Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been running your business successfully for years, having a website will make your life much easier. While there are many ways to market your business without having a website, it’s one of the best and easiest ways to do so, especially if you have an eCommerce business. This list will give you 10 great reasons why you need a website for your business in order to be successful.

 

The Importance of Being Online

 

Given how essential technology is in our everyday lives, it’s becoming more and more important to have an online presence for your business. If you don’t have a website for your business yet, or if you do but aren’t happy with it, here are nine reasons why you need one.

 

Showing Up in Google Search Results

 

If you want to be found by customers, your business needs to be in Google search results. While your website may have all kinds of content on it, Google’s algorithm will favor websites that are newer and more frequently updated. If you don’t have a website for your business yet, create one, or have one professionally created for you.

 

Having an Identity on the Web

 

If you’re serious about attracting clients to your business, you have to have an identity on the web. Not having one is a huge mistake. If you can be found on Google, then people can easily find your website and what services or products you offer. Without an identity on Google and other search engines, it can be difficult for people who might be looking for your services to find you. Having a website for your business is also very important because if someone is interested in what you have to offer, they don’t want to go back and forth from Google searching to trying to figure out where they should go next with their questions. There should be one place that someone could find all of their answers in regards to working with you or just finding out more information about your company. Then they will likely come across it fairly quickly when they do a search on Google. Because of how strong and powerful Google has become in our society, it’s crucial that people know how to properly use it to their advantage. They won’t get any return customers if they aren’t getting them through Google, especially now. This is why starting off right by creating a website for your business is so vital.

 

Getting Found by Customers

 

It’s difficult to stand out in today’s marketplace. In fact, as many as 90% of small businesses fail within 5 years, often because they don’t stand out from their competition. With a website for your business, you can create an online presence that will help you reach customers looking for your products and services.  Having a website also gives people searching for your company direct access to information about you, including contact details and product offerings. This helps when it comes time to ask them to buy. But beyond just being a sales tool, having a website is simply good branding practice; with so much information available online nowadays, having a professional-looking site only further establishes credibility in your industry.

 

A Website is Professional

 

A website for your business shows professionalism and allows you to distinguish yourself from competitors who do not have websites. In other words, if you don’t have a website, it looks like you don’t care about your business. A website is also essential for companies that want to use online channels such as social media marketing to engage customers and prospects. If you are using social media but don’t have a website, potential customers might not take you seriously.

 

Provide Helpful Information for Customers

 

A website can be an invaluable source of information and entertainment for customers, visitors, or readers. Having a place to post content can be an easy way to tell others about your company, product, or service—and even generate leads. Depending on your area of expertise, you might also be able to offer helpful advice or tips. Site visitors who have questions about whatever it is that your business does will appreciate having answers at their fingertips. Provide Real-Time Services: If people like what they see from your website, chances are they’ll check back often to see what’s new. That gives you plenty of opportunities to provide real-time services such as customer support. Update Schedules, Availability: Whether you run an online store or a brick-and-mortar operation, making sure customers know when things will ship (or when they’re open) requires regular updates. Make changes happen quickly by linking website updates to social media sites with auto-scheduling tools like Hootsuite so posts go out automatically when something happens in your organization.

 

Easy to Update and Maintain

 

When you run your own business, you are both your employer and your employee. This means that you need to be able to do everything that an employee would do. The easiest way to be able to do both of these things is by having a website for your business that is easily accessible and up-to-date with all relevant information. With websites like WordPress or SquareSpace, updating and maintaining your website can be done in just minutes per day or you can have a professional agency keep it updated to free you from all the technical issues that may come up. . A website will allow you full control over what information is seen by those visiting your site so that you don’t have to spend time explaining yourself over email after every request someone makes about something on your website.

 

More Traffic Leads to More Conversions

 

Get more traffic to your website, and you’ll see more conversions—that’s just how it works. Why? Because more traffic means that you have a larger pool of prospects who can potentially become customers. Increased web traffic will increase your odds of landing in front of people who are interested in what you offer. In other words, more web traffic = more leads. And that, in turn, equates to more conversions. It’s a simple formula (traffic > leads > conversions), but one worth repeating over and over again.

 

Most importantly, your website gives you credibility as an expert.

 

Having your own website is one of the best ways to ensure you’re viewed as an expert in your field. Once you have your own site, other websites will naturally want to link to it—and that means greater visibility for you. But there are also some other reasons why having a site is so important: It gives people another way to reach out to you, especially if they don’t want to call or email. A website makes it possible for customers to connect with you even when you’re not physically present. A website makes information about what you do easy to find and accessible—just how Google likes it! A website provides additional business development opportunities, whether that means additional revenue streams or partnerships with other companies. At its most basic level, a website helps potential clients feel like they know who you are and what services/products you offer before even contacting the company.

 

There are great agencies, like WDMC who can do it for you

 

Web design takes special knowledge and skills. No matter how great your content, or how well it’s written, if your website looks like crap, people won’t want to read it. A good web designer knows how to make your site beautiful, simple to use, and easy for search engines to find. If you really love working on computers (and have time to do it), then you can learn it yourself with YouTube videos and trial-and-error. But we’re betting that most of you are too busy, or just not interested in spending your evenings learning HTML. Luckily, there are professional web designers who will create exactly what you need without draining your bank account—starting at about $1300 for a standard website package.