In this article we’re going to talk about the top 10 reasons why your company needs a website. We’ll go over the importance of having a website and how it can help your business grow. A lot of people think that they don’t need one because they have an online store or their products are only sold in physical stores, but a website is important for many different reasons including branding purposes among others. Here are the top 10 reasons your company needs a website.
1: Having a Website is The Great Equalizer
The Internet provides equal access to its users, whether you are a small business, organization, or a Fortune 500 firm the Internet puts everyone on a level playing field. The Internet is the great equalizer. If you don’t have a website, potential customers will go to your competition.
Consumers are shopping and researching online more than ever before. People research a product or service they need on Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. If a business does not have a website then that business is missing out on potential customers searching for their products or services online.
On the Internet, you can sell products directly from your website without having to pay middlemen such as stores or catalogs. This is a significant saving for the business throughout the entire sales process from start to finish. You can save money on marketing, but you will still want to advertise and promote your site online and offline.
2: Having a Website Can Improve Customer Service
Your website is a great place to publish your own list of “Frequently Asked Questions”, contact information, and even discussion boards! Customer service is essential in today’s economy. Your website should let customers get in touch with customer support and find out the information they need.
Having a website can improve customer service because it gives your customers a way to contact you for customer support requests. If you publish your frequently asked questions (FAQs) on your site, customers will be able to locate the information more easily than if they had to contact customer support. Organizations can quickly publish their customer service hours and customer support lines on their website so that customers know when to expect a response or how long it will take for customer support to get back to them.
A customer support site lets you easily include your company’s social media links, customer service hours, customer support phone numbers, customer reviews, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and feedback sections. All of these customer service features are important for both customers and customer-base management to know about.
Many customer complaints can be handled with an effective customer service team before they become larger problems. By clarifying the policies on your website, you will be able to help customers easily and quickly. If you also include customer reviews on your website, it will be easier to respond to customer concerns and complaints.
3: A Website Gives You a Low-Cost Form of Advertising
When compared to the costs associated with traditional advertising methods such as direct mail, newspaper or magazine ads, or even radio and television, the cost of a website is nominal.
Everyone has access to the Internet, whether it be through a computer, television, tablet, or phone. The benefits of a professional website can’t be stressed enough as they allow potential clients to learn more about your company and even make contact with you via email.
The Cost Associated With Traditional Advertising Methods is Quite Expensive
For those who are trying to get the word out about their business and attract new clients, traditional advertising methods can be quite expensive. For example, a full-page color ad in a newspaper will cost approximately $300 to $400 or more per publication; this amount is simply for one insertion and doesn’t include the price of designing the ad or any additional fees that may apply.
A significant additional cost associated with newspaper ads is the fact that they only reach a limited number of people, i.e., those who read the specific newspaper where it’s placed. Since newspapers are delivered on a daily basis looking for clients from outside the immediate metropolitan area will not likely see your ad more than once. Although you might be tempted to place multiple ads in order to increase exposure, it’s rarely a good idea as the price of each additional ad goes up.
Other Types of Traditional Advertising Also Cost a Lot of Money
TV and radio ads also carry hefty price tags. A 30-second TV commercial can run anywhere from $20,000 – $30,000 or more depending on the time of year, day of the week, and popularity of the program. Even radio ads are expensive; generally, they cost at least $50 to $100 or more for one 30-second spot.
The Cost Associated With Traditional Advertising Methods Keeps Climbing
Since traditional advertising methods are now becoming less popular with businesses due to their relatively high costs, they are commanding more for their services. For example, the average price of advertising in a major metropolitan city newspaper has increased by nearly 13% since 2009 according to local business executives interviewed in the article “How Much Does It Cost To Advertise In A Local Newspaper”.
Having a website is different.
A website is quite inexpensive in comparison to traditional advertising methods because of its widespread appeal and general affordability. In fact, it’s more cost-effective to get a professional website up and running than it is to pay for a series of one or more advertisements.
The low cost associated with a website and the fact that potential clients can visit it anytime they want (no matter where in the world they may be) makes owning one an unbeatable advertising strategy.
It’s also important to note that when a client chooses to purchase one of your products or services, having a website is the best strategy because it can lead them directly back to you. And since most people go with online search results and not print ads, this is great for business owners who want their consumers’ loyalty.
4: Having a Website Gives You Huge Demographics to Target
One of the best things about having a website is the endless possibilities when it comes to advertising. You have access to some great demographics with your website, which can help you target specific audiences so that you reach people who are most likely to be interested in what you are selling. Here are just a few examples of how demographics work when they come to your website.
It is easy to get demographics when it comes to websites because you can target certain locations like the geographic region, metro area, state, city, town, or even neighborhood in which you want your ads displayed. The more specific you are about these locations, the better off you will be when trying to reach the right type of customer.
If you are offering a niche product or service, then it is easy to pinpoint your target demographic with specific keywords and phrases. This makes it easier for website visitors who have similar interests to find you quickly so they can learn more about what it is you are offering. This also makes it easier for search engines to find your website if you choose keywords and phrases related to your product or service, which will help with rankings as well.
If you want to get even more specific when it comes to demographics, then consider using age limits like 25-34-year-olds who live in a specific zip code. It is also possible to target certain lifestyles and income levels when it comes to demographics and your website. Consider targeting upper-class individuals who live in metropolitan areas or at least have regular access to Internet service, since they are more likely to purchase items online than others.
Surveys have shown that the average Internet user is between the ages of 20 and 50, so consider using age indicators when it comes to demographics. More than half of all website traffic is made up of individuals who are 18 or older, which means that you should target people above that age if they are more likely to purchase your products or services.
Although it might seem like advertising on websites only reaches certain demographics, you can choose very specific options if you know how to get the right online advertising. Since there are so many different demographics to get with website advertisements, it is a smart idea for companies of all sizes to consider using them on their websites.
