You save your company from answering basic questions when you provide the information on your site. A website stops you from answering questions like, “What time do you close?” or “What specials do you have today?” dozens of times a day. When you invest in building a website, you create an opportunity to provide all the essential information in one place. You post information like: Hours of operation Specials Products/services Prices Location Company background Contact information Take a second to think: How many people call your business related to the information above? If you find most inquiries surround these topics, you need a website for your business. A website lets you provide essential information to your audience fast, which creates more time for you to focus your energy on running your business and answering more complex questions.
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People use your website to engage with your business If you’re still asking the question, “Do I need a website for my business?” here’s another excellent reason to invest in building a website: Engagement. Engagement plays a critical role in turning leads into life-long customers. Over 63% of consumers use a company’s website to engage with the brand. In this digitally-run world, you must create a robust online presence to engage prospects and get them to become customers. Without a website, you’re missing these critical moments where you can turn leads into conversions. An informative and visually-appealing website goes a long way in helping your business attract prospects, delight them, and turn them into clients for your company.
People want to do more than buy products online Many business owners ask themselves, “Do I need a website for my business?” and respond with “I don’t sell my products online, so there’s no point.” We’re here to squash that myth. A website isn’t just for ecommerce businesses — it’s for everyone. You don’t need to sell products online to have a website. Even if you sell products that are too big to plop into a virtual shopping cart, like construction equipment or building materials, a site still benefits your business. A website will attract prospects to your company. Why? People want to do more than buy products online. There are three main types of search queries on Google: Informational: Users conducting searches to learn about specific subjects or topics. Navigational: Users looking for a specific page or website. Transactional: Users searching with the intent to purchase products. Want to guess which type of search query is most popular on Google? It’s informational.People conduct dozens of searches every day, looking for information.
Whether it’s asking a simple question like “How old is Betty White?” or something more in-depth like “How to build my credit score,” people conduct queries looking for information. Even if you don’t provide products online, you provide information. Whether it’s information about your business or content on topics in your industry, you have an excellent opportunity to educate your audience. When people feel informed, they’re more likely to convert. Since you provided the helpful information they needed, they’re more likely to choose your business when it comes time to convert because they trust you. Again, you don’t need to be an ecommerce business to have a website online. When created properly, a site will benefit any company by providing prospects with helpful information, which can grow brand awareness, trust, and more. People see you with your competition Do you know who isn’t asking the question, “Do I need a website for my business?” Your competitors — because they already have one. If you want to remain competitive, you need a website. Your competition is one of the most important reasons to have a site.
Without a website for your business, people who search online will find and visit your competitor’s company instead. Did you know that 50% of users visit a store within a day of conducting a local search? That means, if you don’t have a website, these users are visiting your competitors instead. You’re missing an opportunity to attract new leads and drive them to your business. If you want to remain in competition with your competitors, you must invest in building a website for your business. It will help you establish an online presence among competing companies and drive more leads to your organization instead of the competition. How to make a website for your small-to-midsize business If you’re asking, “Do I need a website for my business?” and now answering “Yes,” it’s time to get started on building your business’s dream website. Check out these three quick tips for creating your dream website:
Choose who’s going to develop it First, decide who will make your website. You have three options: Do it yourself Hire a freelancer Partner with a web design company So, which option is best for your business? That’s up to you to decide! If you’re looking to save money, you can build your website yourself. If you don’t have experience with web design, don’t put the pressure on yourself to try and create a website. It will cause you more stress trying to find the right design and add the correct elements to your site than if you hire a web design company. In the case that you don’t do it yourself, you can hire a freelance web designer.
The biggest problem with freelancers is that you typically hire them for one-time needs, like building your design or updating your design. That means you still need someone to monitor your site for errors after the design is up, which comes at an extra cost to your business. If you want ongoing help with your website, a web design agency may fit your needs best. A web design agency will help you build a custom website unique to your business and help you monitor your design to ensure everything operates correctly. A potential downside of web design companies, however, is overpaying for services. If you hire a web design agency, you need to be proactive by researching web design costs and creating a realistic budget for your company. By setting a budget, you’ll know which web design companies will work well with your business. Additionally, a good web design company will offer transparent pricing and only provide you with the services you need, like . The right web design company will also respect your budget and deliver a website unique to your business.
Pick your web design style One of the best reasons to have a website is that it creates an opportunity for you to showcase your unique brand. When you’re designing your website, you’ll want to choose your website’s design style. Establish your web design style by creating a brand style guide. Your style guide helps you stay consistent with web design and implement your brand’s unique style into your website. Stick to colors that reflect your brand. If you have a color scheme already, like on traditional marketing pieces, carry that style over to your website. Establish colors and styles for every aspect of your site, including: Website colors Font colors
Font styles Image/video styles Copywriting style Whether you want a rustic or elegant brand identity, establish a brand look that works for your business. Use search engine optimization (SEO) Great web design goes beyond the visual aspects. You need a website that appears in search results and drives traffic to your page. With search engine optimization (SEO), you’ll help your beautifully designed site appear in more relevant search results. SEO helps people find you when they search online. From keyword integration to page speed optimization, SEO enables you to create a discoverable website that’s easy for your audience to browse. This strategy helps you compete with competitors too.
