The success
of small business is the heart of the American economy, yet so many small
businesses do not have websites. Today the
internet is the number one source where consumers look for anything and
everything. Consumers are continually
searching the internet for products and services and many times judge whether
or not to do business with a company based on a business’ web presence or… lack
of.
In my recent
internet search for a local service provider, I found that many small locally
owned businesses are not advertising on the internet. In my attempt to find a local service
provider, I googled some related key words for the service I was looking for, but
didn’t get many valid results. I then asked
around the community for recommendations, and again visited the internet to
check out the recommendations I had been given.
I found some very poor attempts at websites, but surprisingly most had
no web presence at all! However, I did
find a few businesses that actually had very nice websites that provided the
information I was looking for – i.e. location, services offered, experience,
and contact information. In the end, I
decided to contact the businesses that made the investment into establishing a
professional online presence primarily because it demonstrated their
credibility.
A website
may be your first chance at making a good impression on a potential buyer. A website gives your business credibility, it
shows that you are committed to your business and the customer is important to
you. Many times customers are more
willing to do business with you because you have a website.
So should
your business have a website, even if your business is small and sells products
or services you don’t think can be sold online?
YES, without a doubt, if you have a business, you should have a website.
Nowadays,
there is very little that can’t be sold over the internet. Millions of shoppers are online, purchasing
everything from books to computers to cars to real estate. Although you don’t want to put all your
marketing efforts into selling your goods online, if your product is an easy
online sale, you should certainly be considering it. At the very least, you should have a web presence
so that customers, potential employees, business partners, and perhaps even
investors can quickly and easily find out more about your business and the
products or services you offer.
A website is
a very valuable marketing tool and is actually a very inexpensive form of advertising. It allows you to offer much more information
about your products or services than other forms of advertising. You can make changes to your website at any
time, add photos, special pricing, publicize events, etc. You can build relationships with your
consumers via your website by sending emails and newsletters to advertise sales,
special offers, and communicate other important information to your customers. A website is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week supplying information about your business to potential customers. At any time you can see how many people are
viewing your website, what pages they viewed and how long they stayed on your
site.
You need to
have a professional-looking website to be taken seriously. Since many consumers now search the internet
for information before making a purchase, even from a brick-and-mortar store,
your site may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a
potential buyer. With a well-designed
website, your small business can project the image and professionalism of a
much larger company. No matter the size
of your company, if you don’t have a website you’re losing business to other
companies that do.