Customers Expect Online Content
Shoppers today want information about things before they buy, so they expect to be able to find out about your company through an online search. If they can’t find anything about you, the chances are they will go somewhere else and you will lose the business. A staggering 90% of consumers claim that online reviews influence their purchasing decisions. While it is possible that people will talk about your company on social media, without you having a website, it is important to remember that not everyone will write accurately about you. After all, you are the one who knows your business best, so the dialogue broadcasting your qualifications should be coming from you.
Your Business is Always Open
You may operate standard business hours, but a website allows a potential customer to obtain information about you outside of those times, and with a website, you have a 24/7 presence. Having a website allows you to run an e-commerce business, where people can make purchases at times that are convenient to them. Think how great it will be to walk into work, check overnight sales and find you have made profit today, before you even open. From a customer service and relationship point of view, customers can find helpful information at any time of day, rather than cursing at 3am that they have an unresolvable technical problem.
Wider Customer Awareness
Once you have a website, you start to become visible on Google and with more than 80% of consumers running an online search before making a purchase, being visible is essential. After all, if you don’t have a website, the chances of you being found are zero, but with a site properly optimised, suddenly you are visible to lots of potential new customers.
Building a Website is Not Difficult
While having a professional build your website for you is probably the best option, it is also very possible to actually make it yourself. A quick Internet search will find you a DIY easy website builder which will enable you to build a site, quickly and inexpensively. Even if you decide to get it professionally made, it is a great investment, as it can start to save you money on your marketing, while attracting new business.
Improving Customer Communications
A customer is someone who makes a single purchase from your business, while being better able to develop a relationship with that customer, gives you the opportunity to turn him into a regular client. Your website is your advert to the world, and enables you to properly highlight your qualifications, as to why people should place their trust in you. This is where your site needs to be at its best. An attractive and user friendly site, combined with regular communication can keep you in the forefront of people’s minds. Social media is growing ever more popular, though email is still shown to produce better enquiry to sales ratios.
Optimization for Better Searches
Optimization of your site, enables it to work on whatever device your potential customer is using, add relevance in Google search rankings with correct keywords, as well as improve your visibility, within the specific geographical area in which you are looking to do business. From having almost no visibility at all, you can start to appear high up in the results from an Internet search, giving your business an added advantage over your competitors.
Jay Jay Ghatt is also editor at Techyaya.com, founder of the JayJayGhatt.com and JayJayGhatt.com where she teaches online creators how to navigate digital entrepreneurship and offers Do-It-For-You Blogging Service. She manages her lifestyle sites BellyitchBlog, Jenebaspeaks and JJBraids.com and is the founder of BlackWomenTech.com 200 Black Women in Tech On Twitter. Her biz podcast 10 Minute Podcast is available on iTunes and Player.fm. Follow her on Twitter at @Jenebaspeaks. Buy her templates over at her legal and business templates on Etsy shop!