If you’re using SEO, you’ll achieve better rankings in search results, which will allow you to outrank your competitors. You’ll drive more traffic to your website and earn more leads for your business. If you choose to outsource your website design, partner with an SEO web design agency. An SEO web design agency will know how to build a beautifully designed site and optimize it for search engines. To learn more about SEO, check out our guide, SEO From Start to Finish! We don’t want to tell you about the work we do, we want to SHOW you. View Our Portfolio WE’VE BUILT OVER 1,100 WEBSITES in a variety of industries.
Do I need a website for my business? Yes! Your website is the heart of your online presence and all your digital marketing efforts. If you want to drive traffic and earn valuable leads, you must build a website that reflects your business and focuses on delivering an excellent experience for your audience. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with building your website, let take that weight off your shoulders. We’ve won dozens of web design awards and have a team of over 450 experts that will help you build your dream website. If your business has gotten this far without a website, you might be wondering: do I need a website for my business? What’s the point if my business is already successful without one? The short answer is that there has never been a better or more important time to invest in a website for your business. A website offers a wide variety of benefits for small businesses, and most of these benefits increase in value exponentially year over year, just like the Internet itself.
Does your small #business need a #website? 10 reasons the answer is a resounding yes 🙌 CLICK TO TWEET Not convinced? We’ve collected ten of the biggest benefits your small business can receive from even a simple website. Ten reasons why you need a website for your small business A website makes you look professional 84% of today’s consumers think a website makes your business more credible than companies who only have social media profiles. Your website is also the perfect place to show off any professional certifications or awards your business has.
Beyond that, having your own website lets you create a branded email address (e.g. dianna@yoursite.com) which adds a level of professionalism to all of your correspondence, especially if you’ve used a personal email address to conduct business up until now. In addition, some email marketing tools no longer allow users to send emails from personal addresses. This means that if you want to take advantage of the power of email marketing, you’ll need a business email account. Your website can attract new customers through Google You may be happy with the current size of your business, but every company experiences customer turnover. To encourage continued success, you need to attract new customers, and one of the best ways to do it is by making yourself more visible on Google. Social media networks are indexed on Google, and social media posts can be found with the search engine, but a website gives you access to many more tools and strategies for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). And SEO is the key to making your business appear on the front page of Google.
The phrase “search engine optimization” might be intimidating, but in practice, it’s fairly simple. You enter words and phrases related to your business into a keyword research tool, figure out which ones are getting the most traffic on Google, then build your content around those phrases. As a rule, each piece of content should be focused on a different keyword, so that as your list of content grows, your site is able to rank for more keywords. There are some excellent SEO plugins for WordPress that make it easy to do this, no previous training required. You can clearly showcase your products and services You can show potential customers what they’ll get when they work with you by displaying high-quality photography on your website. Take a look at how the UK restaurant Blackhouse has accomplished this on their website: The Blockhouse business needs a website to show pictures of its food You can also use your website design, along with the featured images, to give people a sense of what it feels like to enter your physical location. This works particularly well if your brand is closely tied to the “feel” of your location, like the Canadian restaurant Stormcrow Manor.
The Stormcrown Manner need a website to give a feel for its decor Another thing you can do is publish important information about your products and services on your website to make sure you’re attracting the right customers. For example, if you run a restaurant, you might want to mark any items on your menu that are gluten-free so people with Celiac or other conditions that make gluten dangerous know they can eat in your establishment. You can display your best reviews and testimonials prominently on your website Displaying your best reviews and/or testimonials prominently on your website is a great way to establish social proof. This might come in the form of personal customer testimonials, like this review on the website of the non-profit organization STEAMLabs: Testimonials at the Steamlabs website If your business has appeared in articles from newspapers or popular local blogs, you can also feature those, as Stormcrow Manor has done below: Storm Crow manner publication list Publishing your best reviews on your website also serves the secondary purpose of creating a permanent archive. This means that even if third-party review sites close at some point in the future, you’ll still have access to your best reviews. A website can encourage customers to contact you
A website is a great place to make your contact information easily available to potential customers. You can even publish your contact information in a header or footer so it appears on every single page. Snakes and Lattes, a small chain of board game cafes, has placed phone numbers for all four of their locations in their website footer: Snakes and Lattes displaying its various locations Modern website builders (more on those in a bit) also make it easy to create a contact form, which can protect your business email from spam. You can integrate your website with Google Maps so people can find you more easily A website lets you embed maps directly into your content. Some businesses, like STEAMLabs, have a map embedded directly onto their home page: Steamlabs embeds a Google Maps map An embedded map makes it easy for people who don’t spend a lot of time in your area to find your business. This is particularly great if you host events, as they might attract people who wouldn’t otherwise spend time in the neighborhood your business is in.
