Having a website nowadays is as important as having a shop, office, or telephone number. According to research, 60 percent of small businesses don’t have websites. Businesses are still relying on word-of-mouth to get their business brand out in the market.
In the present times, the pandemic has brought a crisis in the business world – many of the small businesses, even the big corporate ones, are without a choice but to declare bankruptcy and unfortunately close down. The challenge now is to teach business owners effective strategies to thrive even in times of crisis.
When physical transactions are limited, digital transactions are opening.
If business owners don’t engage online in these times when people are encouraged to stay at home, it puts them at a competitive disadvantage in the market. One of the superior ways to champion the market is to have a website.
Top 10 Benefits of Having a Website:
24/7 Online Presence
Having a website simply means customers are always able to find you anytime, anywhere. This is a great advantage for a business because an online presence provides visibility in the market 24/7. Research shows that the average hours people spend ranges from three to four (3-4) hours a day on digital screens, making it even more crucial during this pandemic crisis where people spend even more time locked down at home.
Also, even outside of business hours, a website continues its operation to find and secure new customers. It offers convenience to the users as they can access the information they need in the comfort of their own homes. Plus, as most companies nowadays have their website, chances are you could be losing customers to your competitors by staying offline.
Exchange of Information
A website provides a quick and easy way of connecting buyers and sellers. On your website, you can list your opening hours, contact information, show images of your location and/or products with their descriptions and prices, and use contact forms where potential customers can use to facilitate inquiries and feedback from existing ones. Also, you can even upload promotional videos to capture more engagements with your customers and sell your business in an effective and cost-efficient way. This is also a good way to highlight and promote your social media channels, build up a community with your customers to increase brand awareness, and therefore increase the return of investments.
Credibility
With the prevalent scam operations or fraudulent activities happening online, there is an expectation for any business to have a strong online presence. This to build and retain trust from the customers and people visiting your profile. Potential customers would likely be distrusting of any business that didn’t have a telephone number or a physical address, and the same can be said for not having a website and email address. Moreover, having a good quality, easy-to-use website makes customers feel comfortable using your services, as they will assume they can expect the same positive experience in all areas of your business. This can be more true if testimonials from different customers are also included on the website.
Eliminates Unnecessary Expenses
Aside from displaying information, websites are smart digital tools to be utilized to sell goods & services directly to consumers. This could eliminate large operating costs for having physical stores. Eliminating these costs will also allow you to lower your prices, giving your business that real competitive edge among others in the marketplace.
Expansion of Market
Your website is without borders. Meaning, your site is accessible to anyone all over the world. It has never been easier to break through geographical barriers, but through the advent of websites, anyone from any country will be able to find your company or profile as easily as their simple search on the internet, which is now a potential customer.
Analyze Consumer
The website enables you to track consumer insights and data. Through the analytic tools available on your site, it allows you to identify who your typical customers are, how they found you, what they like, and adapt your business to maximize purchases through your site from the data you get. The diverse range of data available can also help you better understand how your social media channels linked therein affect your brand, and can even highlight opportunities, market strategies you need to realign to change the offline aspects of your business such as promotions, branch opening time, product ranges and the launching of your content or pages as a whole.
Advertising
Advertising tools on Facebook or Google give you the power and opportunity to reach customers with much more accuracy and reliability than with traditional offline advertising methods. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and online advertising are some of the great ways to help build up brand awareness and increase traffic to your website. When the traffic on the website progresses, your profile will be the first company or at least one among the top searches that a potential new customer sees when searching for a specific product or service online.
Online Competition
Business owners who fail to address the needs of their business to engage online, which is more than a trend but now a lifestyle, will barely come to succeed or survive in the long run. It is a crucial fact that no opportunities are missed and are gained by the competition. If you don’t have a website, which is most likely that your competitor will do, this means that you are missing out on gaining new customers and can be at the forefront of their minds.
Online Customer Service
A website provides an easier way to handle customer service. You can reduce customer service costs and save yourself time and money, as well as providing much more information by offering answers to regularly asked questions in a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section. Through an online customer service setup, customers can receive a reply instantly and saves time, which helps to encourage positive customer relations in the long run.
Opportunity for Massive Growth
More reach and more sales equal more expansion opportunities. Having realistic projections in terms of target audience reach and sales conversion ratios from what has been discussed above, activities on your website being tracked, and just merely your information being mobilized online are being outsourced to successfully run your business as a high edge in the competition.
Websites provide a place for potential buyers and even investors. It shows what your company is about, what it has achieved, and what it can achieve in the future.
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