..and why keeping it updated is important too!
I would not blame you in thinking that only having a Facebook page is OK for promoting a restaurant, cafe or florist business. It’s a very simple way to get online fast and to market your business to reach customers. After all, is not everyone on Facebook? No, not everyone is and that definitely can’t be only what you rely on to get new customers through your door. But having said that it’s still a great way to engage with customers, here is an article explaining the benefits of it.
Now, lets get into those 5 reasons for a website!
1. A Business Website Will Give You Instant Credibility
It’s an expectation that as a legitimate business owner I expect to find you in the real world, as in to have a physical address. I also want to find you in the digital world too! Having a website for customers to find more about you and what you offer gives that reassurance that you are who you say you are!
Doing this allows for potential customers to find out what products and/or services you offer as a business, this process should be frictionless.
2. Customers Can Buy Your Products or Services Online
As a business you need to sell and market your products and services to survive, what better way to do this than online? Having a website that customers can visit and buy stuff anytime they want is definitely a way to increase sales and make more money. It is also a great way to extend your service offering. Take this as an example, say you had a restaurant business and you offer a wonderful menu selection (of course). On your online website you could also mention that the restaurant hosts karaoke/comedy nights, baby shower events etc which are all chargeable!
Just take a look at the advantages of what an online store can give you. Again, nothing should be in the way of your customers buying from you.
3. Target a Wider Audience
A business website allows you to reach customers that you thought were once out of reach, it is not safe to just rely on word of mouth. In addition to this, your business will only be growing at a slow pace and there is no reason to limit your products and service to a small customer base. So, grow your customer base with a website! You can set the tone of your business, write the content, upload images and more. A content management system like WordPress would be ideal for this so that you have more control over editing your business website.
4. Google Results Will love You
You will show up on the Google engine results page (SERP), but you’ll have to do a few small steps first. I show you how to get your website on Google in my next post. This is very key since the first thing that anyone does is Google something! But don’t stop there, you can optimise your site for search engines to increase your chances of appearing at the top of Google’s search results.
5. Your Competitors Have Websites Already
So my question is – why don’t you? Don’t let your competitors gain all the glory and take potential customers away. Your business website can be WAY more better than the ones you have seen online. This article from orbitmedia goes into great detail of the tools you can use to compare competitor websites, it is definitely worth a read.
There is great power in having a website, the purpose of it depends on what type of business you are in. If you have products then the point is to get visitors to become customers of whatever you are offering. Another thing to keep in mind is updating your website regularly with content, it’s never nice to see a website that promotes products/services they don’t offer anymore.
Be diligent in updating content!