Did you know that over 70% of people will research a company on the web before deciding to buy or visit, yet 46% of small businesses in the U.S. don’t have a website? If you don’t have a site, people can’t research your company and determine if you’re a good fit for their needs.
If you find yourself asking, “Do I need a website for my business?” we’ve got the answers you need.
On this page, we’ll provide you with six reasons you need a website for your business and three tips for building your website. Keep reading or contact us at 0802-583-7481 to speak with a strategist about our web design services, including our 30-day website design plans!
Why you need a website: 6 compelling reasons
If you don’t have a website for your business, you’ve probably asked yourself: Do I need a website? While it may seem like your company thrives without one, there are many reasons to have a website.
Let’s look at six reasons to build a website for your business:
1. People expect you to have one
If you’re looking for the most straightforward answer to the question, “Do I need a website?” it’s this: People expect you to have one. With the growth of the digital age and ability to find information online, people assume that your business’s information is online, too.
Your audience expects you to have an online presence, and just having a Facebook page isn’t going to cut it.
You need a website because people expect you to have one.
If someone searches for your business, they expect to find your site in the search results. Without a website, people will view your company as less professional and trustworthy and won’t feel comfortable becoming a client.
So, if you’re asking, “Do I need a website for my business?” the answer is yes. You need a website because your target market expects you to have one so they can learn about your company and become customers.
2. People search for you online
Let’s imagine that two friends are together, having a cup of coffee and talking. The one friend, Marta, tells the other, Louise, about your business, as she visited the other day, and gives a glowing recommendation to visit your company.
When Louise returns home, she decides to look up your organization to learn more. When she searches for your company’s name, she can’t find a website. She trusts her friend Marta, but she’s skeptical because she can’t find your site to learn more about your company.
This scenario happens to companies that don’t have a website.
You need a website for your business because people search for your business online.
Whether a friend recommends you or they drive past your location, people will look up your company to learn more. Without a website, these potential customers can’t get valuable information, and as a result, won’t visit your store.
Consider this fact, too: 93% of online experiences start with a search engine.
Most people start their browsing sessions by searching. To help these searchers find your business in search results, you need a website for your brand to help guide those leads to your company.
3. People want basic answers fast
One of the most important reasons to have a website is that your leads want information fast.
Do you find yourself overwhelmed with phone calls of people asking about your hours of operation, your specials, or how your business works? If so, it’s time to build a website for your brand.
You save your company from answering basic questions when you provide the information on your site. A website stops you from answering questions like, “What time do you close?” or “What specials do you have today?” dozens of times a day.
When you invest in building a website, you create an opportunity to provide all the essential information in one place.
You post information like:
- Hours of operation
- Specials
- Products/services
- Prices
- Location
- Company background
- Contact information
Take a second to think: How many people call your business related to the information above?
If you find most inquiries surround these topics, you need a website for your business. A website lets you provide essential information to your audience fast, which creates more time for you to focus your energy on running your business and answering more complex questions.
4. People use your website to engage with your business
If you’re still asking the question, “Do I need a website for my business?” here’s another excellent reason to invest in building a website: Engagement. Engagement plays a critical role in turning leads into life-long customers.
Over 63% of consumers use a company’s website to engage with the brand. In this digitally-run world, you must create a robust online presence to engage prospects and get them to become customers.
Without a website, you’re missing these critical moments where you can turn leads into conversions. An informative and visually-appealing website goes a long way in helping your business attract prospects, delight them, and turn them into clients for your company.
5. People want to do more than buy products online
Many business owners ask themselves, “Do I need a website for my business?” and respond with “I don’t sell my products online, so there’s no point.” We’re here to squash that myth. A website isn’t just for ecommerce businesses — it’s for everyone.
You don’t need to sell products online to have a website.
Even if you sell products that are too big to plop into a virtual shopping cart, like construction equipment or building materials, a site still benefits your business. A website will attract prospects to your company.
Why?
People want to do more than buy products online.
There are three main types of search queries on Google:
- Informational: Users conducting searches to learn about specific subjects or topics.
- Navigational: Users looking for a specific page or website.
- Transactional: Users searching with the intent to purchase products.
Want to guess which type of search query is most popular on Google?
It’s informational.
People conduct dozens of searches every day, looking for information. Whether it’s asking a simple question like “How old is Betty White?” or something more in-depth like “How to build my credit score,” people conduct queries looking for information.
Even if you don’t provide products online, you provide information. Whether it’s information about your business or content on topics in your industry, you have an excellent opportunity to educate your audience.
