7 Reasons Why A Website Is Still An Absolute Must

Introduction

Twenty-five years ago, even fifty or more years ago, if you told someone you did not have a business phone they would not take you seriously. Today, when someone wants to contact you, or find out more about you, telling them you don't have a website is the same thing! Even the most modest one man/woman businesses have websites today. If you do not have a website, 9 out of 10 people will assume you are either one or all of the following - 1) not a professional, 2) have little experience, 3) are out of touch with the times and technology, or 4) are an insignificant entity with no resources and small vision. If people can't find your website in an internet search, you have "immediately" lost credibility.

Today's world is saturated with digital devices in every aspect of our daily existence. From your phone through your TV screen - every glowing glass surface is connected to the internet. There are no longer any logical excuses to explain why you do not have a strong professional web presence. If you’re putting off building a website, you are hurting your business or career. Here are the top 7 reasons you may or may not need a real website.

1) You Can't Do What It Can Do

How Do You Get A Sales Team To Work 24 Hours A Day?

What if you could get every "new" customer in your physical brick and mortar store, or every prospect you met while networking, to do the following - 'before' you had to negotiate a sale? What if you could get them to watched an interactive slide show, read the convincing text in your brochure, look at great pictures and read the impressive details on your products and services, watch some cool video about your company, and finally read comments from your happiest customers.

I know I'd be thrilled if I had the opportunity to pour the heart of my company into the waiting mind of a every new customer. What a huge advantage. How do you get anyone to sit still that long? Well, we all know that answer. We create a website that new customers can peruse in the comfort of their home, or office, or local coffee shop.

Your website acts as a multi-media equipped sales team that keeps on working for you day and night, weekends and Holidays. It never gets tired of enthusiastically telling your story or answering questions a thousand times over! This team also delivers your message exactly how you want it - every single time. If you want to alter or expand your message, the team learns it instantly and presents it exactly how you had hoped.

Wow, all that for only a couple of dollars per month. Yes!

2) A Website is Digital Magnet For New Customers

Real websites have big benefits for local businesses as small businesses actually have statistically higher revenue. According to the SBA, small businesses that have websites are averaging $1.07 million more per year in sales than small businesses not online. That's revenue increased by 39%.

A website is not just for bigger businesses, it is actually a great way for you to connect with locals. Statistics cry out to you as they shout that over 70 percent of U.S. households use the Internet when shopping "locally" for products, services and entertainment. The grand scheme of the internet is a huge advantage for the small businessman. Search engines big and small will rank results according to location. If a local does a search for "plumbers, restaurants or disc jockey's near my town", they will find you!

According to the U.N. International Telecommunication Union agency that oversees international communications, more than 3 BILLION people are now using the Internet. Those stats indicate that while online, nearly 90% of those people have made a purchase or contacted a company in the last 12 months. Do you want to miss out on all that exciting action?

Are you one of those people who claim they don't get their customers from the internet? Even if you are brilliant at word-of-mouth marketing, you could still be missing out on a ton of referrals. Happy customers are quick to share what they think about your business, but what about their friends who haven’t experienced your services yet? They WILL take to the Internet to read up on you. When they can't find your website, you will have absolutely missed your chance for a brand new customer or a brand new gig. Their search on the internet will however lead them straight to your competitors website.

3) Great Way To Level The Playing Field With Powerful Competitors

You're currently a small business or unsigned artist, or you are finally ready to start your small business. How do you begin to compete with all the big names out there? It's simple - create a beautiful website with great content that presents an impressive brand image. The low cost of a website lets you compete in a way never before possible. You can present an image that is every bit as powerful and convincing as the marketing of the big boys brands! Your website can break down the perceived wall between you and them. A well structured website can provide "instant Credibility" for anyone. In internet competition, like in all of life, credibility is worth it's weight in gold.

Having a great website is how you can go toe to toe with any business. Place a great message in a impressive wrapper on any glowing screen, and you become a professional competitor to anyone in your community or across the internet. Contact us for a 100% Free Consultation. We'll work out all the technical and artistic details that result in a great website!

4) Don't Get A Website If ...

Websites greatly improve the acquisition of "New" customers. According to the SBA, Small Business Administration, 50% of Internet sales are from "new" customers. Having a website significantly improves your customer reach no matter what business or artistic pursuit you hope to promote. If you have all the customers you currently need, don't get a website!

