Why small businesses need a website

Research shows that about 1.6 billion Google searches are about finding a local business to purchase products or services. According to Think with Google, about 76% of people visit a local business within 24 hours after conducting an online search.
A small business with a clear vision and effective online presence can reach its target audience, interact with prospective customers through high-quality content, and turn them into loyal customers.  

However, Top Design Firms report that 28% of small businesses in the United States don’t have an online presence or website. Likewise, 44% of companies in the U.S do not have any plans to create a website.

According to Statista, mobile e-commerce accounts for over 53% of the total eCommerce revenue in the U.S. Therefore, small businesses must create a mobile-friendly and responsive website with an intuitive design to engage their customers.
Small businesses will experience a different landscape after the Covid-19 pandemic. The world in digitizing and not having a website for your small company is problematic, leading to compromised business operations and decreased returns on investments (ROIs).

A well-designed website with quality content and SEO is the key to success in 2021 and coming years. Today’s article will highlight a few practical reasons why your small business needs a website. Read on!

Why a Small Business Needs a Website?

Having a website allows you to connect with prospective and existing customers and promote your products or services. A website enables you to have a solid online presence and build your company’s authority, credibility, and trustworthiness.
Not only does a website creates a positive impression of your small business, but it also helps drive organic traffic, leading to increased sales and revenues. Here is why your small business needs a website.

Reach Your Target Audience

A website with an intuitive design, high speed, and SEO can help you reach your target audience. If you don’t have a website, it means you only reach people who directly hear about your company from others or traditional ads, such as leaflets, signboards, etc.

A website enables small business owners to present their brand in front of a much wider audience. According to Statista, over 302 million people use the internet in the U.S, and the figure will reach around 321 million by 2025.
So, if you want to build a brand, entice consumers with your company’s vision/mission and products, and generate higher revenues, it is crucial to building a professional business website. The purpose is to create a steady income stream by making your customers repeat buyers.

Engage Your Customers

Customer engagement is an essential factor to consider if you want your customers to create an emotional connection with your brand. Highly engaged customers are repeat buyers who purchase more, promote more, and remain loyal to your company.

Besides, creating high-quality content is a powerful approach to deepen the level of trust from your customers. So, a blog section on your website is an excellent way to keep your existing and potential customers informed.

Streamlined Marketing

Inbound marketing is the primary benefit you get with creating a business website. Traditional marketing channels, such as billboards, TV ads, signboards, leaflets, etc., can break the bank, especially if you are on a budget. You can save money on inbound marketing and streamline your promotional strategy to drive more traffic to your website.
A website is an essential entity for leveraging the power of email marketing. Email marketing builds more profound relationships with your existing customers by keeping them informed about your business updates, events, and product changes.

You also get feedback from your customers and analyze the data to gain insights, leading to a better product-market fit. However, it is impossible to streamline your email marketing strategy without a website because you need an email list. Your website is a perfect platform to collect email addresses.

Improved Customer Support

A customer-oriented business focuses on creating unique strategies to engage its customers. A business website with customer support features, such as a contact-us page, chatbots, FAQs sections, live-chat support, plays a crucial role in building a strong connection between your brand and customers.

You can learn what customers say about your company, products, or services. Using the feedback data can help you improve your operations and achieve your business goals. Having a website offers convenience to your customers and serves them more efficiently, leading to a more engaging experience. As a result, you save time and resolve customers’ concerns promptly. All this leads to an improved business’s bottom line.

Final Words
Online presence has become the touchstone element of a small business strategy, leading to increased flexibility, control, credibility, branding, and customer retention. A small business with a website is more credible than companies with no website.

So, a website truly makes a difference and improves all aspects of your business, whether marketing, customer engagement, increased brand visibility, boosted sales, or higher ROIs. Therefore, investing in building a website for your small business is worth it.