The days of a division between physical businesses and online businesses are long gone. Today, all businesses need to be online — reaching new leads and prospects, and presenting their face to the world.
In other words — no matter what industry you operate in and no matter what business model you use — you need a website.
This website is not a luxury — it’s a necessity! Why is this? Because your business’s website is one of your greatest asset and a crucial part of your marketing strategy.
Why your business really needs a website
There are a number of different factors that make a website crucial to your business.
- Customers expect you to have a website
- Your website offers social proof
- Maximise ROI with your website
- Achieve round-the-clock availability
- Showcase your offers via your website
- Make those first impressions count
Let’s take a closer look at some of these important factors.
Customers expect you to have a website
Think about the situation from your customer’s point of view. They hear about your business and want to find out more or browse your products and services. They go online, and they can’t find your website. The website doesn’t exist. How do they feel?
At the least, they will be surprised. Customers these days are tech-savvy, and they expect businesses to display the same kind of savvy. If they can’t connect with your business online, customers will not respond well. Your customers want to be able to carry out transactions, find more information and build a relationship with your business. If you can’t provide this, your audience will find a business that can.
Your website offers social proof
Independent reviews and testimonials are among the most valuable marketing assets at your disposal. Research suggests that around 91% of customers aged between 18 and 34 are likely to trust online reviews just as much as they would recommendations from peers, including those from friends and family. If you can provide these reviews and testimonials, you are offering social proof that your products are truly worth investing in.
Without a website, this is very difficult to achieve. Yes, your customers may still stumble upon great reviews on third-party platforms, but you cannot guarantee this. With a dedicated website, on the other hand, you can make sure these reviews are displayed with pride. You can also link to reputable third-party review sites to add extra transparency and reliability.
Maximise ROI with your website
Marketing your business requires investment in terms of capital, resources and time. Designing, building and deploying a website also require investment, but this project will help you maximise the returns you see from your marketing endeavours. A great website is a rallying point for your marketing — you can reach out to users on social media, via email or across a number of other marketing channels and then direct them to your website to learn more or to complete a transaction.
This website is also a crucial revenue source. It is more convenient for potential customers to click on a link or follow a URL than it is for them to give you a call or visit a physical store. While many customers prefer to browse products in person or to speak directly to one of your team, these channels are no substitute for a fully-functioning website. You can still deploy service teams and operate a store in the high street, but your eCommerce pages need to be front and centre so that you can maximise your returns.
Achieve round-the-clock availability
Modern business is 24-7. Your customers may need to gain more information, make a purchase or connect with support at any time of the day or night. Once upon a time, customers expected to only be able to connect with businesses during “office hours” — this is no longer the case, and audiences are now looking for an always-on experience.
Of course, it’s not always feasible to have a support team on call. Nor is it viable to keep your physical store locations open around the clock. This is where a website makes all the difference. If a customer wants to order a product at 1 a.m., you need to be there for them. If you are not able to achieve this, they’ll simply head elsewhere in search of this product. Deploying a successful eCommerce store means that customers can always order the products they need.
Providing great content is also crucial here. Your customers will be able to browse this content, gaining more information and support as and when they need it. You may also decide to implement chatbots and other pieces of smart tech that can offer additional support while you are out of office.
Showcase your offers via your website
Special offers and deals can really invigorate your audience, elevating them from interested parties to fully-fledged customers. However, without a website, it’s difficult to make these deals known to the public.
Don’t miss this opportunity. Build your website and make your offers known to the world. Allow your customers to easily make purchases and complete transactions, and build a solid base of long-term clients.
Are you looking for ways to grow your eCommerce sales? Get our guide: 5 ways to grow your eCommerce business
Make those first impressions count
In many cases, your website is going to be the first point of contact between your business and your customers. It’s up to you to make this first impression count.
Build a website that reflects your branding so that customers can begin to forge profound connections with your business. Provide the information and functionality that your customers want to see without delay. Building great relationships with your customers begins with this all-important digital first impression.
How to ensure your website is the best it can be
How do you go about making sure your website is the best it can be?
Consider the following points.
- Who are your audience members? What does your audience want to see from your business?
- What are your long-term objectives? What short-term milestones will you use to get there?
- Which metrics are you going to use to track your project? How will you be able to tell if your website is performing at its best?
- How will you oversee the design and development of the project? Is it best to choose a web development agency who can help you with this?
We cover more on our blog post which outlines the components of a great business website.
Crafting a unique web design is crucial here.
While implementing a website is certainly better than not having one at all, success hinges on the customer expectation we discussed earlier. Your customers expect you to have a website, and this has become something of a minimum standard in the market. As a result, all of your competitors now have websites, and you need to make sure that your site stands out from the crowd.
It can be difficult to achieve a unique web design if you are relying exclusively upon your in-house resources. You may find that you are stretching these resources too thinly, and that other areas of your business are suffering as a result. The other alternative is to compromise — to adopt a resource-lite approach and end up with a generic website.
Engaging the services of a web development agency can help you to avoid this. There is no need to compromise, and you will achieve a unique web presence that really helps you to showcase your business in the best light.
The right web design and build, from the right web development agency
Work with the right web development agency and achieve a unique web design that is geared towards positive business outcomes. Reach out to our team to discover more.