5) Your Competition Has A Good Website

If you are competing with another business that has a website, they have a clear and significant advantage. This cannot be over stressed in today's new business reality! Be it by computer, tablet, or smartphone, about 80% of consumers use the internet to search for products and services before they make a purchase. I guarantee you that sooner or later someone's going to type your name or business into a search engine expecting to find your website. What do you want them to find? Nothing! Or even worse yet, they get sidetracked by discovering your competitor's website.

Which do you think is more likely to influence and acquire new customers and income? A) Your competitor has a professional website, presenting a compelling message through their own words, beautiful images, customer testimonials, and examples of their successes. B) A potential customer searches for you on the internet, and they can't find your website.

Option B is digital hari kari. If you're not on the playing field, you've lost this sales game before it even started. Today, people expect any 'real' company or business to have a website. For many people, you might as well not exist if you can't be found with a search engine. Don't let your competitors snatch your new or current customers away so easily.

If you get most of your business through networking and personal connections, then they will want to check out your website. Don't lose a customer that is almost yours.

6) A Website Saves You Time and Money

You believe a website costs you money. It's just the opposite. It actually pays for itself over and over again! Let's start with just one of the many ways.

Whether it's face-to-face, over the phone, in a brochure, through print advertisements, or via emails, providing information to your customers takes time and often costs plenty of money. With an online presence you can provide a perfect mix of "information" and "sales pitch" regarding your products and services. The website works as an ever evolving brochure that does not need to be reprinted every few hundred or few thousand impressions. Once your website is up and running, it answers all those FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) that can keep you so very busy. All business owners want one thing. More hours in the day. Give yourself a few back!

Here is just one more example of the many ways a website pays for itself. Even at the most basic level, can you simultaneously answer detailed financing questions for one customer, while explaining product features to another nice married couple, as you process payments for four additional customers - in four separate locations - for four different mixes of products - with different payment methods? Can you afford to hire additional staff to do that work, and 12 times as much, all at the same time? If not, hire a digital team in the form of a website. Some might say you'd be crazy to not take advantage of all that mind blowing horsepower at your fingertips.

7) A Website Grows With Your Business

A website is easily affordable Advertising and endlessly expandable Marketing. Once you publish your website, it is not set in stone like traditional media. Your website is easily altered and can be continually refined as your vision expands and your business grows. Compared to the expense of creating and distributing more traditional forms of marketing materials, like newspapers, direct mail campaigns, magazine ads and broadcast media - the cost of setting up and maintaining a website is incredibly inexpensive. One of the best features of a website is that you can quickly and easily change information as it changes within your business. Unlike printed materials that need to be revised and then reprinted at a cost; a Website allows you to change or add products and services as often as you wish, . . in just a few steps.

As you add content to your website, your website benefits can expand. There is great potential for free advertising when Other Websites and Blogs link to your content. As you add well designed webpages containing articles/blogs to your site, they can also trigger the following. A person searching on the internet may not be looking for you specifically. Yet, as they type in relevant search terms into a search engine, Your Website will come up in the listings for free and allow a prospective customer to find you and your website.

Bonus #8) A Facebook Business Page Is NO Substitute For A Website

Search Engines Are More Likely To Find Your Website Than Your Facebook Page

Social Media accounts with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like, are not a replacement for having your own website. While social media should be included in your marketing efforts, social sites do not provide the highly beneficial features that make a website a must.

So, your business has a Facebook Page, but no Website. Yes, that is a Big Mistake! A real website has search engines like Google working for you. While a Facebook page can be found through a search engine, it doesn’t provide the same SEO (search engine optimization) control of a dedicated website. This is a very important point. A true website enables you to precisely tailor your content to the phrases and keywords your potential customers might type into a search engine. You want to be found, don't you? Facebook pages are extremely limited in this important aspect.

Some small businesses set up a Facebook page thinking that's good enough to get started. They could not be more mistaken. Your website acts as a complete and polished presentation where customers can learn more about your company, as well as research product information, and truly determine if they want to do business with you. When you publish through a third-party social platform, they are in control of your presence on the web. Social media sites are terrible at making a cohesive and stunning presentation. Nonetheless, social media is great for sending people to the cohesive and stunning presentation that is your website.

To create the kind of digital presence that is required for a small business to succeed in today’s world, a dedicated website isn’t something to consider, it’s a necessity. From our brief look at the current state of the web, one point is clear. If you’re a small business owner, you need to realize that a website isn’t an expensive luxury or a frivolous endeavor — it’s an affordable, fundamental tool that every company truly needs.

Stay Tuned: Coming Soon - a full blog post on WHY DO I NEED A WEBSITE IF I HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE?

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