5 Major Reasons Why Every Small Business Should Have a Website.
- September 26, 2019
In a world of over 2 billion active internet users, not having a website as a small business might be considered an ignorant act. Here’s why; you’re missing out on opportunities for customers to identify who you are and if they want to do business with you.
For the benefit of those who do not know, a website according to Wikipedia, is a collection of related web pages, including multimedia content, typically identified with a common domain name, and published on at least one web server.
If you do not place your business where potential clients can find you and opt-in for a sale, they just won’t find you. Think about it this way; expecting new customers without having a website or a digital space is like moving to a deserted island and hoping all the neighbours come over for a visit, they won’t come.[irp]
Having a website for your small business is as crucial as a choosing a product niche. Running your own business is no easy task, and you can be well assured that you will always find a new task to add to your to-do list. This said, being overwhelmed with a lot of tasks should never be your excuse for not having digital visibility.
Studies have shown that between 70-80% of people research a company online BEFORE visiting the small business or making a purchase with them. This said, having a website for a small business is of a great importance to having an increased brand awareness reach, higher sales conversions and more lead generations.
Why Small Business Need a Website.
Here are some reasons why a small business needs a website;
24/7 Accessibility
The internet is available 24/7 so should your business; having a website makes it very easy for people to find your business, read up about your company. What you do, what your product niche is (if an e-commerce store) and answer a whole lot of questions they have on your company.
Lead Generation
Lead generation is crucial in online marketing and digital visibility, and having a website can make this much easier a task to do by simply adding lead generation forms to the page with the “centre of attraction” tag or using the call action via a photo or video file.[irp]
Sales and Marketing
Having a website can serve as the major platform to implement the “marketing and sales” strategy for your business. The most important thing is to make sure that you have well written and compelling sales copy on your site to attract your ideal clients and compel them to use your products or services.
Customers Convenience
Studies have shown that about 83% of people do not want to travel beyond 15mins to get a product or service they need. If your business is confined only within the bricks and mortar system, then you’ll be restricted to having only customers whose locations are between 5 -15mins drive away from you.
Having a website helps your business create a convenient experience for potential clients, as all they have to do is visit your website.
Feedback
Get Feedback! More Feedback!! and even More Feedback!!!
Mostly done via a feedback survey, it’s a very important aspect of a business that helps businesses determine how well their clients enjoy services and also give room for improved performance.
With all the above-mentioned reasons for having a website as a small business, it is important to note that having a not-well developed website is worse than not having a website at all. It registers a bad impression about your business in the mind of anyone who visits the website “the first impression lasts longer”.
Also, no matter how well-designed your website is, if it does not load fast you would also lose sales. Studies have shown that about half of web users expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less. If it isn’t loaded within 3-4 seconds, those users tend to abandon the site. And this means you’re not only losing your current visitors and decreasing conversion rates, but you run the risk of your site losing traffic from customer referrals.[irp]
However, studies have shown that websites developed by digital marketing companies like Verhaal are well-developed, optimized for visibility, responsive, reliable and do not cost a fortune to own, and Verhaal also provides consulting services to SMEs. Contact Verhaal by sending a mail: admin@verhaal.ng or visit Verhaal for more info.
Check out our Blog or visit our Website for more tips on Digital Marketing for small business.
