Any website is NOT better than no website at all!

You may be asking yourself the question whether your business actually needs a website. You may already have a customer base that has been built in more traditional way, you may be sceptical of the Internet and the technology that it involves or you may be of the mindset where you believe that you do not really need any more customers coming through your doors.

This article aims to bring you the major benefits of owning a website and show you why it is totally worth spending time building a strong online presence.

The Internet is nothing to be scared of and is becoming more accessible every day especially when you’ve resources such as Sitefurnace.com to show you step-by-step exactly what you need to do! Also if you believe that you don’t need any more customers then this attitude may come back to bite you in the future.

Businesses should always be looking for new customers, having too many customers is a good problem to have as it means you can raise your prices and make much more profit in the long run. Also you may have lot’s of customers now but this can change quickly and it’s important to keep your sales funnel topped up so here is the list of the real major benefits of having a website for your business.

1. Think of it as an on-line business card. There’s only so much information we can put on a normal business card,  having the ability to send someone to your website for further information is invaluable.

2. We can send people to our website for directions. Not only is our address there but you can also add directions and an online map. This is so much more convenient for people trying to find you.

3. You can showcase your products and services. If people want to find out more about what your business offers then your website is the place to show them. You can add text along with images and videos that can really sell things to people and give them a much more superior feel for what it is you do.

4. You can keep your customers informed. You can easily broadcast any news, promotions or special offers your business may have. Your customers want to know about what you are up to and so running a simple blog on your website can provide a simple and effective way of doing this.

5. A sense of authority and professionalism. What’s would people think of your business if they asked for your website address and you couldn’t give them one? It is almost expected that every business worth their weight will have a website of some kind. Not being able to send people somewhere when they ask can be embarrassing and detrimental to your image. A word of warning here though, sometimes having no website is better than having an awful website!

6. Easy to update. If your business details or your products and services change, updating print media can be incredibly expensive process. Updating a website on the other hand is extremely easy and therefore all of your business information can be kept accurate and up-to-date with these.

7. It’s open 24 hours a day. A lot of people who show an interest in your business will look online for your website to carry out research. Your website is available at all times of the day and night even when your office is closed.

8. A website can bring your business new customers. People are searching on the web all the time for the products and services that you offer, if they don’t find your website they’re going to find your competitors and this is great for them but not for you! Considering that over 70% of people go online first to find local business information, simply not having a website is giving your competitors a massive edge.

It’s easier than you might think to get even a basic website ranking well in the search engines and with a growing trend of people shopping on the Internet every day,  not being under their nose when they are looking for you means you’re missing on what could easily be the way you get the majority of your customers.

9. A website can help you build a list of customers. it is often said that people need up to 7 exposures to your business before they’re ready to buy from you. Collecting someone’s email address is a great way of taking the first step down the road to an eventual sale.

Building an email list is an exceptionally powerful way to build relationships with new and existing customers. A website gives you the ability to host an email capture form to let you build your list and then subsequently send them automated emails.

10. Word-of-mouth marketing. A link to website is easily shared amongst people.  It can be sent in an email or posted on Facebook allowing people to click straight through to your information. We all know that a personal recommendation from someone is the most powerful marketing tool out there and your best customers will arrive in this way. This effect only grows more powerful  the longer your website is around and the more times your links are shared.

As you can see there are 10 good reasons here to build your business a website and it’s really not that difficult to do. It doesn’t have to be a large, complex site, just something nice and simple will more than do. As long as its easy to navigate and has all the information visitors are looking for it will be a valuable asset to your business.