Thanks to the internet, business-consumer interaction has changed forever. Not only do consumers discover a company online, but they also purchase their products or services digitally. Creating a website is paramount to growing exponentially – for both product and service businesses.
If you are apprehensive about creating a website, this guide will help you.
A website helps you:
1. Flaunt Customer Testimonials
It isn’t easy to imagine a time when people bought something without searching it on Google or social media first. About 89% of customers rely on online testimonials to purchase.
What better way to showcase social proof than your own website? Granted that there are plenty of third-party review sites out there, such as Trustpilot and Yelp, you don’t control them. Your website can serve as a permanent archive of your testimonials.
- Post case studies on how your product/service helped someone
- Include video testimonials
2. Gain Higher Patronage
At least once a week, 67% of Facebook users visit a local Facebook business page. The platform has immense potential, but it’s also highly competitive. Users can skip your ads or swipe up your content because of fleeting attention.
On the other hand, people choose to visit a site. Sure, it takes considerable effort to get the traffic. But chances that they will support your business are a lot higher.
- Use search engine optimization (SEO) to gain organic traffic
- Run pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns for top SERPs rankings
3. Reach More Customers
Research suggests that nearly 46% of online product searches occur on the most widely used search engine, i.e., Google. What if there is a massive demand for your product, but you aren’t getting more customers because you don’t have a website?
If someone tries to find your product/service on Google, they will land on a competitor’s website because you don’t have one.
- Use easy website builders like Wix if you can’t pay a developer
- Try io, which is both a website builder and a marketing tool
4. Enhance Your Credibility
Consider this: you are a small business owner in Indianapolis. A repeat customer on your Instagram business page refers you to a friend. Now, that friend decides to search your brand online to learn more about your offerings but finds nothing.
Even though you have a loyal customer already, you have lost a referral because they doubt your credibility without a site.
Besides creating a website, add on-site elements to build credibility:
- Include an SSL certificate
- Use authentic photos of your products instead of stock media
5. Support Branding Initiatives
What are the values that your business is built upon?
What is your brand promise?
Answering these questions on Facebook or Instagram page is not feasible. This is why websites exist because they help you communicate your values, positioning, and mission effectively. Branding enables you to convey what separates you from your competitors.
In return, people feel more confident to buy from you.
- Create a website that not only sells but also informs
- Incorporate web design elements, such as graphics and theme that reflect your branding
6. Amass More Visibility
Let’s say you own a brick-and-mortar business in Indianapolis. The physical location of your business plays a decisive role in determining the footfall. If you own a store in a busy downtown, more people will flock to your brick-and-mortar store.
If it’s located in a quieter neighborhood, it will impact the business’s visibility and exposure. With a website, however, there is no location restriction.
You just have to:
- publish SEO-optimized content using tools like Yoast SEO and SEOPressor Connect
- build an e-commerce site (for product-based companies) using Shopify or BigCommerce
7. Own Your Webspace
Roughly 40 million small businesses are present on Facebook and 25 million on Instagram. Even with the great potential of running a business solely on social media, many are entirely dependent on these platforms.
Facebook, for example, removed 800 political accounts from its platform. But many business owners complained that they were sharing authentic news. Whatever the reason may be, you are ultimately at the platform’s mercy.
You can:
- remove this dependency by creating a website
- buy a site hosting plan from leading providers like HostPapa and Hostinger
Key Takeaways
Creating a website is crucial because it:
- serves as an archive for customer testimonials that you have complete control over
- helps you gain higher patronage
- enables you to reach more customers
- boosts your credibility in the market
- aids your branding efforts
- helps you garner visibility online
- allows you to control your webspace and content
