Do I Need a Website For My Business? (8 Reasons Why You Do)
If you are starting a business or if you have an existing business without a website, you may be asking yourself this question: “Do I need a website for my business?”
Therefore, in this blog post, I will help you answer this very question and share with you 8 reasons why you do (well, Bill Gates said so too, see below).
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- How to start a Website/Blog: A Step-by-Step Guide For Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurs
- How to Bake More Purpose into your Business
- What is Self-Hosting and Why You Need It
Why Some Businesses Do Not Have a Website
We understand why some businesses are resisting the idea of having a website:
- “I’m not tech savvy”
- “I already have a Facebook page”
- “Websites are too expensive”
- “I don’t have the time to make one”
- “I’m just starting out”
- Or the infamous “I have enough business and I don’t need a website”.
Here are the truths: You don’t need to be tech savvy. Your website is not expensive and it is not hard to make.
Getting a professional and beautiful website nowadays can be simple and affordable.
Plus, NOT having a website is actually going to cost you more time and money (say what?!).
Industry Stats
According to a research published by Oberlo in December 2019, 85% of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase online.
Also, it is estimated that there will be 2.05 billion global digital buyers in Year 2020. And yet, nearly half of American small businesses do not have a website.
Well, I am not great at statistics, but looking at these numbers, I can clearly see that there is a huge disconnect (AND a huge opportunity!) right here, right now.
So below, let us take a look at 8 solid reasons why your business needs a website.
8 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Website
(1) Add Instant Credibility
Imagine this, you are wanting to hire a life coach. Would you rather hire someone who has a website that includes a self-introduction, customer testimonials and useful blog posts. Or, would you rather hire someone from a phone directory?
I think the answer is obvious, right?
My guess is that you will likely to have more confidence with the one who has a professional website.
Instant Credibility
Having a professional website gives you instant credibility.
The 21st century consumers are skeptical, with 56% of people stated that they won’t trust a business without a website.
Professional Email Address
In addition, having your website allows you to create a branded email address (such as Susan@yourbusiness.com).
This adds a level of professionalism to all of your correspondence, especially if you have been using a personal email such as gmail or hotmail to conduct business up until now.
First impression counts, and your website is a great place to leave a great first impression with your target audience and potential customers.
(2) Attract New Customers
Your website is your best marketing tool on Earth!
It works for you 24/7 and it can attract your target audience and potential customers to you from all over the World.
Even if you are already happy with the current size of your business, every business experiences customer turnover.
So in order to create long-term sustainability and profitability, you will want to continue to attract new customers. And one of the best ways to do that is to make yourself visible online with a website.
When you start a website and optimize it for SEO (search engine optimization), your website has a higher chance to be found organically on the internet.
On the other hand, social media platforms still aren’t “search-friendly”.
So if you want to find a specific piece of content, chances are that Google will land you on a website rather than a social media post.
If you want to run a successful online business or simply want to grow a following online, people need to be able to find you – your website helps you to do just that. Remember, if you can’t be found, the growth of your business will be limited.
(3) Showcase Your Products and Services
Your website allows you to easily and clearly showcase all your products and services in one place.
This way, your target audience and potential customers can visit your website and easily get to know you, understand what you have to offer, send you a query and/or make a purchase directly on your website.
Like I said earlier, your website is your best marketing tool on Earth and it works for you 24/7.
(4) Showcase Your Customer Testimonials
Displaying your customer testimonials on your website is a great way to establish social proof. Facts tell, stories sell!
Having real people sharing real results on your products and/or services is one of the best ways to add confidence to your potential customers.
(5) Better Positioning and Branding
A website allows you to tell your story and send your message to the World. Who do you want to serve? What are your core values? How do you want to make a difference in this World?
As a reference, you can check out my About Me Page and my Giving Initiatives.
By being authentic, clearly stating your message and providing relevant and useful content, products and services, you will position and brand yourself better, and can help you acquire better and more loyal audience and customers in the long run.
Related Read: How To Write a Compelling About Page
(6) Gives You Complete Control Over Your Marketing & Content
One of the biggest mistakes marketers make is relying solely on social media to market their business. Let me tell you – this is a BIG mistake!
Social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest etc could be great marketing strategies, but they should NEVER be your core marketing strategy.
You see, you do NOT own Facebook. And if Facebook changes its algorithm (which they do all the time) and restrict who gets to see your updates, you could lose all your traffic in an instant and your business will suffer! This goes the same for other social media platforms too such as YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest etc.
On the other hand, having your own self-hosted website is your best marketing tool because it gives you complete ownership and control of your marketing efforts and your business. And that is exactly what you want if you want to build a serious business!
You can refer to my blog post What is Self-Hosting and Why You Need It for more details on what self-hosting websites are and why choosing the wrong method can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month.
Related Read:
- What is Self-Hosting and Why You Need It
- How To Start a Website/Blog: A Step-by-Step Guide For Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurs
(7) Saves You Time
Having a website can save you time!
HOW?
You can use your website to:
- Provide content to educate your audience
- Build trust with your potential customers
- Provide information to let your potential customers to get to know you
- Give answers to your customers’ frequently asked questions
So simply referring your audience to your website can save you time. Thus, giving you extra time to do other value-adding tasks or to spend time with your loved ones.
(8) Simple and Affordable To Start a Website
Building a website isn’t just easier than it used to be nowadays; it’s also more affordable.
If you’re willing to follow a simple, non-technical DIY approach, you can own a website for about US$5 per month.
Follow my step-by-step tutorial How To Start a Website.
WordPress is the most popular way to build a website – it powers about 35% of all the websites on the Internet. It’s also easily accessible to non-technical users and allow you to customize your website as you wish, which is a big part of why it’s so popular.
Bill Gates Said…
Bill Gates, billionaire and founder of Microsoft said, “If your business is not on the internet, then you will be out of business.”
OUCH…
As you can see, it is important to have your own website if you want to run a long-term sustainable and profitable business in the 21st century.
Hopefully by now, you have realized that your question should not be “Do I need a website for my business?”, instead it should be “How can I afford not to have a website for my business?”.
Your website is your BEST marketing tool on earth and it is your foundation to build a successful business.
JUST START. You will thank yourself in the long run!
Related Read: How to start a Website/Blog: A Step-by-Step Guide For Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurs
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