With more and more consumers around worldwide shopping online, a good website is no longer “nice to have.” An awesome website is a necessity. If you want your company to do its best, you’re going to need a great website.
Establishing a quality website that benefits your business is easier now than it was a decade ago. Not only are the costs more reasonable, but owners can easily acquire a website that allows them to conveniently handle updates without knowing HTML code or any programming languages. If you want to create your own website, there are plenty of tutorials online to help you.
A website may be something a business has been considering for their business for a long time. Here are ten reasons why any business currently without a website will want to move from thinking about it to getting one as soon as they can for their business. Even if you currently have a website, evaluate it and see if there are aspects you can improve.
Consumers expect businesses to have websites
More than half of all consumers will go check out a business’s website before ever considering doing business with them. If a given business doesn’t have a website where they provide information about themselves and what they do, they are likely missing out on a lot of business. People will simply head to a competitor’s website for the information they need.
Online shopping continues to grow
Did you know that by 2021, global online sales will reach $4.5 trillion? According to the Enterprise Guide to Global Ecommerce, online shopping is growing quickly and businesses without websites — or adequate websites — stand to miss out on a lot of potential business.
More and more people shop online
According to statistics from Statista, more than half of all internet traffic now comes from mobile devices. That means it’s not only crucial to have a website, but it’s also imperative that the website utilizes a responsive design, optimized to look good and function well no matter the device or operating system it’s displayed on.
Expand your target audience
If a business has no website, then they must rely on old-fashioned advertising methods like print ads or word of mouth. It becomes difficult to get the word out about the business beyond its geographic location. If the business has a website, however, they can receive business from anywhere in the world with access to the internet. Basic search engine optimization is free and can be used to increase visibility on Google and other top search engines to build an impressive audience over time. Online advertising is reasonable in cost and can give the business a way to reach an incredible potential audience.
24/7 Availability
A website is available 24/7, every day of the year, unlike physical stores. Prospective and regular customers have the convenience of reviewing a business’s content, products, and services online on their schedule, even when your business is closed.
Build consumer relationships
Thanks to social media platforms, companies now have a way to build relationships with millions of potential consumers. The power of social media can be harnessed to widen an audience and the website can be the hub of their content. Whether they use a Pinterest board or a series of tweets, companies have access to millions of people who have the option of liking and sharing their content if it appeals to them.
Become an authority
Having a website not only provides information consumers are seeking on given topics but it gives an amazing way to provide further information and establish your company as an authority in your industry. It’s no secret that blogging is encouraged in an effort to boost SEO marketing efforts. Blogs can be used to publish a series of useful articles that may boost your credibility in your given area.
There are so many compelling reasons for businesses to establish a quality website and use it to grow an online business and audience that will provide stability and business for years to come.
Originally published at medium.com