As I write this I am assuming that if you are reading it you either have a website for your business or are at least thinking about getting one, however did you know that at least 25% of small businesses don’t have a website.
In the digital age most people use the internet to gain information about a product or service before purchasing, and whilst social media can assist you in sharing your product with the world it has its limitations.
Here is an example of these limitations…
I recently attended a local festival that I had seen advertised via Facebook, I followed the link to book my tickets and it took me to Eventbrite – I purchased my tickets and wanted to find out a bit more about facilities on site for my two children – I was a little surprised to find that the festival had no website other than the Eventbrite one and if I wanted answers to any questions I could only find them via social media – which to be honest was a little frustrating as I had to send them a message and await a reply – or scroll through posts looking for answers. Think how much time could have been saved by them having a simple website with an FAQ page and how much more professional they would have looked.
A lot of small businesses work in this way though – especially those started from home with small budgets – they use Facebook, Eventbrite, Etsy, Ebay and many more to showcase and sell their products and services, but as they grow they find they don’t have the time to keep up with all the platforms they are using or their reach on social media diminishes.
5 reasons why I believe you should have a website
1. You can have a page dedicated to you – we all know people by from people so you can use this page to tell your story (and you’ll have more characters to do this than on a social media post!!)
2. You can showcase your products and/or services – you can even categorise them by type depending on the platform you use to build your website – this means your customers can easily search for the things relevant to them.
3. Having a website saves time – by adding an FAQ page you can provide all the key information that your customers want to know in one place and can direct them to this page whenever they have an enquiry.
4. It improves customer service – by including a blog on your website you can share information on how to use your products, knowledge on topics related to your services or even just share links to relevant articles you find online – this will make you stand out as you are giving something extra to your customers.
5. It makes you more credible – I often talk to people who have chosen not to even consider a company because they didn’t have a website – we all live busy lives and don’t have time to spend on wasted phone calls for a product or service that might not be suitable – by having information online people can find out more before they contact you – saving you both time!
Making your website professional
If this blog post has convinced you to go ahead and build a website for your business, you now need to think about what you need to build it and how to make it professional. Whilst there are lots of free website builders out there, I personally think that you should consider building a website for the long term – a website that will grow and develop with your business – and that also enables you to rebrand without losing all of your content.
If you want to know more about what you need to build a website check out my post on this:
Do you know all the ingredients required to build a website?
Got a question
I hope this post has made you think and I’m sure that you have lots of questions about websites – please feel free to ask them below as I am always happy to help.