If you were making a list of priorities for starting and running a business, say for a translation company where you can offer services like translating a bourse de Paris en direct platform into other languages, what place would a website take on? Close to the last one?
Of course, sometimes you don’t need a Website. In today’s world, many businesses are gaining credibility and attracting customers through social media, often for free.
So why do you need a Website?
Why not?
There are dozens of reasons why having a website is vital for a small business.
Here are the top 9 reasons small business owners should create and run their own website:
- Websites Look Professional and Credible
If you’re not lucky, you’ll need a website to get people to start trusting your brand. That sounds superficial, and, well…because it is.
Having a professional website, thoughtfully designed and filled with interesting content, will go a long way toward confirming your credibility as a small business.
Of course, if your business website is filled with pop-ups, banner ads, and questionable links, potential customers won’t linger. So here’s how to maintain credibility:
Get your own domain name and a credible domain extension (such as .com) to show that you’ve invested in meaningful company branding.
Take the time to design your site. Don’t skimp and be prepared to pay extra to get rid of ads.
Check the grammar and spelling on your site – even the smallest typo can scare away potential customers.
- Customers Expect Every Business to Have a Website
In addition to increasing your business credibility and professional advantage, a website can prove to potential customers that your company exists.
We’re not saying that everything around here is a conspiracy – but rather, word of mouth, marketing, and search engine results can often be wrong, outdated, or untrustworthy.
It may seem obvious, but customers usually expect companies to provide the most up-to-date information on a website. That’s why a website is the best solution:
A dedicated contact page will help potential customers contact your company with a working email address or phone number, and you can let them know where your office is located.
You can map your social media logins to your domain name so that today’s digitally savvy users can find you on any channel.
A business website is the best place to tell your story and attract loyal customers – you’ll control the story.
- Websites Are Accessible and Easy to Create
It used to be costly, difficult, and confusing to create a website for a business. Not surprisingly, many business owners may still be convinced that they just don’t need a website.
Today, however, you don’t need to be tech-savvy to get an internet presence. Using a website builder is easy, affordable and it produces professional results.
You can use website builders if you need a simple business website or an online store. Many platforms can offer this:
A secure site that shows up in search engines thanks to a free SSL certificate, SEO-optimized pages, and built-in hosting that provides 99.9 per cent uptime.
Full customization thanks to an intuitive drag-and-drop editor: many design templates and AI tools to help with logo creation, image copying, and editing.
Business integrations to manage core business functions such as email marketing and advanced e-commerce store services.
- You Can Attract New Customers
There’s nothing wrong with having a thriving small business serving your local community. But you can have even more customers willing to spend money with you – why pass up that chance?
The site makes it easy for new customers to stumble across your small business as part of a Google search or even by intentionally clicking on a link.
Improving your website pages with search engine optimization (SEO) to attract customers is a much more sustainable approach than relying on social media algorithms. Here’s what you need to do:
Do keyword research to supplement your site’s written content with keywords. This will help your site pages rank higher in Google search results.
Create content, such as blog pages, instructions, and product descriptions, so that your site is highly visible when consumers search for specific keywords.
Use advanced analytics to collect data and improve SEO results. Look at what integrations your company should add to your website.
- You Can Target Strategically
As for analytics, let’s take a closer look at this aspect of your site. After all, if you need a website for anything, it will help you understand your customers.
As a small business owner, you’ve already put a lot of effort into finding your target market and building business goals around potential customers.
- This Makes It Easier to Present Your Products and Services
Your business needs a website to share information about what the company sells.
Sure, you can do this on your Facebook page, but with a website, you have many more options and possibilities!
You can use your unique design to showcase your products or services exactly as you see fit. Here’s what you can do:
- Use high-quality images and clever features like a slideshow or digital brochure to sell your products and services in an appealing way.
- Create short video tutorials or tours to make potential customers feel connected to your brand – this is very important in this digital age.
- Share business information that makes you stand out from the crowd, such as environmental information, allergen menus, or details about your regular stores.
- A Business Website Allows You to Compete With Big Brands
Small businesses often have something to offer customers compared to larger brands, such as more personalized services and unique products.
However, it’s not always easy for small businesses to show that. Especially with smaller marketing budgets and smaller reputations. That’s where an online presence will help.
- Online Marketing Is the Answer to Everything
If you plan to spend some time or money marketing your brand, your business needs a website.
It’s tempting to rely on user reviews and physical advertising in the small business market, but these methods are rarely useful – plus, print materials cost a lot of money.
While your business needs more than free advertising, a Web site can help you spread your message quickly, effectively, and at a low cost.
- Business Sites Allow You to Go Global
Having local customers is great for many reasons: what’s better than companies benefiting from the support of their communities?
But there’s a whole world out there and lots of potential customers you haven’t met yet. A website can easily open up your business to markets in dozens of other countries.
