The answer to this question is – yes you do! No matter what industry you work in, you need a website. It is very important to have your own place on the Internet. Millions of customers looking for all kinds of things online, from goods like books to services like plumbers are an opportunity for you to expand your business. It would be unreasonable to lose them. Using Google Search is now the first reflex for anyone in need of anything. Having your listing displayed in the search results is a must for any business. And if you think it is not so important for you because you are not a global/Internet player, you are wrong. In 2020, 93% of consumers used online searches to find a local business! With modern localisation services, pinpointing your business to your local neighbourhood is as simple as ABC.
And you can say, I have social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, whatever! Well, they are also important, but by far not sufficient. You still need a website.
Not convinced yet? Read on!
10 Reasons Why You Need a Website
1. Your website will attract new customers and will help you to stand out from the crowd
Most people use the internet to find products and services they need. Whether you are a local business or operate nationally or perhaps even globally, you need to direct these people to your website and make them your new clients. This is a must if you want your business to grow. The best way to achieve it is by making yourself more visible on Google. There are tools and strategies for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which will ensure a steady stream of visitors, but to take advantage of this, you need to have a website they can visit. Without that, as statistics show, you are likely to lose between 70% and 80% of your potential customers.
2. You must have a website simply because your customers expect you to have one
You must have a website simply because your customers expect you to have one. In a recently completed research, 84% of respondents replied that they believe a business with a website is more credible than one that only has a social media page (or no Internet presence at all).
3. A website is a place where you build your customer’s trust
You can clearly show your product and services. 86% of visitors want to see the company’s products or services on the homepage.
4. Your website is a perfect marketing tool
You have complete control over it. You can use your website design, imagery and content to convey the right message about your business. More importantly, it is incredibly flexible, you can modify your content at any moment, and it will momentarily become available to your customers. Simple websites can be like your personal billboard to display information about your business. But with the addition of dynamic content, you can start with online selling or providing digital services. Possibilities are unlimited!
5. A business website makes you look professional and showcases your expertise
If your business has any kind of professional certificates or awards, you can easily show off them on your website. Your company website often comes with a branded email address. It always looks professional! If you think about email marketing, a corporate email account is a must.
6. The website is a good place to display your best reviews and testimonials
84% of customers will trust a company based on other customers’ reviews.
7. Your website will give your customers easy access to you, but you can still control how they contact you
64% of customers want to be able to contact the company. 44% of B2B buyers will leave a website if no contact information is available. Modern web technology offers a wide range of contact options, from displaying your e-mail address or telephone number, to social media links, contact forms or even chatbots.
8. You can integrate your website with Google Maps
so people can find you more easily. 42% of local searches involve clicks on the Google Map Pack.
9. With the website, you can reach new customers 24/7
The Internet never sleeps.
10. Last but not least, you can get all these benefits without spending a fortune
Web technology does not need to be intimidating. If you need a nice-looking, fast website with excellent SEO included, we have one final hint for you: contact us! We will deliver all this, and on top of that, provide flexible hosting and maintenance plans.
Do I need a website if I have social media? 5 More Reasons Why You Do!
It is fantastic to be present on social media. It is true that this helps to build a large audience and that they make a good advertising platform. There are other advantages as well, for example, social media could help you carry out marketing research. But despite all this, social media will never replace your own business website, and here are some reasons why.
1. There are too many diverse social media for you to be present everywhere.
Some of them are ideal for younger people while others will be preferred by more mature audiences. Fashion comes and goes on social media. Some are born others die. The world of social media is very dynamic. Your business website is created by you, and you decide who it is for.
2. You don’t own social media!
You have to follow the rules and formats over which you have no influence. For example, Facebook algorithms are quite complex and, in addition to that, they are constantly changing. A major change introduced after the transparency controversy in 2018 directly led to many businesses abruptly losing their audiences. To keep your audience and see it growing, you must continuously scan these changes. With your own website, you have total control. You decide about your website’s appearance, features and rules.
3. Social media have SEO limitations!
Where do you go when you looking for a product or service? Do you scan social media, or do you use Google? Google dominates the search engine market. As of January 2022, Google holds 91.9% of the market share! Google collects 8.5 billion searches daily. A business website allows you to position yourself. So, people find you when they use Google. It may be true that it might be not easy to compete with large companies, but you can easily be visible to local searchers.
4. A website is more credible than social media!
Creating a social media page might be quicker but a business website is more reliable and trustworthy. As we wrote in the previous part of this post, the whooping 84% of customers expect you to have a website, not just social media presence! People only buy from businesses they know, like and trust.
5. Social media only offer fleeting (momentary?) attention!
A social media feed runs fast. You are not alone. You need constantly fight off competition from several other companies. The big number of advertisements annoy people, who scroll them without paying any attention. Your business deserves your customer’s undivided attention and only your company website can deliver on that!
I don’t want to say you don’t need social media presence for your business. What I want to say is that your business website must go first! Social media presence is a good thing for your business but it’s by no means a replacement for your website: it’s an enhancement. So, ask not whether you need a website or not; ask what kind of website will be the best to meet your business needs.
Contact us today and let us design and build something incredible for you!