We live in the era of technology, thus having a website is rightfully considered by many a must-have and the norm. Without any doubt, if people can’t find you on the web, most of the times they might not find you at all. What’s more, online shopping volumes have peaked during the last years, so missing out on sales opportunities and revenue should be the last thing you want for your business.

Yet many company owners continue to prefer running things the “old-fashion way”, either because they believe that their business is irrelevant to the new digital reality, or because they find digital marketing tools too sophisticated for them and indirect for the customers.

The purpose of this article is to help everyone who is still not persuaded, to realize the vital importance of having a website and to break through the inertia of inaction.

You can have an online business without a physical location
But,
You cannot have a physical store, without a web presence.

Top 10 reason to have a website for your business

1. Larger customer outreach

Having a website means that many more consumers can discover your business and learn your services and products; otherwise, they may have not even listened to your company, which cuts you off valuable selling opportunities. What’s more, studies have indicated that prior to their visit to a physical store, 8 out of 10 customers have already searched for the business’s website and they have made up their mind about choosing to buy or not. It is amazing that less than 64% of small businesses have built and maintain their own website, however, most of the rest say that they plan to develop one in the forthcoming future. Now it’s your chance to gain the advantage over your competition or make sure that you don’t stay back and remain still in a rapid-changing and developing world.

2. Credibility and Trust Building

Customers expect from every reliable and trustworthy company not only to have a well-designed website, but also to actively maintain and update it with new content. This is the way for you to demonstrate professionalism and accountability as well as show to your customers that you are detail-oriented and take your business seriously. Moreover, when your customers visit your website and surf through your pages, they become related to your brand and acquire a clear perception of your story and what you stand for. As a result, loyalty is increased and customer relationships can be strengthened.

3. No geo-restriction

Internet unified the whole planet and marked the beginning of a new era for world trade and commerce. No matter where consumers are located, they can find out your company and see your offerings; thus, everyone constitutes a potential customer for you. Back in the old days, stores would compete on having the most luminous and prominent sign on the street, so that they could catch the attention of people and lure them into going inside and shop. Nowadays, bright neon signs, though still spectacular, belong to the past; websites with a functional and aesthetic design are your new storefront. Attract your customers, either they pass through your street, they live in the same country or they are in a faraway part of the world, with the today tricks that technology offers!

4. Gain Customers 24/7

The moment you read these lines, there are literally consumers out there who are looking for your business. Why shouldn’t you be open and ready to satisfy them? We all know that your physical store is obliged to work at a specific time schedule; even if you want to, by law you are not allowed to adjust your opening hours to your needs and your business goals. However, the world market never sleeps and doesn’t take a vacation on holidays. Let us build you an international ambassador who is always awake and guarding over your prosperity and success (hint: it’s your website, waiting for you).

Consumers enter your website wherever they live, even late at night, and are constantly fed with relevant and fresh content. They read your blog and news, they are fascinated by your story and they gather all the relevant information regarding any question they may have about your products and services. Now imagine this: you wake up early every morning, refreshed and full of energy for yet another exciting day. You make yourself a nice cup of coffee, sit at your desk and open your personal computer or mobile phone. Then, the first thing you see is satisfied overnight customers and carefree sales and you find your revenue streams active and vibrant. Which feeling is greater than this? Guess again who did the job for you (No second hints allowed!)

5. Higher Customer Retention

Let’s consider the following scenario: A customer located far away from your physical store buys something from your business, remains satisfied with your quality products and your high level of service, but then a long time flies till he needs to buy something again. Then, he tries hard to remember your name, he searches for your phone but cannot find it anywhere, he does his best to find a way to get in contact with you but eventually gives up and ends up going to a competitor. This is a typical pre-internet era scenario. Nowadays, your company is always easily approachable and detectable. All it takes are some seconds in a search engine, and your name pops up at the first results. Furthermore, having all the necessary data for your customer behavior and profile, you actively engage and invest in building strong customer relations via campaigns, email newsletters and social media interactions. This is the digital path that ensures that you will never be forgotten again.

6. Time-saving with non-stop customer service

Let’s face it, customers will always flow inside your business, ask your employees every imaginable question about your products or services, take a taste or a small bite of what you have to offer to them and then choose to trust you with their money, or leave. Stop right there, at this very moment; when your staff may start feeling a bit overwhelmed from all this perpetual curiosity. That’s when your brand new, amazing, UX friendly website comes into play. There lays everything that may trouble your customer’s mind: from frequently asked questions about your products or services to articles and stories so that your customer gains an insider’s look of who you really are, what you stand for, your purpose, values and brand history. All these are answered in a quick and explicit way, so that not only your customers get a clear view of what distinguishes you from the competition, also your employees are left with much more time and fewer distractions to do the “heavy stuff”. This leaves your customers pleased and fulfilled, allows you to allocate your staff in any way you see fit, boosts your working productivity and saves your pocket money by cutting labor and operational costs. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

7. The first step for online advertising

Building a website is the pillar and the first step for your whole online advertising strategy. A consumer sees an ad on a social network and decides to click on it, landing on your website. This is only the beginning of your potential customer journey: the design, the layout and the content of your website will contribute decisively to converting a consumer into a buyer. A visitor may stay on a website for several minutes, surf through your pages, take a look at your products and offers and try to evaluate if your business is reliable and conducting transactions with you is safe. They may even look for contact info so that they can call you and express any worries or special demands for their order.

8. Web Analytics or “Getting to know your audience better”

A modern website offers you countless possibilities of tracking your customer behavior and understanding their needs. Event listeners running on the back of your website’s code are constantly fed with real-time data, consequently empowering you with better information about your customers’ origin and shopping habits. They notify you each time a consumer makes an interaction, either when he sees an offer and decides to accept it or not or even when he quits the buying process despite having added items in his cart. This gives you the insight to contact your customers only when you know that it is the right time to sell and offer them authentic propositions that have a higher propensity to fit their needs. What’s more, you avoid purposeless, bad timing contacts that bear the risk to annoy and alienate your audience, so that every customer has the best experience possible and spreads the word about the quality of your product or service. In this way, your means of communication become personalized, direct and targeted.

9. Easier and faster sales

Sure, having capable salespeople can mean a lot of revenue and profits for your business, but it’s a common secret that even the best salesman can have bad days. Do you know what will always be there, standing at the front, delivering measurable results for you? It’s your website. Invented in a way that aims to mesmerize and fascinate your customers via interactive content, videos, animations and much more. Turn the consumers not only into customers, but also followers and ambassadors of your brand name. Why losing time in scanning barcodes, checking the inventory through legacy systems or waiting in the queue at banks? Assisted by our business sales tools, every process becomes automated as well as fast and your conversion rates rise drastically. The only job that’s left to be done now is to study carefully the thorough sales reports we provide you with and plan your next digital steps with us!

10. Provide better service to your customers

Every day, you are giving your best and continuously devising strategies to stand out, to make your customers feel your vision and believe in your business. It’s hard to establish real bonds and maintain authentic relationships, but you are always there, ready to give out discounts or special offers to them. Unfortunately, human errors will sometimes occur and employees will understandably have tough days. Well, don’t the hardest battles require your mightiest weapons? See your website as your soldier, faithfully following your orders and plans, making every customer bubbling with enthusiasm and spreading the word. Now you can be certain that everyone receives the desired communication and relishes the best possible care. Let the magic between you and your customer flourish. Let your website serve you!

What about you? Does your business have a website?

Tell us in the comments about its digital performance.

Don’t you have a website?

Let’s create one together!