Does your small business need a website? Or maybe an account on a popular social network would be enough? To answer these questions in detail, you first need to have a good understanding of what websites do and how they work, and what you need to make them an effective tool that becomes a successful investment in your business development.
To make it easier, we've listed the key features - and it's up to you to assess how relevant they are to your small business and how a website could contribute to its success.
Businesses with a website appear more credible to consumers
To start with, a business website automatically gives you professionalism and credibility. Anyone can create a free alternative - a Facebook business account - and so can scammers, but here The website shows that you take your activities seriously, devoting time and resources to represent them properly in the virtual world.
And that's one of the reasons why customers are so likely to look up information about you online before they visit your store or decide to buy your product/service: surveys show that up to 84% of consumers find businesses that have their own online presence more trustworthy websites. If there is no information about you on the internet, it only signals a few things:
- or you're non-progressive and completely unfriendly to technology,
- or you're not interested in new customers,
- or you are no longer working,
- or your business is so unstable and unprofitable that you can't take proper care of your business.
If you don't want to send this message to your existing and future customers, it's time to start planning a representative website for your business.
A business with a website can better differentiate itself from competitors
Your website is the place where you can showcase your branding distinctiveness, uniqueness and face. Meanwhile, social media business accounts are significantly constrained by the design, processes and technologies used on those platforms. That's why a website, in particular, gives small businesses more flexibility, control and countless creative possibilities to present their brand.
Why is this important? Because only by clearly defining who you are can you stand out from your competitors and offer unique value to your customers, without being drowned in a sea of similar businesses. Creative and effective product demonstrations, clearly arranged benefits and values help you to be remembered and, of course, to grow your sales.
Website helps grow customer traffic
There are over 4.5 billion active internet users worldwide, more than 90% of whom use the internet on mobile devices. So a business without a website becomes virtually invisible to almost all those people.
When we see your advertising Whether it's after reading a review in a comment, or after taking an interest in a custom article on your portal, potential customers will first search for your product or service online. So it would be good to go beyond a one-sentence mention in the Rekvizitai.lt list - and lead to your website, where the user is instantly provided with essential information and guided towards purchasing a product or ordering a service.
More convenient and efficient communication with customers on the website
As your website is available 24/7, there's no better channel than your website to communicate news, announcements, promotions and other important messages to your customers. From changes in opening hours to the arrival of new products, you can communicate what's important right now clearly and quickly on your website. So here's another advantage of having your own website: it helps not only to attract new customers, but also to better serve existing ones, because you strengthen your communication.
A website is an essential part of digital marketing
And of course, digital marketing - one of the most accessible and powerful tools for modern business development and growth - is hard to imagine these days without a website. Even this blog is part of that marketing!
Before you engage in digital marketing for your business, you need to decide where you are going to target interested web surfers - usually a website.
Only by having an online home for your business and getting your SEO right can you expect to be more visible on search engines (Google and others) - without which most of us consumers can hardly imagine life. So a well-designed website, calibrated to your business needs, can usually help you grow your customer base dramatically.
A website investment pays off in both the short and long term
One of the best things is that an investment in a business website generates a return on investment, even years after its creation. The longer and more successfully it works, the better results you will get over time. And you'll have the flexibility to react quickly to business challenges, opportunities or customer needs.
Your business is accessible from anywhere and to anyone via a website
So a website should be one of the essential and first investments in your business growth: it doesn't matter where you are - you can be anywhere and everywhere with an internet connection. With your business website you can reach people outside your bubble - in other regions, cities, countries. And not just customers: you can attract the attention of investors, suppliers, business partners - all of whom will give your business a powerful springboard for growth.