1. A website makes you look professional
84% of today’s consumers think a website makes your business more credible than companies who only have social media profiles. Your website is also the perfect place to show off any professional certifications or awards your business has.
Your own website lets you create a branded email address (e.g. christine@35thStreetMedia.com) which adds a level of professionalism to all of your correspondence, especially if you’ve used a personal email address to conduct business up until now.
2. Your website can attract new customers through Google
To encourage continued success, you need to attract new customers, and one of the best ways to do it is by making yourself visible on Google.
A well-optimized website can help your business rank well for a variety of search terms and attract a steady stream of new customers. There are several free SEO tools that make it easy to optimize your website without any prior training.
3. You can clearly showcase your products and services
You can show potential customers what they’ll get when they work with you by displaying high-quality photography on your website.
You can also use your website design, along with featured images, to give people a sense of what it feels like to enter your physical location. This works particularly well if your brand is closely tied to the “feel” of your location.
Another thing you can do is publish important information about your products and services on your website to make sure you’re attracting the right customers. For example, if you run a restaurant, you might want to mark any items on your menu that are gluten-free so people with Celiac or other conditions that make gluten dangerous know they can eat in your establishment.
4. You can display your best reviews and testimonials prominently on your website
Displaying your best reviews and/or testimonials prominently on your website is a great way to establish social proof. This might come in the form of personal customer testimonials, articles from newspapers or popular local blogs.
Publishing your best reviews on your website also serves the secondary purpose of creating a permanent archive. This means that even if third-party review sites close at some point in the future, you’ll still have access to your best reviews.
5. A website can encourage customers to contact you
A website is a great place to make your contact information easily available to potential customers. You can even publish your contact information in a header or footer so it appears on every single page.
Modern website builders also make it easy to create a contact form, which can protect your business email from spam.
6. You can integrate your website with Google Maps so people can find you more easily
A website lets you embed maps directly into your content so customers know exactly where your business is located.
An embedded map makes it easy for people who don’t spend a lot of time in your area to find your business.
This is particularly great if you host events, as they might attract people who wouldn’t otherwise spend time in the neighborhood your business is in.
7. Your website establishes your place in the industry
If your competitors aren’t online yet, they probably will be soon. Establish yourself as a leader in your field by building a high-quality website first.
If your competitors are online, you have a different kind of opportunity: you can build a website that’s completely different from your competitors’ sites, showing potential customers what makes your company stand apart.
8. A website is no longer intimidating to manage
Modern website builders like Wix make it easy for you to manage an attractive, mobile-friendly site with blogs as easy to use as a word processor.
In other words, it has never been simpler to manage a functional, aesthetically pleasing website.
9. A website ensures your success over the long term
In 2020, almost 4.54 billion people (59% of the global population) use the Internet, and more and more people are getting online.
Without a website, your business is invisible to these people. As we progress further into the digital era, your business will become invisible to everyone unless you invest in a website.
So to stay competitive in this increasingly digital world, your business needs to get online.
10. You can get all of these benefits without spending a fortune
Building a website isn’t just easier than it used to be; it’s also more affordable. If you’re willing to follow a simple, non-technical DIY approach, you can build a website for as little as $70 per year.
Wix offers different plans depending on the complexity of your website. Most small businesses can use the option of $17/month. With quick but effective website design and cheap website hosting, you can be up and running at a very low cost.
So how do I get a website?
Hopefully, by now you’ve realized that the question isn’t “do I need a website for my business?”, but “can I afford to not have a website in the digital era?”. And the answer, if you want to continue thriving in the long term, is no. A website is one of the best investments any business can make in its future.
If you’re ready to get started with a website for your small business, contact me today at Christine@35thStreetMedia.com and we will create a website which will represent your brand, get you more business and be effective at staying at the top of google searches.
So get started today!
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