Internet users are young, educated, and have some expendable income – how could they not be your best customers?
5: Having a Website Provides Immediate Feedback From Customers
A website is a great way to get immediate feedback from your customers, through customer surveys, contact forms, and e-mail addresses for your contact personnel.
One of the biggest advantages of having a website is that you can utilize surveys, contact forms, and e-mail addresses for your employees to get valuable feedback. Within minutes you can know what your customers are thinking about your business.
Once you have this information, be sure to review it frequently. The customer sees value in knowing that you are doing something with their feedback. When you review the information and make adjustments as necessary, it will help customer relationships as well as morale for your employees.
Customer satisfaction is an important determining factor in building a successful business, so be sure to use any available methods to get feedback from those customers. Responding to those findings can really help your business grow.
By using this type of feedback, your business can flourish, thus making it a worthwhile investment for your company to have a website in the first place. The bottom line is that having a website should help you make better decisions by getting direct insight from the customer base.
6: Having a Website Means Your Business is Always Available
The time of day is now irrelevant. With a website, your products, services, and information become available to anyone with Internet access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That’s a whole lot of time that can be spent selling.
What about the argument that most people only use the Internet during the business week?
The truth is, a significant number of people visit a website on their way home from work to see what they have missed during the day. If you have an important announcement to make or need to promote a new product, you can do it from any computer at any time of day.
When was the last time someone asked you what time your store closed?
People simply call and ask for what they need. They don’t care when it is convenient for you to be there; all they want is fast, efficient service at their convenience.
You can save yourself a great deal of time and money by making sure your business is always available. Whether you’re selling services, products, or information, having an Internet website will get the job done 24 hours a day.
7: Product and Service Demonstrations
Video presentations allow you to provide your customers with an in-depth, interactive experience with your products and services. It also allows you to express your service in a unique way, allowing users to virtually see what they are buying before placing it in their shopping cart.
Video demonstrations can be displayed on your website in a number of ways, including video content within the product page or through an embedded video in the form of a screencast. There are also many free or low-cost options for hosting this type of content online.
Product Demonstrations – An example of a product demo would be a video that provides an overview and demonstrations of how to operate the features of your product, such as a coffee machine or computer software.
This allows customers to see the product from all angles, explaining each feature in detail. This can help them decide if this is the right product for their needs and how to use it correctly, as well as provide a good buying experience.
Customer Service – Another example of video content that can be used on your website is customer service demonstrations – these videos can be used to help answer frequently asked questions regarding a particular topic. Whether you are demonstrating how to set up your product or how to use a specific feature, these types of videos illustrate how your products work in real-life scenarios.
Screencasts are also an excellent way to provide customers with tutorials on how to use their products. It allows you to go into detail about each step of the process and explain things in more depth than regular written content can.
8: Use Your Website to Build a Customer Email List
With a website, you can build a customer email list and save contact and demographic information about people who visit your website. This email list can then be used to communicate with customers, whether it’s promoting upcoming events or sales or just keeping them in the loop about what’s happening at your business. That email list works all the time, even when you’re not working!
Offer email opt-ins at your place of business to people who visit your site, or alternatively email marketing services like MailChimp may be used to help you build email lists.
If email opt-in forms are placed around the web pages of your website, visitors can fill them out and give you permission to email them. This is a good way to build an email list fast, especially if the website is new and you don’t have many email addresses yet.
A drawback of email marketing is that spam filters will often flag email messages sent to email lists as spam, and some email providers – like Gmail and Hotmail – will even block email messages from email marketing services.
For email campaigns to be successful, you should write compelling content that people might want to read, such as product announcements, special offers, or helpful tutorials.
9: Your Clients Expect You to Have a Website
With over 4.66 Billion Internet users worldwide, it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Not having a website may mean that you are not in touch. Today’s consumers are more Internet savvy and expect to be able to find you online.
In a recent survey by the National Small Business Association (NSBA), “82% of small business owners using the Internet said it helps them reach new customers,” and for local businesses, in particular, providing a web address on promotional materials has been shown to increase traffic to the business by 81%.
With a website, you have a platform that will allow clients to read about your services and contact you from anywhere in the world. There are business cards now containing QR codes, so some will use their smartphone to instantly access your website.
Your clients expect you to have a website and to keep it updated. In order to do that you should actively update your content at least weekly. This will help attract new visitors to your site, which is good for search engine optimization and will also keep your clients engaged in what you are doing.
10: Your Competitors Have a Website, Shouldn't You?
While many people are still unsure about the importance of having a website, if you do a little research, it’s clear that your competitors have one. The question now is whether you should create one too.
The answer is an unequivocal yes. Your business can’t afford to be left behind by your competition – especially if they’re doing something right and you’re not!
A website is a piece of marketing and branding gold that should be mined by every business. A modern website allows you to convey your business’ message in a compelling, persuasive manner. It gives you the chance to tell your company’s story and provide useful information about how you can help people.
Your competition has a website, so why shouldn’t your business?
Your Business Can’t Afford to Be Left Behind!
The truth is, you can’t afford not to have a website. Not only does a site allow you to promote yourself and your brand, but it also lets people find out more about the services and products that you’re offering. This makes potential customers feel more comfortable doing business with you since they’ll feel they know more about your company. With so much competition out there, being able to put a face to your company’s name definitely helps.,
In Conclusion
Your business needs a website. A company without a website is not taken seriously by customers and competitors alike. There are many benefits to having a website, including the fact that you will be able to reach out to your customer base immediately with new information or sales promotions. You’ll also have access to immediate feedback from customers about their experience with your business, which can help improve customer service. Don’t let yourself fall behind the competition – invest today in building an online presence for your brand!
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