Are you one of the many entrepreneurs that believes your business can survive without a website? Do you think that having a profile on social media is all you really need? According to a report by the CNBC, 45% of businesses do not have a website – a startling fact, when you consider how important they are and how much money they can bring in. If you’re one of these entrepreneurs, keep reading. There are also franchise opportunities that you can deal with when you have a website.We’re going to give you four reasons why you absolutely need to change your way of thinking and get set up online.
1. Consumers Expect It
According to a study by the Local Search Association, when looking for a local company, over 63% of consumers start their search on the web. In addition, the LSA also found that when looking to buy a product or service, the majority of people also use the internet. If you’re purely relying on social media profiles, you could be losing out on a lot of custom – worse yet, customers who may have considered you could be opting to buy from your competitors instead. Considering how easy it is to build a professional website using a website builder from webeden.co.uk you really have no excuse to not get set up. Not only can you build a website in minutes, but with plans available from WebEden for as little as £3 a month, it’s cheap too!
2. You’ll Have Full Control
While social media platforms do make a good secondary place to host a business profile, it’s important to remember that you personally have no control over your web presence on these platforms. Just look at Google+ which has recently closed down; if the majority of your customers came via that platform, you’ve just lost your online space and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. The same applies if you use the forums to advertise, or other networks – if you’re banned from these (and it happens more often than you think), you’ve again lost your presence online. A website that is fully owned by you comes with none of this risk.
3. It Makes You Look Professional
It doesn’t matter whether you run a small business, or are a freelancer working from your sofa; a website can help to level the playing field among the small and big companies and provide you with a professional presence which every business needs. If your company is able to meet the needs of a customer, it doesn’t matter that you are small! In fact, many people would rather work with small businesses for the personal touch they receive. What does matter, though, is that you appear professional. You need to create a sense of trust with those interested in working with you, and a website is the easiest way to do this.
4. It Can Help to Generate Leads
Let’s face it, the majority of industries, these days are highly competitive, and the main reason for this is the ease of access consumers have to businesses that are online. A quick search in Google can provide you with information about pretty much anything you want, and it’s the same with businesses. There are a variety of things you can do to generate leads that don’t have to cost the earth. SEO is possibly the most well-known, and although it’s an ongoing process, it can help to increase the number of organic leads your business receives. By adding a contact and newsletter sign-up form to your website, you can also keep in contact with your customers with ease. It doesn’t cost much at all to send marketing emails and a business website can be the easiest way to facilitate this.
No matter what type of business you run, there’s no reason at all, you shouldn’t have a website in 2019.
