Big retailers and even some small businesses operate both offline and online these days. However, there are still many small business owners who wonder if their business needs a website at all.
Many of these people feel that their business is too small, that they don’t plan to sell products online, or how they are currently running their business is working just fine, so why bother learning something new? Maybe you think no one will visit your website, anyway. It seems like a hassle.
Don’t let these thoughts fool you. Your business needs a website, and it’s something you should work on as soon as possible.
Your Competition is Online
One of the principal rules of marketing is to meet your customers where they are. No matter what business you’re in, your customers are now online. Your customers are on their phones – not just when they’re sitting at home, but while they’re out and about, too. They play games; they communicate with their friends, and they research companies to do business with.
When they perform that research, what will they find? Your competition. Your business needs a website to remain competitive.
Your Website Builds Trust With Your Customers
No matter how small your business is, you have customers. You understand that an essential part of doing business is creating a relationship of trust between a company and its customers. To get the initial sale, a potential customer needs to trust that the product or service they receive will meet their expectations, that a company will work with them if there is an issue, and that the payment exchange will go smoothly.
You can’t compete with large corporations with massive advertising campaigns. While you probably don’t have the budget for a Superbowl commercial, you do have enough to build a website. It is crucial for small business to assert themselves and develop their presence online. Websites are where the playing field is more level. Anyone can create a website. Why shouldn’t your business take advantage of that?
Phone Books Are a Thing of the Past
Think your local customers don’t care if you have a website? Wrong. Today, people use the internet the same way they used to use a phone book. If someone drives past your business and wants to know your hours, they will look it up online. They will also search for reviews, photos of the inside of your business, and information on what you sell. Local businesses need websites because customers expect it, because it makes it easier for customers to decide to come into your store, and because it gives those customers a way to contact you. If your local customers search for you and don’t find a site, they aren’t likely to wait until they have the time to stop into your physical location. Instead, they’ll perform a second search and find what they need elsewhere.
The earlier you develop an online presence, the better established your website will become. You can print the URL on business cards, your customers will link their friends to your page, and your website will start to age and find its place on the search engines. There are too many benefits to creating a website for your business to put it off any longer.