These days unless you’re a business owner that has zero interest in increasing sales and growing your business and brand, you have to have a website. Unlike the heyday of the ‘dot-com boom,’ building a website is no longer extremely costly and difficult. The total ‘startup’ price can range from just a couple hundred bucks to a few thousand, depending on your aspirations and desires, but with so many low priced options, there’s really no excuse to put it off any longer.
Gone are the days of having to know how to code or design.
Two large advantages of having a website are that it’s one of the best means of free advertising and your eCommerce store is not restricted to business hours. When your website is optimized correctly and placed within the pertinent search engine results, potential customers can find your location simply by happenstance. Not everyone shops at the same time, in fact, you may find that a good portion of your sales is overnight or during ‘off business’ hours.
Other than those two main reasons, there are a few more that you should consider. So, continue reading to learn more.
It Provides Validation
90% of consumers state that online reviews have an influence on their buying decisions. While you could simply rely on Yelp and other review sites to provide reviews for your company, you can accomplish this much more effectively on your company’s actual website. Including actual customer testimonials on your website is a great way to sway potential buyers.
These Days, It’s Expected
60% of consumers expect companies to provide online content about their services and more than half of them immediately head directly to the company’s website for product and service information. If your company doesn’t have a website, or it’s difficult to find, today’s customers will very likely look elsewhere.
Your Competitors Have One
Once a consumer has an idea of what they want or need, they start researching. Over 70% of them go online to find reviews, testimonials, and educational material and if you’re not staying competitive with those in your market or industry, you’re giving potential customers a reason to buy from another company. Not having a website is comparable to not listing your business in the yellow pages a few short decades ago, or even not placing your company name on your storefront. It just doesn’t make sense.
Google Validation
While your company name may show up in Google due to Yelp or other reviews, you should take into consideration that 81% of consumers complete online research before making a purchase. This means that they go to Google and type in one or more keywords, like “jewelry repair near me” or “custom catering in San Jose.”
If your company doesn’t have a website, the chances of showing up on the search engine results page (SERP) is next to zilch. However, if you have a site you can perform search engine optimization (SEO) and increase your chances of appearing at or near the top of Google’s results – gaining more visibility and hopefully more potential customers. Without a website, it is highly unlikely that you will even show up on review apps and websites.
When your business website not only shows up during relevant keyword searches but it also shows at or near the top of results on Google, you tend to gain more validity in the minds of many consumers. Following through on finally creating that professional company website can not only increase your online sales, it can even drive more foot traffic to your physical location.
How Hard Is It To Build a Business Website?
In this current day and age, creating a website from scratch is easier than ever. Gone are the days of having to know a programming or coding language and you no longer have to earmark a portion of your budget for software. With just a little bit of research and dedication, even the most novice of internet users can design a decent website.
Adding eCommerce and other features can require a bit more knowledge or deeper research, but making your initial foray into having a web presence is no longer the restrictive beast it once was. With Content Management Systems (CMS) like the open-source and free WordPress, you have the ability to control the layout and content with striking ease.
What is WordPress?
Designed to help you display and organize the content on your website, WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that is completely free to download and use. With WordPress, you are able to manage how everything appears on your website – every image, every table and everything else. With no coding knowledge required, the user-friendly interface of WordPress makes website development a snap.
What Does BionicWP Offer?
When it comes to remote web hosting, we know that there are a lot of choices available. However, at BionicWP we strive to provide you with a turnkey solution to your business website needs. Whether you need step-by-step assistance from the word go, want someone to provide managed WordPress hosting or just need some web space to call home, BionicWP has the hosting package for you. Contact us today to find out just how affordable a professional business website can really be.
Call us right now, your customers are waiting!
