Most people think websites are for established brands. Think of huge companies like Amazon or Nike.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth. All businesses can benefit from investing in a website. From small to medium to large businesses.
You may be wondering, does my small business need a website? Nowadays, the internet is the first place people go to look for information. This means your business needs to be found online. Invest in getting your brand in front of the right people. If I Google your business, what will I find? Or if I’m looking for a product or service you offer, will your business come up?
I already have a successful Facebook business page. I don’t need a website then, do I?
Yes, you do! Here’s why:
- You don’t own your Facebook page. Meta does. If Facebook is down for one month, would you still be in business?
- SEO limitations. When you need information, do you go to Facebook or Google? The 3.5 billion daily queries in search engines say it all.
- Short attention spans. You’ll be fighting for your consumer’s attention with several other businesses. But someone can’t be on your website and on another at the same time.
- Credibility. A website gives you more credibility. It’s a badge of respect and honor.
- A website is your online shop selling for you 24/7 and can give you business even when you are asleep.
It shouldn’t be a website or social media, it needs to be a website and social media.
Whether you run a grocery store, a beauty parlor, an agency or even if you’re a farmer. You should consider investing in a website. Here are nine benefits of a website to small and medium businesses.
- Build and Nurture Customer Relationships
Every business owner knows that beside client acquisition, client retention is also essential. It’s easier to maintain your current customers than to keep looking for new ones.
So, how can a website help?
- Valuable content that solves your customer’s challenges. For example, you sell ladies shoes. You can create content on how to clean different types of shoes, how to style them and so on. These kind of content adds value to your audience.
- Keeping your audience engaged with the latest tools, trends, and information.
- Having a loyalty program where a customer gets points every time they buy from you. Then they redeem these points for more products.
2. Establish Trust and Credibility.
The first step of vetting a business is to visit its website. A well designed and regularly updated website means that you are serious about what you do. It shows that you value customer experience.
FAQs and blogs establish you as a subject matter expert as you share high quality content and answer questions. By sharing content, your audience will know, like and trust you.
website features like reviews and customer testimonials will help you build trust further.
Other content segments such as employee series or behind the scenes processes will also help your audience know your business further. By showing the human side of your brand, people can relate better to you.
All these will increase your online visibility and make people trust you.
3. Generate Leads and Drive Sales
A website can help you grow your lead and sales numbers. Integrating marketing features like contact forms, newsletter sign-up forms, and notifications can help you get more high quality leads.
Then, you can nurture these leads and convert them into customers. Your content and website should help you with this three step process:
- Lead generation
- Lead nurturing
- Lead conversion
And after you have converted a customer, make sure you have strategies to retain them. Remember it’s easier to maintain current customers than to find new ones.
4. Good Customer Service
Investing in a website will help you give your customers 24/7 support. A customer can browse products, seek assistance, and make purchases whenever they want.
Additional features like FAQs and chatbots help you answer common questions immediately. This availability helps you build trust as the customer feels that you’re always ready and willing to help and support them.
5. SEO
Search engine optimization helps you rank high in search engine result pages. This means your potential customers can find your business very easily. Good SEO traffic translates to more organic traffic to your website. More traffic equals business growth.
Good SEO strategies include relevant and valuable content, high quality backlinks and proper keywords.
6. Streamlined Operations
You have complete control over your website. This means the customer experience you provide is entirely up to you.
Your website can serve as a central hub for your business. Where you have linked to and from all your social media accounts and other marketing materials like business cards, flyers, and brochures.
Maintain a consistent branding theme to help your brand ‘stick’ in the minds of your audience. This makes it easier for them to buy from you when they are ready because they remember you.
Imagine your website is the headquarters of your business. How well would you run it knowing it will make or break your business?
7. Facilitates Easy Transactions.
Having an e-commerce solution with secure payment options helps your customers when they want to buy. They can do so from the comfort of wherever they are, whenever they want. This smooth shopping experience will boost your sales.
You can create appealing sales pages that guide your customers through the buying process. This means a stress free process for your customers and a fatter paycheck for you.
8. Take your Business Global
A website guarantees a wider audience reach as compared to a traditional brick and mortar store. You can reach customers anywhere, anytime. Localize your content to appeal to various audiences and make your business desirable to them.
As more people interact with your business, your brand recognition grows.
9. Data Based Insights
The analytics dashboard of your website will give you important information. Data such as the demographics of your audience, which content is read more, and how people interact with your website among others, will help you understand your audience better. With these data based insights, you can make better decisions, notice trends, and refine your marketing strategies accordingly. You will also be able to keep improving the user experience.
The benefits of a website for your website are immeasurable. This list could go on and on. From reaching a wider audience, to offering 24/7 support, to building loyalty and generating sales, what more convincing do you need to invest in a website?
Take the leap today and get a website. But remember, a website needs care and maintenance. You don’t plant a seed today neglect it, and then expect to get a good harvest, right?
Get a website, invest in high quality relevant content, regularly analyze and monitor, and you’ll be smiling all the way to the bank.