Website DevelopingYour website establishes your place in your industry As of 2021, 71% of small businesses have websites and 81% of customers research things online before they buy them. In other words, if your competitors are online and you’re not, those competitors get the first interactions with customers. Creating a website gives you a space to share what your business is about, establish your role in the industry, and connect with the customers who need you. A website is no longer intimidating to create and manage Modern website builders like Squarespace and Wix make it easy for you to build an attractive, mobile-friendly site without any knowledge of code. Even WordPress, the most popular way to make a website, has transitioned to a block editor: The WordPress block editor makes it easy to create a website for your small business In other words, it has never been simpler to create a functional, aesthetically pleasing website.
How to make a website with WordPress 👈 A website ensures your success over the long term As of January 2021, almost 66 billion people (55% of the global population) used the Internet. In many countries, that number is much higher. In the US, for example, over 90% of people are online. Without a website, your business is invisible to these people. As we progress further into the digital era, your business will become invisible to everyone unless you invest in a website. So to stay competitive in this increasingly digital world, your business needs to get online. You can get all of these benefits without spending a fortune Building a website isn’t just easier than it used to be; it’s also more affordable. If you’re willing to follow a simple, non-technical DIY approach, you can build a website for under $100/year.
WordPress, which again is the most popular way to build a website, is 100% free for the core software. If you add a free WordPress theme like Neve or Hestia and cheap website hosting, you can be up and running at a very low cost. Learn more about how much a website costs 👈 So, do I need a website for my business? The final verdict Hopefully, by now you’ve realized that the question isn’t “do I need a website for my business”, but “can I afford to not have a website in the digital era”. And the answer, if you want to continue thriving in the long term, is no. More and more, even staying afloat without a business website is impossible. Your customers are online, your competitors are online, and if you’re not there to intervene, your competitors and your customers will connect, leaving you in the lurch. Does your small #business need a #website? 10 reasons the answer is a resounding yes 🙌 CLICK TO TWEET If you’re ready to get started, check out our recommendation of great website builders for small businesses, or our simple, step-by-step tutorial on how to make a website with WordPress. Again, WordPress is the most popular way to build a website – it powers over one-third of all the websites on the Internet. It’s also affordable and accessible to non-technical users, which is a big part of why it’s so popular.
Your small business needs a website. Here's how to build one. Building a small business website is important to inform your audience, explain your value proposition, boost brand recognition and drive sales. To build a business website, you first need to choose a domain name and secure web hosting. Then, optimize your website to improve your search engine rankings and drive traffic. Keep your website up to date and optimized for mobile devices. Also, ensure your site speed is adequate to improve your search engine rankings. This article is for small business owners looking to build a website or improve upon their existing website. It’s no longer feasible to run a business, even a brick-and-mortar one, without a web presence. Consumers turn to the internet for everything from product research to location and operating hours. Even just a simple, well-designed website can give you an edge in your field, and if you have products to sell, your site can open up new markets and expand your business cheaply and easily.
Website design software has evolved to be easy for anyone to use. You don’t need to know coding to develop an attractive and functional site. No matter what program you use, you just need to follow some basic rules and tips to give your website a professional look, make it easy to find, and show your company in the best light. Here’s our step-by-step guide to creating a successful business website. Determine the primary purpose of your website. A business website generally serves as a space to provide general information about your company or a direct platform for e-commerce. Whether you create a simple website that tells a little about your company or a more complex e-commerce site, the most important thing you must do is say what your company does – on the homepage in plain terms. Don’t make customers root around to discover if your company can do what they need, warned Erin Pheil of website design company Followbright.
Editor’s note: Looking for the right website design service for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs. “Think about your specific user experience and the journey the user will go through as they navigate your site,” added Gabriel Shaoolian, CEO of website design and digital marketing agency Blue Fountain Media. “Whatever the fundamental goal of your website is or whatever the focus may be, users should be easily able to achieve it, and the goal itself should be reinforced as users navigate throughout your site.” If you don’t plan to accept payments (like Apple Pay) through your website, you won’t have as much work to do in setting it up. If you are a retailer or service provider and want to offer customers the option to pay online, you’ll need to use an external service to receive your payments, which we’ll discuss later in this article.
