Most important benefits of website for your small or medium business
By Mukesh Variyani October 15, 2019 Business
In this era of digitization, people want information at the click of a button. The Internet has made information available at fingertips, anytime anywhere, leaving the yellow pages phone book behind in the dust. Google records trillions of searches in a day and this number is increasing many folds each year. People are looking for products and services and the companies that provide them. You might be missing out on a huge opportunity to flourish and expand your business by not being visible on the internet. Having a website can give plenty of benefits that can definitely foster your business growth. Your website is the door to your business via the internet. Here are the benefits of having a business website.
Contents
Benefits of having a Business Website
1. The lodestone to your business credibility
Credibility is a leader’s currency. With it, he or she is solvent; without it, he or she is bankrupt.
- John Maxwell
Who doesn’t want to be seen as a bona fide company in the eyes of the customers! Establishing trust is a pivotal factor that can set a company apart from its competitors in the pool of ever-growing competition. For the successful growth of your business, you have to instill confidence in the minds of customers, suppliers, investors, or anyone who wants to associate with you. Having just a page on social media like Facebook isn’t going to give you enough credibility and make possible for you what a business website can.
A Verisign survey states that 84% of the consumers trust a business that has a website than the one with only a social media page.
Fosters authenticity
Displaying who your past clients have been and having customer reviews being posted encourages trust and the fact that you are doing business fair and square.
Gives a personal touch
Displaying pictures, bios of yourself and your employees, showing their expertise helps you gain huge credibility and gives an idea of the backbone of your team.
Uplifts your brand image
An elegant website can help you establish your brand image and identity. An “about us” section and what clients say about you give a strong reason to trust your services.
Reflects your working style
By making use of beautifully designed elements, you can represent your unique working style to website visitors, assuring them they are in the right place and won't be let down!
Makes you approachable
A prominent phone number, address and “contact us” form gives visitors an assurance that they can feasibly approach you. Making use of live chat can be a big plus.
Content sets you apart
By uploading relevant content, regularly updating it and following the correct SEO techniques can soar your google rankings. Content is strongly related to business credibility.
2. Establishes your presence over the Internet
If your business is not on the internet, then your business will be out of business.
- Bill Gates
Wanting a product or a service and first researching it online is what almost everyone does now. Gone are the days when people used yellow pages; now they want information at the click of a button! Global digital 2019 report states that there are 4.39 billion internet users and 5.11 billion unique mobile users in the world today. A great website with perfectly designed elements is the key to your business presence in the internet world.
Studies show that nearly 80% of people research a company online before visiting the business or making a purchase with them.
An online presence is not just having a business website with a few information and social media accounts. Rather it is a virtual version of your business, providing valuable information and insight into your business in an enthralling way. Linking your social media accounts enhances your presence and make way for more potential customers to reach you. The perk of having a business website is that you don’t have to open it just for a fixed number of hours because obviously, the internet is open to the world 24/7!
You might be losing out on a lot of customers to your competitors who already have a website because you don’t leave a strong impression when they search you on the web. Dive in the digital ocean and grow your business over the internet!
3. Your 24/7 Internet advertising billboard
Websites promote you 24/7; no employee will do that.
- Paul Cookson
It is said that advertising is the soul of business. In this fierce competition, all businesses want to be in the forefront and acquire more and more customers through advertising. Small businesses make use of traditional methods but they are not aware of the fruits that building a website and online advertising can reap for them. Unlike the offline advertising approaches, a business website can provide you feasibility and help you cut down costs to a great extent.
• Conquer the local market : People now browse on the internet the companies in their locality that provide the service or product they need. Have your website displayed to them on google’s top results!
• Target the global market : You can reach out to potential clients who are residing in a different city or a country. By generating a great online presence with a great website, have even overseas clients approach you!
At any time of the day, there are so many people using the internet. You have to invest once for the website and then it promotes you all the time, that is even after your working hours are over. If you want to implement a change, you can do it feasibly and keep things up to date, unlike the traditional method where you might have to incur exorbitant costs if you have lots of ads already printed. Using digital marketing, you can use your website and reach out to a targeted audience.
4. Builds your brand awareness and image
A brand’s strength is built upon its determination to promote its own distinctive values and mission.
- Jean-Noel Kapferer
For growing and sustaining, it is important for a company to build a strong identity and reputation. A business website will not suddenly skyrocket your brand but it will happen over time provided consistent efforts are put in and correct strategies are followed so as to attract more and more audiences over the internet.
Design elements
Beautifully designed aesthetics appeal to the website visitors. Users take only a couple of seconds to form a company’s opinion based on their website. With a design that goes along with the brand, one can ensure a great impression at first glance.
Content
Having top-notch content and regularly uploading new blogs plays an important role in how visitors will perceive you. It provides information to the readers and instills in them that you have an in-depth knowledge of the service or product that you are selling.
Social media
By providing links on your website to your social media accounts or the other way round, you can have a wider reach. It can foster your business awareness as you can get huge website traffic from someone sharing your post.
Emails
If you can get visitor’s email id on your site, you can send them emails regarding new launches, discounts or you can even share your blog content with them. This reminds them that you are there to serve them and have something useful to offer.
5. Works as an efficient sales tool
It's not about having the right opportunities. It's about handling the opportunities right.
- Mark Hunter
Imagine someone sitting overseas browsing for a product that you sell, stumbles upon your website, gets a stunning first impression of your business without even knowing you! He now contacts you through your website and becomes your loyal client in the future. Your business website can help you increase your customer base, thereby boosting up your sales. It can help you retain your old customers and acquire new ones not only at a local level but also at a global level. A website with a wonderful user experience acts as an impetus to your sales as well as your reputation. If your website loads fast and visitors are able to navigate feasibly, finding value in your content, there is a high chance of them making a purchase.
90% of the smartphone users would continue shopping at a particular website provided they get good user experience. (Source: Topal)
You can design your business website in a manner that makes it feasible for visitors to browse through different products, read their information, compare them and add them in the wish list or cart. Along with the design elements, the very key factor to gain more visitors is search engine optimization. Google periodically changes algorithms and you need to make use of effective SEO strategies to triumph over your competitors in Google rankings.
Summing up
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Establishes credibility
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Brand awareness
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Builds your reputation.
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Advertises you 24/7.
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Efficient sales tool
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Opens up new opportunities.
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Provides value to the customers
Final Words
A website is a window through which your business says hello to the world.
- Amit Kalantri
Having a great website is one of the key factors in business success. It is an investment to escalate your profits and business reputation at a global level. Lots of small businesses do not have a website because they miss out to know the important benefits of website for their business. The competition is growing and if you still don’t have a website, now is the time invest for your website development and strike when the iron is hot after knowing all the above benefits of website for your business.
Mukesh Variyani
MD, Finbyz Tech Pvt Ltd