Do I Need a Website For My Business? Five Reasons Why Your Business Must Have Its Own Website

If your business has gotten this far without a website, you might be wondering: do I need a website for my business? What’s the point if my business is already successful without one?

The short answer is that there has never been a better or more important time to invest in a website for your business. A website offers a wide variety of benefits for small businesses, and most of these benefits increase in value exponentially year over year, just like the Internet itself.

So, why is having a website important? So, why is web design crucial to the success of a website? And how can your business benefit by having a crafted website? Here’s a primer.

1. Your website can help you market and grow your business 24/7

Your competition has an online presence, and so should you. Increase your brand awareness with a purposeful website. Attract targeted traffic to buy your products/services. Having a website allows you to market your business online, 24/7. There are several ways to market your website and business online.

Executing digital marketing strategies will help you reach your target audience. You will be able to connect with your customers, and increase conversion. It’s a good way to build a brand and build a loyal, targeted following.

 

You are also missing out on online traffic if you do not have a website.  And the traffic that captures site visitors’ information is valuable. It can lead to a deeper audience understanding. You can build relationships with prospects, leads, and customers. This is email marketing: a process of conversions.

2. Your website can help your business attract leads

92% of searchers select businesses on the first page of local search results. Every business wants to appear on the first page of Google’s search results. Don’t underrate its importance. The further down the first-page search results, the click-through rate drops. The majority of people click on one of the top three organic results. Google’s desktop search for the first position has a click-through rate of around 35%.

Ranking on Google’s first page for a related keyword is priceless. It will help your business attract leads, without having to pay for it. This is a gold mine. It adds value to your business as an intangible asset.

3. Your website is where potential customers can learn more about your business

Around 90% of website visitors first look for a company’s products/service page. Other sections of the site are then browsed.

This is your space to present your products/services’ points of difference. Build a better connection with your target market. Establish yourself as an expert. Without a website, clients could be going to a competition. It’s vital to position your business as the industry authority.

Business information should be easy to find on your website.  You can reduce support calls and improve customer satisfaction.

4. Your website allows you to own an asset- not lease it

Facebook is “leased” by many businesses to establish an online presence. You’ve bought into their whole platform. You don’t own anything. Your online presence can disappear overnight- along with the followers and likes you’ve grown.

The same notion applies to popular website builders such as Wix. With Wix, you’re “renting” your property, as opposed to owning it. You’ve bought into their platform. If they raise their fees, you can’t take your website elsewhere. Wix offers beautiful templates, but once you choose a template, you can’t change it- not so ideal with the ever-changing demands of the online world.

WordPress is the most popular website builder. 30% of the web uses WordPress. Wix and the likes make less than 1%.  It’s much more valuable to learn and understand WordPress. You can get the help you need with ease. It is open source, which means no one owns WordPress (free software). It has a massive theme (design) and plugin (functionality) ecosystem.

WordPress offers a better sense of security. It’s better for the long term. The options and control are far superior to other website builders. It’s a thorough solution that expands and enhances over time.

5. Your website’s design is critical for usability and user experience

Web design impacts user experience. 38% of people will disengage with a website if the design is unattractive. Google uses user experience signals to understand visitor engagement and interaction with websites.

For example, a visitor clicks on your website. Then presented with unattractive web design. The visitor bounces away from your website. This signals to Google that your website is not what they’re looking for. This can result in a dip in your Google rankings.

Another important user experience factor is a mobile-first design. 63% of all traffic now comes from a mobile device. It is of paramount importance for a website to be mobile optimized (i.e. mobile responsive). It will prime a website to please the users and Google.

Mobile commerce the evolution of ecommerce.

Mobile commerce the evolution of ecommerce

Mobile commerce is not replacing ecommerce, but a larger portion of ecommerce transactions are now coming from mobile devices.

What is mobile commerce?

Mobile commerce, also called M-commerce, Mobile commerce transactions continue to grow, and the term includes any monetary transaction using a mobile device.

It is an advancement of ecommerce, which enables people to buy and sell goods from almost anywhere, by just using a mobile phone or tablet device.

Types of mobile commerce

While m-commerce covers a wide variety of transactions, they can all be categorized as one of three different forms of mobile commerce.

  1. Mobile Shopping: Mostly similar to ecommerce, but accessible via a mobile device, it is possible through mobile optimized shopping websites, internet based mobile applications, or even social media platforms.
  2. Mobile banking: Same as online banking, it enables users to interact with the bank and maintain all account actions, some transaction types might be limited or restricted on your mobile device. Most of the time it involves a dedicated mobile application.
  3. Mobile payments: Also known as “mobile wallet”. Mobile payments are regulated transactions that is performed digitally via a mobile device, they’re secure, fast, and convenient.

Benefits of Mobile Commerce

Includes delivering convenience, improving sales, and keep your customers loyal. Rather than stopping at an ATM for cash or purse with credit cards, you can easily use your smartphones to complete transactions.

  • Better customer experience: Think about how long it takes to go to the store. You have to drive or walk there or take public transportation, take time walking around the store, stand in line to pay, then make your way back home. Because it matters, Ecommerce made customer shopping much easier.

Consumers are now have access to :

    • A wider variety of products.
    • More competitive pricing.
    • All without ever having to step away from their computer.

With mobile commerce, with just some few clicks on any mobile device, customers can still get these benefits, but now they don’t need a computer.

As long as they have a mobile device, they can shop any where, anytime .

  • Attracts new customers: Another advantage of using mobile commerce is that there’s always the posibility to bring in new customers. An optimized site is not just one that retains your current customer base, but it’s also one that attracts new customers who come across your store and find it appealing.

 

M-commerce also benefits retailers by many of their outstanding features compared with responsive website and mobile site.

New mobile commerce applications that enhance the customer experience even further include:

  • Augmented reality Ikea is one of the top retailers using AR app to enhance their mobile commerce business.
  • Chatbots and messenger apps which is making it easier for businesses to interact with their customers either using in-app chat or communication services their customers already use.
  • Virtual Reality is one of the big things in the world of commerce, shaking up the whole industry.

From a customer standpoint, the biggest benefit is simplicity and speed. The easier overall buying process on the app is, the more sales it brings

  • Direct connection to customers: Connect with your audience right through their desktop and mobile devices, either using browser or your mobile app. Save your time, money, and resources. Enhance your marketing strategy through Push Notifications sent directly to the users.
  • Growing market = High ROI: Billions of people go online every month via their phone, and every one of them could be a new potential customer for you. Each customer you impress could very likely encourage another customer to make a purchase from your site.
  • Cost reduction: By reaching your audience mcush faster using a mobile app you obviously cut down marketing campaign costs. If an app has social media integration, users will do their part too in spreading the word. You can even earn from placing ads within your app later .

Conclusion

The success and popularity of mobile commerce can’t be ignored and mobile applications continue to expand. From Internet browsing, social networking, shopping and more, mobile apps are playing a big role in engaging people with services and each other.

Over 1 billion people use smartphones to go online every day, and mobile shopping is trending as never before.

wouldn’t you rather get in now rather than have to play catch up later on?

ITS YOUR CALL NOW TO TAKE YOU BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.