I began gathering content for this page by sitting down and placing myself in the role of somebody asking this question, “Why do I need a website?”.
I began writing down a list of the “10 Things Having A Website Would Do For My Business”… I got as far as number 8 before I began to hopelessly repeat myself.
So, I turned to researching the topic to see what other people’s “10 Things” lists looked like. I started with the Small Business Administration, various News Agencies, Online Magazines, Blogs, etc. I quickly found that everybody was saying the same things, and that our lists looked very similar to one another.
After consolidating all the information I had gathered, I ended up with the following five most important items.
- OPEN 24 / 7 / 365
Websites provide accessibility! They never sleep, they don’t take sick days or vacation time. They are there waiting for your customers, or potential customers, even when your business is closed and everyone has gone home for the night. According to Forbes Magazine, “By having a website, your chances of being found by new customers increases indefinitely, much more than it would if you were to hand out a stack of business cards.”
- REACH MORE CUSTOMERS LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY
250 million people! That’s how many American’s use the internet on a daily basis. Worldwide, that number is approaching 2 billion! Today more than ever, thanks to mobile devices, people go online to find what they are interested in. The Small Business Administration says, “50% of internet sales are from new customers. Having a website significantly improves your customer reach no matter what service or products you offer.”
- IMPROVED CREDIBILITY MEANS HIGHER CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE
Before the digital era, people would turn to the Yellow Pages to find goods or services they needed. If your company wasn’t listed in the Big Yellow Book, then those consumers never found you, and you probably were not a credible merchant in the first place. A website provides you with that instant credibility before a customer every makes contact, or sets foot in your store. It helps them get to know you and have a greater sense of confidence in your company.
- HIGHER REVENUE
According to the Small Business Administration, “Small businesses that have a website are averaging $1.1 million more per year in sales than small businesses who are not online. That is equivalent to around 40% higher revenue.”
- KEEPING UP WITH YOUR COMPETITION
Consumers have gotten smarter and more determined than ever to find a good service provider or the best price possible. They are doing this by going online and finding out everything they can about your company, your goods, or your services. If your competition is online, and you are not – OR – if you are online with a website that is confusing and hard to navigate, then your competition is winning and you are making it easy for them!
