Does my Business Need a Website?
It's been crystal clear that a website is essential for any business that wants to be successful. But it may not be the kind of investment your business needs at the moment, or maybe your business doesn't require a website to be successful. Let's analyze some ideas to help you determine whether you need a website or not.
Questions to determine if your business needs a website
- Do you have a physical location and want to make it easier for customers to find you?
- How do your customers usually look for services? On Facebook or on Google?
- Do you sell products or services online?
- Do you want to establish your business as a credible and professional entity?
- Do you want to reach a wider audience of potential customers?
- Do you want to collect leads and generate sales from your website?
- Do you want to be able to communicate online with your customers and provide them with information about your business?
Factors to decide if you need a website
In case you are still unsure of what is best for you, consider these three factor that may clarify your ideas:
- Your competitors: Do your competitors have websites? Do they promote their website? If that's the case, they are already surpassing you, and there's no time to waste.
- Your target audience: Does your target audience search for your services/products online? If they are spending time on websites, then you should create yours as soon as possible. In some countries located in Africa, Central America or South America, the use of Facebook is more common than the use of Google when it comes to offer services or sell products.
- Your business goals: Do you want to expand your business? Are you okay with your current workflow? If you want to reach more customers and generate more leads, an optimized website is a must nowadays.
Even if your website doesn't serve the purpose of selling per se, it can still be a valuable asset for your business. This is where you can showcase your work, tell your story, and connect with potential customers. Some customers do not feel attracted to a company that doesn't provide solid information on the internet. So you want to have as much information as possible to offer to your potential customers.
Additionally to your website, you may need a Google Business Profile to promote your business locally, if you have a shop or you offer a professional service.
This profile allows users to check reviews, visit your website, call you on the phone, and offer directions to visit the office or shop where you work.
Next steps if you need a website
If you decide that your business does really need a website, there are a few things you need to do to get started:
- Choose a fitting domain name and web hosting provider.
- Design and develop your website according to your brand.
- Optimize your website for search engines, locally, nationally or internationally (SEO)
- Promote your website in your shop, uniforms, business cards...
Examples of successful business website implementation
There are millions of examples of how beneficial is to have a website. But we selected two that show how either a small business or a listed company in the USA markets can take advantage of the opportunities a website provides.
- Submersa: This Spain-based small business serves as a case study as it started completely offline, but chose to open a website to attract new customers locally. They started as an aquarium maintenance business, and frequently served aquariums and all related animals and products. As time passed by, they updated the website and moved on to becoming an e-commerce, selling animals, aquariums, and other products. The company accumulates lots of great reviews because of the service and product quality, and has become top-of-mind when it comes to corals in Spain and neighbor countries.
Submersa.es
- Tesla: Tesla is a company that is known for its innovative electric cars. Tesla's website is also innovative and user-friendly. The website allows for customers to learn about Tesla's products like solar panels, chargers, cars, and accessories. It also allows customers to configure and order a car, and track their order status. The design of the website is obviously as amazing as the brand, and communicates well the believes and lifestyle of the company.
Tesla.com
These are just two examples of how both a small business or an International company can take advantage of a website to build their project, reach more customers, and build on the brand.
Although creating a website may seem difficult and expensive, it is a worthwhile investment in the long run.
We hope you made the right choice!
If you want to learn more about topics like Does my Business Need a Website?, please feel free to visit Business.
