The world is constantly changing, and people have to keep or be left behind. The business world is no exception – in fact, the world of commerce usually has to be right at the forefront of these changes in order to stay relevant and to keep in touch with customer demand. Over the last few decades, the internet has grown into a massive and central part of everybody’s life. It has changed how we interact, how we find information, how we date, and how we shop. So, as you can probably see where this is going: yes – every business needs a website! If you need help with designing a website, you can contact a web design agency like Blue Whale Media. They have offices in multiple locations like Manchester and Liverpool.
Here are just a few reasons why every business needs a website.
Customers expect it
Now more than ever, people will turn to their computers or phones to find an answer to something. If the question they need answered is related to a product, they would expect to find the most relevant and up-to-date information on the company’s official website. Just imagine how shocked and put-off that customer would be if they found a reputable company whose products they own did not have an online presence. A lot of people would think they had been scammed, and that the company was fake and never existed, to begin with!
It looks professional
To follow on from the first point, nothing looks more unprofessional these days than not having any kind of online presence for your business. People rely on the internet for their information, whether that is about the weather, the football results, or business opening hours. If your business doesn’t exist online, it may as well not exist in reality for all those thousands of potential customers who will never see its webpage! Also, having a social media profile is not enough! 84% percent of customers think that having an official website rather than just a social media presence lends business credibility.
You can control your own narrative
With your own website and online presence, be that through social media accounts or email contact, being able to control the narrative of your business is highly important. You cannot control what other people will say about you, but you can control what you put out into the world, your own story. Having an official mission statement or company backstory on your site lets your customers know how you see your business, and they are more likely to trust the stories you tell about yourself, and therefore patronize your business.
Showcase your products and/or service
There is nothing quite like a website when it comes to up-to-date, relevant, high-quality showcasing of your business. You can offer your customers incredible high-definition photos and videos, detailing exactly what it is you do and why you are the best. You can provide in-depth descriptions of your products and services, and with the right design, create a sense of the ‘feel’ of your brick-and-mortar business.
Reliable customer communication
A lot of businesses will have a social media profile, like a Twitter account, where they interact with customers in the public sphere. This is often done to raise the profile or soften the image of a company. However, for any customers out there with a genuine inquiry or complaint, tweeting at a business account might not be the best method of communication. This is where a website is ideal – not only can you provide fully private and confidential correspondence one-on-one with your customers, but potential customers can see what your current and past patrons are saying about your business through reviews, feedback, and testimonials. Not only is this ideal for your business in terms of public image, but it allows you, as a business owner, to gather valuable contact information which can be useful for future marketing projects.
So as you can see, the definitive answer is YES! You definitely need a website for your business. In the digital age, you cannot afford to be missing out on such a massive share of the market – just remember, the business you miss out on online probably won’t trickle down to you offline, it will go to someone else! Get yourself in the game, and get your business online!
