newsletter, forums, white paper, etc. that is a method of building trust. Whatever you do, just hire a web development company and get a website done!
Because you know… the future generation will be ones that have never used the Yellow Pages!