15 Reasons Why You Need a Website for Your Business

15 REASONS WHY YOU NEED A WEBSITE

1. Your Competitors are Online

This is one of the most important reasons why you need a website. Daily, your competitors strive to get ahead of you. ‘Getting ahead’ is a subtle term. You could be ‘put out of business’ if they succeed in getting a sizeable quantity of your customers for themselves.

One of the ways they achieve this is by positioning their business to attract tons of sales with a professional website.

You need to have a website and establish a solid online presence to compete favorably.

If your business is not on the internet, then your business will be out of business. — Bill Gates

Studies show that more than 80% of customers research businesses and services online before buying. A prospective customer could learn about your product or services while being afar.

If the potential client decided to search for your brand online and nothing showed up, what will be the next step?! The prospect will look for the alternative – your competitors!

This means you are indirectly feeding your competitors and putting money in their pockets. Not having a website strengthens your competitors, and it could give your business a local and unprofessional outlook.

2. Target your Customers with 100% Efficiency

If you regularly use Facebook, Google, and other online media platforms, then you will notice something striking.

Perhaps you have clicked on an advertisement once. Did you notice that a few days later, you saw the same ad or a different ad from the same company?

Also, there is a chance that you had some interest in the ad you saw. Like other business owners, you can similarly target your customers with rocket efficiency.

The conventional mode of advertising doesn’t guarantee this kind of targeting. Online advertising is no longer optional; it is a necessity, and you need a website to do this smoothly.

In the traditional method of advertising, you’ll need to print out those pamphlets again. You will need to do radio jingles repeatedly. You have no guarantee that Peter will go through the pamphlet you gave him. What’s the chance that Mr. Sam that needs your service will be on his couch watching TV? That is guesswork.

The online ad isn’t guesswork. And to use it effectively, you need a website to appear professional and trustworthy.

3. Convert Prospective Customers to Buyers

A website offers a quick way to convert prospective customers into a loyal fanbase.

Getting the contact information of your prospects is very important. With a website, you can provide an attractive and valuable free offer in exchange for the contact information of web visitors.

When visitors engage with your freebie, they instantly know that you deliver lots of value, and they will love to purchase your products or services.

Also, having the contact information of many of your web visitors helps you stay in touch with people who are interested in what you do.

4. Improve your Reputation

Your business is as good as your reputation. Many prospective customers will ascertain your credibility by checking for online reviews before patronizing you. According to Verisign, the world’s leading domain name provider, 56% of customers do not trust a business that doesn’t have a website.

Having a website is proof that your business is genuine.

5. Your Customers Expect it

Your customers expect you to have a website. The 21^st Century buyer places a premium on online information and reputation.

Your website should have what your customers want to see. Customers don’t care about the image sliders when they visit your digital store. Tell them why your business is unique. And if they believe you can help them, they will request your product or service.

Your customer reach is limited with only a physical store. You can reach more customers with your website.

If third parties have validated your service, you can put them on your website and stimulate more customer trust. Do you have awards, recognitions, testimonials, video reviews, and so on? They need to be on your website.

6. Enormous Profit Potential

In March 2019, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a statement for informational purposes.

They disclosed that global e-commerce sales grew to an estimated $29 trillion, a 13% increase from the numbers recorded in 2017. Also, the press release shows that the number of online shoppers grew to 1.3 billion people, a 12% increase from the previous figures.

According to the UNCTAD Secretary-General, Mukhisa Kituyi, “The question from a development standpoint is whether businesses in developing countries are prepared to seize the opportunities in the e-commerce sector.

In Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics recorded 800 million transactions worth 43 trillion Naira (more than $120bn) in the Third Quarter of 2019. Unfortunately, it is those with websites that can tap into the massive e-commerce opportunity.

7. Management

You do not need any special skills to manage your business website. You can make changes to pictures, a blog post, add tags and categories, and so on.

8. Own your Story

A website plays an integral part in shaping perceptions about your business.

Your website can tell your audience who you are, what you stand for, and your business principles.

Having a website gives you control over your brand. With your messages designed to attract a particular set of people, your website helps you acquire them.

9. Networking

A website is a 24/7 networking machine. Someone could visit any of your social media profiles and click on the link to your site. If they are interested in what you do, they could connect with you.

You shouldn’t miss these opportunities that could increase your revenue or become a massive leap for your business.

I have met with some business owners who told me that some clients found them through Google my business. Next, these clients checked their website, decided that they were a good fit, and established contact. Now, these business owners want to milk the opportunity in local SEO.

You can have similar opportunities, more clients, and more revenue, by having a professional website.

10. Talk Less

It takes a lot of effort and thought to convince prospects to patronize your business. Also, you may not be able to advertise everything you do by talking. You could grossly undersell yourself each time you try to convince different buyers. Your website can tell:

• What you do
• Your business hours
• Your preferred form of contact
• Your preferred payment methods
• Discounts for your offers, and many more

11. Sell your Products

You need a website because you have to sell your products and services to your customers. Also, you need a website for customers to buy from you at their convenience.

With a physical shop, you will have opening and closing times. A website eliminates these barriers. You will be catering to those who want to buy at any time of the day. With a website, you are never “closed for business.” You are always open!

With your website, you can market your business to different countries because your customer location has no hold on you.

You can use cheap marketing tools like email marketing for your business. That way, you are almost sure of repeat business. All of these guarantee a dramatic positive impact on your revenue.

12. Social Proof

81% of online shoppers search for businesses online before buying. Invariably, it means that having a website is an excellent way to ensure you appear in these searches. It will give your business more visibility and increase your chance of winning new customers.

You can gain more search visibility by consistently publishing quality content.

13. Show off your Skills and Customer Testimonials

You need a website to show off your skills and customer testimonials in a way that makes you stand tall amid your competitors. One of the easiest ways of doing this is to attach images, reports, written testimonials, or anything that proves that you have executed a project(s) in the past and the client was happy.

14. Helps with Business Goals

Your website will help you achieve your business goals. First, an exceptional website will boost the reputation and awareness of your business. Most people judge a company by the quality of its website. A poorly designed website is a blow to your business.

According to Parqamarketing, 38% of people will quit interacting with a site that has lousy content and layout. That is about 4 in every 10 persons! The reverse is the case when you have an excellent website.

You can position yourself to attract customers with an outstanding website. Matching an exceptional design with unique content will get you even more clients.

15. Saves you Time

As a business owner, you need to maximize your time. You do not need to be physically present to answer every customers’ questions. Also, there is a high probability that several customers will ask similar questions.

You can save lots of time by having a Frequently Asked Questions section on your website.

Conclusion

“Why do I need a website?” This shouldn’t be the question anymore.

“Why am I yet to get a professional website?” There are many answers to this question, but I will summarize them in a sentence. You haven’t decided to increase your reach, revenue, and save your valuable time.

The good thing is, you can still get a website today and enjoy the benefits.

Getting a website will make you have what your competitors wish you never had;

• More reach
• More revenue

You cannot afford NOT to have a website. Don’t limit your reach and revenue.