This post will talk you through some of the reasons you should start investing in a website for your business and how it can benefit you.
1. Customers trust businesses with websites
We live in a digital age, and websites are often the first thing visitors will see in relation to your business.
Whether your business has a website will often add to your perceived credibility. Customers often see businesses with websites as more credible than those without them.
If your business has a good-looking website, it adds to your legitimacy because you've invested time and money into the website.
On the flip side, if your current website looks old and dated, it can reflect poorly on your business and turn visitors away from you and towards your competitors. In other words, you need to give your visitors a good first impression of you and the activities you offer.
2. It saves your customers time researching
Customers are often drawn to businesses with websites because they don't need to phone and find out opening hours or booking slot times. While you might think this lack of interaction will turn people away because you're not able to be on the phone and sell visitors extras, it can also be a good thing. Think of it this way: when was the last time you enjoyed booking appointments on the phone? And how much time and patience do you have for being sold extras that could have been included on a website?
Customers now want to know, or quickly find, all the information they need to make an informed decision before talking to anyone.
In a world where time is at a premium, saving time is an excellent way to build relationships with your clients. If you're honest and upfront with what your visitors need to know, and they can easily find the information on your website, they're more likely to come back to you when they're ready to make a purchase.
3. You can attract new customers through search engines
You may be happy with your current client base; however, if you want to grow your business, you will have to keep bringing in new clients.
The best way to attract new clients is to be where they are: on Google, Bing, or any other search engine. After all, how often have you looked something up on a search engine when you've needed information?
The key to being found on search engines is ensuring your Search Engine Optimisation is up to scratch. While this might sound daunting, we've created a handy guide on some of the ways you can improve your search engine ranking.
4. Facebook, although good, isn't your website
While it's common for a business to have a Facebook page or be a part of any other social media network, there's one big drawback of relying on social media instead of having a website.
You don't own the page - what would happen to your business if one day Facebook decided not to support businesses or if they went insolvent and stopped trading altogether? While these scenarios aren't likely to happen, you never know what's around the corner with the changes they're implementing. However, if you had your own website, you would know exactly what changes are happening and when they will be happening. You can be prepared for things to go wrong and have fixes in place ready and waiting.
5. You can showcase your best bits
You have complete control over the content you put on your website; there's no need to post anything that sheds a negative light on your business. Plus, you can show the best photos of your work, the best reviews you've had and the most prominent clients you have.
As well as all of these, you can turn your website into a place of instruction and expertise. Create a blog that shares your knowledge with the world, create video tutorials that give your visitors an insight into what you do and let them try it for themselves (as long as it's safe for them to try).
6. Encourage your customers to contact you
Include a contact page on your website and encourage your customers to get in touch and complete your endpoints. Your endpoints could include getting in touch for more information, completing a sale, or making a booking. Whatever your endpoints are, keep driving your visitors towards them.
Summing Up
Hopefully, you can now see how a website can improve your business and why you should look at one. However, this list isn't exhaustive, so there may be more reasons that are unique to your business and the outcomes you're hoping to achieve.
If you want to find out more about having a website and whether this is something you should be looking into, don't hesitate to get in touch with us today.
