The Importance of a Website for Small Businesses
It’s hard to dispute these days that it is crucial to have a website in order to run a high functioning business. There are few exceptions and no way around it; even the lemonade stand on the front drive has moved online!
Let’s back up for a minute and discuss – WHY should you have a website? Well, websites are the most powerful marketing tool of this age. Not only are you matching your clients’ expectations because you’re helping them find your business quickly and easily, you are also gaining a highly adaptable platform to project your brand and all of your business’ information. It would be extremely difficult to remain competitive without at least some online presence, and a website ranks #1 because YOU control your content and how it’s structured while also keeping up with the times and trends.
Why you need to make it a good one
Convinced? So, let’s find the cheapest way to build a website and get it up and running asap, right? Heck, no! Let’s move on to why you need a GOOD website. Here are a couple of facts:
From a survey done by Adobe, it has been found that 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive. (See more details here)
From tens of case studies carried out by Hubspot, it was found that if a website is taking longer than 3 seconds to load, you could be losing over half of your visitors before they even begin to consider your business. (Learn more here)
Finally, Medium.com found 48% out of people surveyed stated that a website’s design is the number 1 factor when deciding the credibility of a business. (More information here)
So let me now pose the questions, if you have a bad website, considering the impact it can have on your market’s overall perception of your brand, is it likely that you would be better off without a website at all? These statistics above cover only a few elements of what is key to a great website:
1. Website look & feel
2. Website user experience
3. Website loading speeds
Ultimately, if your website is lacking in 1 or more of these areas, there is a significant chance that you are losing out on new clients and sales.
So what is the ultimate answer? Get a GOOD website! Invest in a professional to build you a high quality and beautifully designed website that reflects your unique brand. When searching, make sure to check out THEIR website and portfolio, plus find reviews from their past work to know they are legitimate. It will cost you more initially than no website or a cheaper alternative, but the long term gains will, without a doubt, be worth the investment.
If you’d like a new website created or if you want to elevate your existing site, make sure you’re creating quality written and visual content.
Need some help or further advice? Get in touch with me. Check out my portfolio and my services for more information.