Many businesses still do not have a website and this could mean they are missing out on 93% of the market!
Ditch the old ways
Keeping up with the ever changing way to do business is definitely a challenge for most small businesses. You do it like this, then you don’t do it like that you do it like something else. Understandably people in business can become disillusioned and end up burying their heads in the sand.
But no one can deny that traipsing through the directory containing hundreds of listings is no longer the most popular choice to search for business details. In fact the directory serves its purpose as a step to reach the baked beans in the kitchen cupboard. Its out of date, fact!
Is your business invisible?
So, if you were an avid advertiser in one of these ‘popular directories’, how do you market your business now? How are you creating a sense of legitimacy to your potential customers?
According to Godaddy (a web hosting and domain registrar company) 59% of very small businesses in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, India, Australia, Turkey, Unites States and Unites Kingdom did not have a website. When considering how popular the internet is for making choices about businesses it is as clear cut as, you will be invisible unless you have an online presence.
Without a website you are also raising question marks. People who have perhaps heard of you through word and mouth which are looking for more information about your business online may wonder why you don’t appear in their searches. ‘Is this business legitimate, is the business running at a low standard, is the business owned by a struggling startup’. All these questions do not hold your business in high esteem and question the quality and standard of your work.
Having a website provides your business with the online presence it deserves. It gives you the opportunity to showcase company values, ethos, quality of work and advice through blogging and tutorials. All of these factors increase your engagement and builds trust with potential customers and search engines.
Having a website along with a strong marketing strategy, considered Search Engine Optimisation and social media presence gives your business a huge advantage compared to a business without a website or marketing effort.
Do you need a website if you have a store…
If you have a on street presence, you might wonder what the benefits are to also having a website. Presumably your business isn’t open 24 hours a day? So, there is a reasonable amount of time where customers are unable to access you and your services and stock. A website solves this dilemma by providing 24 hour access to services and stock allowing customers to either research and build interest.
Or with an ecommerce website customers can make purchases at their convenience. Accoring to, Digitalcommerce360.com consumers in 2017 from United States spent $453.46 billion online for retail purchases. This was a rise of 16% from the previous year and in 2019 growth was 14.9%. Demonstrating a growing trend globally as well as locally. This could mean that your business with help from a website could start accessing a much wider audience – internationally even.
What’s more important to know is, 93% of business decisions happen with people using a search engine like Google or Bing (ProfitWorks). So, in turn if you do not have an online presence your are only accessing 7% of the market. Let us put it like this, you are potentially narrowing your business leads by 93%. And that is huge!
A more natural way to collect data
Additionally, it is far easier with a more professional feel to collect data through a website compared with other methods. In exchange for an email address and name. This can then be used for future marketing and sending the customer product updates, newsletters and any deals that are being rolled out.
What type of website would you need?
No one is saying having a website means you need 45 pages all with effects, payment methods, links, tones of products and crazy illustrations. It all depends on your business needs. Perhaps you just want a small site that acts as a business card, providing a clear method of communication and an explanation of your business.
Whatever your website needs to be, it is important to speak to a professional regarding your business needs, expectations, and target audience… among a few other factors.
Getting, and running a website should not be scary. In fact it should be seen as a true opportunity to access a much larger market 24 hours a day. It provides a professional and legitimate presence online enabling you to be part of the monopoly.
