Having an attractive, easy to use website is no longer a luxury, it’s essential to the success of your business. Can you imagine Home Depot, Walmart, Toys “R” Us, Best Buy or any other major stores you frequent not having a website? What do you think your potential customers will think when your competitors have websites and you don’t?
To put the importance of having a website into perspective, according a recent survey 85% of consumers use the Internet to find local businesses before picking up the phone. That means that any business without a website is technically losing 8 out of every 10 potential customers. I think that’s worth repeating: Businesses without a website are losing 8 out of every 10 potential customers! Is that really a chance you want to take with the future of your business?
Yes, the Internet can be a very intimidating place for a small business, especially if you have no experience navigating this world “wild” web of Facebook, blogs and search engine optimization (SEO). However, you must face your fears. Any business today without a website is at a severe disadvantage compared to their competitors who are taking advantage of these powerful tools.
Gone are the days when a simple classified ad in the newspaper or a yellow pages listing were enough to get the phone ringing. Times have changed and if you want your business to survive and succeed going forward, your business must change, too. Your target customers are already online. They are using the Internet to research local businesses and often make their purchasing decisions long before picking up the phone or driving to a store. If you want them to find your business, then you need a website.
Benefits of a Great Looking, Well Designed Website:
- Helps you reach many more potential customers who would otherwise never find you.
Saves you money! A website is a very cost-effective marketing tool compared to traditional forms of advertising, such as direct mail and the yellow pages. - Gives your customers the convenience of learning about your business and the products and services you offer on their own time and in the comfort of their own home.
- A well designed website builds trust and boosts confidence. Consumers do business with people they like and know something about. Help potential customers learn more about you and show them that your business is knowledgeable and professional with an informative website.
- Having a professional website adds credibility to your business, whether you’re big or small, new or well-established.
- A website is a perfect opportunity to tell potential customers about who you are and why they should do business with you.
- Allows your business to be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for customers looking for the products and services you offer, prices, contact information, store hours, etc.
- An attractive website is like having a beautiful shop window on every single street corner.
- A website is a giant electronic brochure or business card that hands itself out to potential customers even while you’re sleeping.
- You can measure your success. With a well designed website, you will know how users are interacting with your website. You will know exactly how many customers visited your site, where they came from, how they found you, what pages they looked at and much more!
Don’t get left behind. Get your business online today with a great looking, easy to use website and start taking advantage of the many opportunities that the Internet has to offer.