The internet has had a big influence of how people do business in the twenty-first century. Most businesses now have a website, but many still do not. Every business should have a website and this article looks at the reasons why.
A Shop Window
A website can act as a business’s shop window to the world. Unlike an actual shop, people can see it wherever they are in the world, not only if they are in the local area. They can see it any day of the week at any time they choose.
People Use the Internet to Find Services
The number of people using the internet to search for products and services is increasing all the time. It is replacing the Yellow Pages. Being listed in the Yellow Pages can still be expensive even though it isn’t as effective as it once was. Having a website is much more cost effective, even if you do have to pay for SEO to improve its visibility in the search engines. Without a website you could be missing out on a large amount of business. If you don’t have a website then whenever someone searches for your services online you are potentially missing out.
Even if you do not take sales directly through your website it can still act as a brochure for your company. You can show the world what you are about and what you can do. A website is a way of presenting your company. You can use it to display examples of the work you have done or who your customers are. It is possible to get so much more information on a website than in a brochure or other forms of marketing. You can update it whenever you want at little cost. Updating a written brochure is a lot more time consuming and expensive with the whole brochure having to be re-done, not just one part of it changed.
Customer Interaction
You can use your website to interact with customers. You can keep them updated of developments where relevant and present them with any latest news. This is something that didn’t used to be possible before the invention of the internet. People can easily and quickly contact you through your website via email or through a contact form. This includes making it easy for customers to give you feedback. You can put any information on your website that may be useful or interesting to customers. For example you can write a history on your company or information about employees, giving the company more of a human face. All this makes it easy for customers and improves the branding of the business. Depending on your website design you can almost do anything with it.
Selling Products
Businesses that sell products can do this through their website. This means being able to expand the geographic area that they can sell to. It may mean not having to have a physical shop, or perhaps fewer shops, therefore saving money.
People Expect a Website
Even if they have come across you somewhere else, potential customers will expect you to have a website. They will look for you online if they want more information. If they can’t find you they may just go somewhere else.
Having a website is a very powerful form of marketing. It can increase sales and the amount of business you do. It widens the scope of your business; instead of just being local it can make you a national, or even international, company. Another advantage is that you can much more easily interact with customers and potential customers.
Andrew Marshall (c)
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