Every small business needs a web site – why?

Reasons why every small business needs a web site

1  – Every small business needs an online presence

Your customers need to find you. The Telstra Small Business Intelligence Report surveyed more than 1 000 small to medium sized businesses. They also looked at how people look for a product or service.

Most people thought it  is “important” or “very important” to look on line, for a product or a business. About half of customers under the age of 40 report using a search engine to find or research a small business at least once a day. Business owners clearly think differently to their customers. In fact, 76% of the business owners surveyed thought word-of-mouth drove most new sales. However, 48% of consumers surveyed said they would not buy from a business if it did not have a website. Can you afford to ignore so many potential customers?

Searching or googling is more and more being done on mobile devices.

Clearly you need to try marketing online. The survey also highlighted the importance of websites looking good on mobile devices.  48% of the survey group say they shop on a mobile device at least once a week. Unfortunately a third of the businesses surveyed reported they did not have a mobile-friendly website. A good website automatically reformats the look of the website to fit the dimensions of the device it is being viewed on. Statistics tell us that mobile searches are about to overtake searches on desktops and laptops.  So a mobile responsive website is a must have.

2 – A web site has many advantages over a social media presence

Too many business owners think a social media such as facebook will do but not so! A good web site makes an excellent first impression with your customers. In addition, it allows search engines to find you by using keywords so that search engines can locate you. Local directories and online directories such as Google My Business can find you easily.

You can compare your online marketing with that of your competitors.

3 – A web site can instantly record changes in opening hours, new services and opportunities

Recently when Covid-19 restrictions started, I could let my customers and potential customers know that I was continuing to work during the Corona Virus crisis. I could explain what I was doing with the help of “Google My Business” and got a lot of response from people looking for computer support at that time.

4 – You have a business that is never closed with 24/7 advertising availability

The website is there 24/7. It sells and promotes your services and products all the time. You don’t want to spend all day in your office and work late into the evenings. However many people are doing research about their next buy at that time. Why wouldn’t you want to be one of the options?

5 – You can improve customer service

You can improve how you help your clients. You can have an online chat, so clients that are on your website can talk to you immediately. This can also help answer questions from potential clients and can save you time and money. Have an FAQ page on your website. You know your industry better than anyone. Why wouldn’t you answer frequently asked questions right on your online home?

25 reasons why you need a website

How to establish your own web site

1 – A Web hosting service

What is Web Hosting?

There is not much point in having a website or blog if it isn’t going to be available to other people online. Web hosting is basically a service that stores all the data from your site, and delivers the requested information when anyone online tries to access one of your pages. If you choose shared hosting, you can usually expect your website to be stored on a large server in a data centre. There is also the option of dedicated web hosting where you have your own server, but this is only really practical if your website has millions of visitors a month.

2 – A domain name

3 – Create your web site