According to the way things stand now and way into the future, websites are here to stay and are the primary driver to get your business moving in the right direction. As we enter into a new decade, you simply can’t do business the way it was done 10 years ago. Technology has taken huge strides, searches, and online shopping have become the norm, and consumer buying habits have changed, and you must keep up with the changes.
The following numbers simply indicate that you need a business website, even if you think your business is too small for one:
According to Nasdaq, by 2040, it’s estimated that 95% of purchases will be via e-commerce. Some other statistics tell us that:
- 84% of Americans are shopping for something online at any given time.
- 97% of consumers go online first to search for a business or service.
- 71% of people believe they can find better deals online.
- 55% of people begin purchases online by searching for reviews and recommendations.
- 19% of small business owners without a website believe that their business would grow 25% in three years or less if they have a website.
Websites Create an Identity
Your website is nearly everything in one. It’s your name, your advertising, your branding, your reputation, and your main platform to present yourself and your product or service. Even if you have a physical store, people will come to your site first before going to a store.
This is where they will read reviews, view products, ask you questions, decide if their experience was good or bad, and then decide to purchase from you or not. If you’ve passed all the consumer ‘tests’ before they purchase, you then have a good chance that customers actually make a purchase and come back to you again for other purchases. It’s time to have a deeper understanding of how a website will help your business in the online world of heavy competition.
Professionalism
Every day, new business sites are opening. Lots of them in DIY style. But for a business, you need a site that is smoothly run 24/7. It’s not just about creating a site, which practically anyone can do. You want to hire web developers to develop the site in a professional way with client scripting technology, such as HTML, Java, CSS as well as server-side scripting using PHP, ASP, or Python. Your site must be functional, easy to navigate through and appealing.
Ranking
A winning website must implement the best search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. A business site has many objectives, but the main objectives of any site will be to inform, engage and convert.
Nothing really starts happening on a website until you start the procedure of getting your business ranked. There are certain steps to take to start ranking, beginning with the first step of submitting your business site to the main search engines. If you don’t do that, you won’t have visibility; no one will know your site exists, which means no one can find you. Then your site needs to be indexed. Search engines need a quick way to identify pages which is why indexing is still used. Keywords, titles, or descriptions are stored in a database.
Understand Consumers
Even if you think there is no reason at all to own a website, there is always one profound reason, which is that customers expect that a business has a website. You yourself, would probably be wary of buying something or dealing with a service that doesn’t have a professional website. The numbers mentioned at the beginning should show you that today’s clients, customers, and consumers have high expectations from a business. These expectations begin with a site.
Expansion
Today’s businesses have the opportunity that all previous generations didn’t have, which is to expand to a larger local market or even a global market. With social media and other means, you’re able to reach audiences that you couldn’t reach before. You will be able to know where the people visiting your site are coming from, which allows you to strategically advertise and market, in order to be in touch with customers.
The list of benefits of owning a website is much longer than this. The way businesses are being run has changed drastically. It’s not just about selling products. It’s also about adding value to how you sell and how you communicate with consumers. There’s no doubt that if you want to increase your sales and expand your business on a professional level, a proficient running website is a must. Otherwise, your business will get left behind in this fast-paced world.