Decide your domain name. Your domain name is one of the most important features of your website. It’s the URL you’ll share with your current and potential clients and promote on social media. Therefore, you want it to be descriptive and easy to remember and type in. Try to keep it short, and steer clear of abbreviations, acronyms, and numbers, if possible, to avoid customer confusion. You also need to decide your top-level domain, or TLD. This is the suffix at the end of your domain name, such as .com, .net or .biz. However, nontraditional TLD names have grown in recent years. These TLDs can be based on location, such as .nyc, or type of business, like .marketing, .agency or .law. While these can be descriptive, .com is still the main go-to. Read our article on choosing a nontraditional TLD for more information. Once you’ve selected your domain name, you’ll need to confirm its availability and purchase it through a domain registrar. These are some popular domain registrars: Domain.com Wix GoDaddy Squarespace
As you select your new domain name, check copyrights to make sure you’re not infringing on anyone else’s protected name. If your preferred URL is already taken, you can call the company using it and ask to buy it from them or use a domain buying service from a company like GoDaddy, which will reach out to the owners of your desired domain name. This service costs around $70 per domain. TipTip: Your domain name is how users will find your website, so choose one related to your business or services. Choose a web host. Every website needs a host – a server where all its data is stored for the public to access at all times. Hosting your own website is probably too large an expense for your small business, so you’ll need to select an external host. Depending on your budget, you can choose from two different routes. A shared web host, the less-expensive option, means you’ll share a server with other sites. Dedicated hosting costs significantly more, but it means that you get your own private server and won’t have to compete with other sites that could drag down your speed. Some web builder platforms, such as Squarespace and Wix, include web hosting in their monthly packages. These are some options for web hosting services:
Web hosting offers: 1&1 Ionos: This web hosting company is known for its cloud hosting and offers other cloud-based options such as servers and site backup. Plans and capabilities vary but pricing plans typically begin at $15 per month. A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting offers both shared and dedicated hosting options. New customers can acquire a Lite hosting plan, which is sufficient for some small businesses, for as little as $91 per month for the first year. DreamHost: DreamHost offers three hosting plans tailored for managed WordPress websites: DreamPress, DreamPress Plus and DreamPress Pro. Costs generally start at $195 per month. If you’re looking for free website hosting options, it’s important to remember that hosting a website is by no means free for the hosting company. Therefore, they may employ other methods, such as placing banner ads on your website, to compensate for the free hosting. When choosing a host, consider how well that host can answer questions about its server locations and reliability, said Jim Cowie, former chief scientist at cloud-based internet performance company Dyn.
“It’s good to ask, ‘Can you show me how close you are to the major markets my customers are going to be in?'” Cowie said. “Any good hosting provider should have the tools to show you … measurements of their performance.” As your business grows, you may find that you need to upgrade to a different web host, or even work with multiple providers to handle your website traffic and operations. Cowie advised keeping a close eye on your site performance and the experience your customers have using your website so you can determine your hosting needs. [Read related article: How to Choose a Web Hosting Service] Build your pages. A good website is more than a static homepage. You’ll want to create multiple pages dedicated to different aspects of your business, such as a detailed catalog of your products or services, or a blog section for company updates. As for your overall website, make sure each page supports the site’s primary goal, has a clear purpose and includes a call to action (e.g., “learn more,” “sign up,” “contact us” or “buy this”).
A contact page, as your customers’ direct link to you, is one of the most important sections of a website, so include as much information as you can (your business’s phone number, email address and physical location, if you have one). It’s also a good idea to include information about the founding team or staff on an “about” page so customers can put real names and faces to your brand. If your business doesn’t already have a logo, hire a graphic designer or create a logo yourself to use on your website, business cards, and social media profiles. This will help your clients identify your company quickly and easily on the web. Justin Zalewski, director of product design at innovation consultancy Studio Science, offered a few basic tips to help you create efficient, content-rich pages for your website: Be clear about what your business does. Distill what your business does into a clear, concise statement and lead with that. Visitors should be able to understand what you do within seconds of landing on your homepage. A few well-written pages are more effective than dozens of poorly written ones.
Place strategic calls to action. CTA buttons tend to perform best when they match the information on the page. For example, a “buy now” button makes sense on a product page, but a “contact us to learn more” button might be more appropriate on the “about us” page. Similarly, a page listing customer reviews might have a button that takes the reader to the available plans and pricing. Automate speed improvements. Set up as many automated speed improvements as you can. If you use a content management system (CMS), installing the right plugins will cache parts of your site so visitors don’t need to download anything more than once. For WordPress users, Zalewski recommended WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache, which compresses files and allows visitors to browse your site more quickly. Some of the more technical aspects of caching and compressing files may require a web development partner if you’re not particularly tech savvy. Avoid stock photos. Tacky stock photography is the quickest way to turn a great site into a mediocre one. If you’re looking for photos to use on your page, it’s best to use a picture of your actual team or office. Pheil added that high-quality images of the products increase sales, so invest in good photos of the products or services you sell.
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