When people feel informed, they’re more likely to convert. Since you provided the helpful information they needed, they’re more likely to choose your business when it comes time to convert because they trust you.
Again, you don’t need to be an ecommerce business to have a website online. When created properly, a site will benefit any company by providing prospects with helpful information, which can grow brand awareness, trust, and more.
6. People see you with your competition
Do you know who isn’t asking the question, “Do I need a website for my business?”
Your competitors — because they already have one.
If you want to remain competitive, you need a website. Your competition is one of the most important reasons to have a site. Without a website for your business, people who search online will find and visit your competitor’s company instead.
Did you know that 50% of users visit a store within a day of conducting a local search? That means, if you don’t have a website, these users are visiting your competitors instead. You’re missing an opportunity to attract new leads and drive them to your business.
If you want to remain in competition with your competitors, you must invest in building a website for your business. It will help you establish an online presence among competing companies and drive more leads to your organization instead of the competition.
How to make a website for your small-to-midsize business
If you’re asking, “Do I need a website for my business?” and now answering “Yes,” it’s time to get started on building your business’s dream website.
Check out these three quick tips for creating your dream website:
1. Choose who’s going to develop it
First, decide who will make your website.
You have three options:
- Do it yourself
- Hire a freelancer
- Partner with a web design company
So, which option is best for your business?
That’s up to you to decide!
If you’re looking to save money, you can build your website yourself.
If you don’t have experience with web design, don’t put the pressure on yourself to try and create a website. It will cause you more stress trying to find the right design and add the correct elements to your site than if you hire a web design company.
In the case that you don’t do it yourself, you can hire a freelance web designer.
The biggest problem with freelancers is that you typically hire them for one-time needs, like building your design or updating your design. That means you still need someone to monitor your site for errors after the design is up, which comes at an extra cost to your business.
If you want ongoing help with your website, a web design agency may fit your needs best.
A web design agency will help you build a custom website unique to your business and help you monitor your design to ensure everything operates correctly. A potential downside of web design companies, however, is overpaying for services.
If you hire a web design agency, you need to be proactive by researching web design costs and creating a realistic budget for your company. By setting a budget, you’ll know which web design companies will work well with your business.
Additionally, a good web design company will offer transparent pricing and only provide you with the services you need, like Tested Technologies. The right web design company will also respect your budget and deliver a website unique to your business.
2. Pick your web design style
One of the best reasons to have a website is that it creates an opportunity for you to showcase your unique brand. When you’re designing your website, you’ll want to choose your website’s design style.
Establish your web design style by creating a brand style guide.
Your style guide helps you stay consistent with web design and implement your brand’s unique style into your website. Stick to colors that reflect your brand. If you have a color scheme already, like on traditional marketing pieces, carry that style over to your website.
Establish colors and styles for every aspect of your site, including:
- Website colors
- Font colors
- Font styles
- Image/video styles
- Copywriting style
Whether you want a rustic or elegant brand identity, establish a brand look that works for your business.
3. Use search engine optimization (SEO)
Great web design goes beyond the visual aspects. You need a website that appears in search results and drives traffic to your page. With search engine optimization (SEO), you’ll help your beautifully designed site appear in more relevant search results.
SEO helps people find you when they search online. From keyword integration to page speed optimization, SEO enables you to create a discoverable website that’s easy for your audience to browse.
This strategy helps you compete with competitors too.
If you’re using SEO, you’ll achieve better rankings in search results, which will allow you to outrank your competitors. You’ll drive more traffic to your website and earn more leads for your business.
If you choose to outsource your website design, partner with an SEO web design agency. An SEO web design agency will know how to build a beautifully designed site and optimize it for search engines.
To learn more about SEO, check out our guide, SEO From Start to Finish!
Do I need a website for my business?
Yes! Your website is the heart of your online presence and all your digital marketing efforts. If you want to drive traffic and earn valuable leads, you must build a website that reflects your business and focuses on delivering an excellent experience for your audience.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with building your website, let Tested Technologies take that weight off your shoulders.
We’ve won dozens of web design awards and have a team of over 200 experts that will help you build your dream website. Tell us what you want, and we’ll deliver the website of your dreams — all while keeping you in the loop about our progress.
Ready to create your website?
Contact us online or call us today at 0802-583-7481 to speak with a strategist about our web design plans and learn about our 30-day rapid web design services.
The post Need a Website? 6 Reasons to Have a Website for Your Business appeared first on Tested Technologies Blog.
