05 Jul Why Your Business Needs A Website

Don’t websites cost too much and have terrible ROI (return on investment)? Why do I need a website when my business is already successful? I am not a “technical” person so a website wouldn’t help my business, right?

As a business owner, you put your blood, sweat and tears into building your business. In today’s digital world, all that effort will be lost if you fail to create an online presence. TechCrunch release an article recently stating, “79% of Americans now shop online…” That’s 8 in 10 Americans folks.

Having an online presence does involve more than just a website (social media, email marketing, advertising, partnerships, etc.); however this blog post will focus on how a website is a crucial part of building and maintaining that presence.

Do websites have terrible ROI?

Let’s touch on the most popular reason business owners choose not to have a website. Cost. It doesn’t matter if you’re a small business or an established corporation, we’ve heard it before, “a website costs too much money.”

Let’s answer this question with another question, what is the number one way your company gets new customers? If you are like most other businesses you will likely answer by saying “word of mouth” (85% of small businesses’ new customers). In other words, your customers tell their family and friends about your business and you get more customers. So the question now is, “how does a website help my business increase the word of mouth sales?” Answer: studies show that 81% of consumers go online before making purchases. Without a website you lose those possible word of mouth sales. Either to your competitors who are online or you lose their trust due to your lost credibility by not having an online presence.

The funny part is that the cost of the website is relative to the size of the business. Small businesses think $1,000 is a lot to pay for a website and larger businesses think $10,000 is a lot to pay. Then when asked if these same business owners would want a website if it was made for free, they still say no. Why?! That leads us to the next concern…

I am not a “technical” person so a website wouldn’t help my business, right?

This is like saying, “I don’t like using technology so I’ll just hope my customers don’t like it either.”

The reality is that the increase in popularity of online resources has made it easier than ever for non tech savvy individuals to have a website. Besides, YOU don’t have to build the website. Why would you? As a business owner you already wear too many hats! Don’t spend your valuable time trying to learn some website building software (Wix…cough cough…Weebly…).

We already covered the fact that the cost of the website is an investment. Make the leap and pay a web designer/company to build AND maintain your website (shameless plug – like us!).

We Live in a Mobile World

Researchers have found that nearly 77% of all American own a smartphone. Studies have also found that, currently, 25% of all small businesses websites are not mobile friendly. That is more than double the percentage recorded in 2011. What this means for your new business website is that it MUST be mobile friendly because more than half your potential customers will be viewing your website on a mobile device.

If you’re going to invest time and effort into getting your business online, make sure you get started on the right foot. Read our article telling more about why you should make sure you get your website built on “WordPress”. If you are going to need an online store check out our other blog post telling more about why “WooCoommerce” will be your best choice.