Over the years, one song that has been on replay in the ears of many business owners is ‘Get a Website’ by Customer Demand. Not a real band but if customers were to start one, that name will fit.

Many articles exist on the internet on why small business owners should invest in a website whether or not they have an Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn page. Surprisingly, only a few businesses can boast of an active website. 

In this article, we look beyond the cliche reasons and dive deep into reasons that speak the language, you as a small business owner understand and answer the only question that determines your decision to own a website or delete that thought from your business growth strategy.

The Language

Whatever the nature of your business, you speak Profit. From your business model, strategy, and marketing to your customer service, the goal is to make a profit. You do not entertain or understand anything else outside of this. Hence a constant need for synergy between all aspects of your business and refinement of strategies to achieve this single goal. 

The Question

Understanding this language always breeds the question ‘how will this investment make me profit?’. As a business owner, sinking money is never part of the plan. If you have to invest, it has to yield some good profit. 

Does Having a Website Simplify ‘The Language’ and Answer ‘The Question’?

It’s a resounding yes for us and we’ll show you why in a few minutes(don’t close this page just yet).

1. Having A Website Helps Visitors Make A Buying Decision.

Every individual goes through a buying decision process whenever they set out to solve a problem. The buying decision process, or customer decision journey, is the steps that lead a customer to purchase a product or service. This process consists of five steps. Step 2 highlights the need for a website. 

• Step 1: Need Recognition: At this stage, the customer becomes aware of a problem and looks for a solution(product or service) to solve it.

• Step 2: Information Search: Here, the customer finds out what options are available to them as means of fulfilling their needs.

• Step 3: Evaluation of Alternatives (comparison). In this stage, the customer compares the options available to them to determine the best option in the end.

• Step 4: Purchase (conversion). At this point, the customer has reached a decision and makes a purchase.

• Step 5: Post-Purchase Behavior. After making a purchase, the customer evaluates whether they got their money’s worth. If yes, they are more likely to buy from the same retailer in the future and recommend the product/service to other people.

With a well-optimized website, it is easy to provide the necessary information a visitor requires about your solution, your business and most importantly, your pricing which are vital factors that influence a visitor’s interest and decision to buy. 

2. Your Website Breaks Location Barriers

Operating from a single location tends to limit and restrict your presence to where you are. With a website, you are able to reach people in other cities, states or even countries from around the world. Some of these people may become more than customers. They could become investors, suppliers or maybe partners.  However, the chances of finding you will be slim or almost impossible if you do not have a digital presence let alone, a website.

3. It Communicates Your Product And Services Effectively.

Websites give you more freedom to effectively communicate your product and services in the best possible way without restrictions of bio character count and unnecessary summary of what you offer as is with social media platforms. With a website you can provide in-depth detail of your product and services, the solutions visitor should expect if they patronize you.

4. It Confirms And Increases The Credibility Of Your Business.

When searching online for a product or service, 68% of consumers look for a website dedicated specifically to the businesses they find. Why? They need to be sure that your business is legit and that they’re not about to throw away money or fall prey to a scammer. It’s one thing to own a business, it’s another thing for someone to know that you’re trustworthy and credible. This is where your website plays a marketer role in the digital space to toot your horn and be as loud as possible about it.

5. It Offers In-Depth Insights Into Who You Are, The Problems You Solve And Why You Are Different.

Unlike social media bios, you can go all the way to share important details about who you are, your team, vision, mission,  your process, pricing, product pictures, order process etc. It also allows you to communicate your value proposition and differentiating factor. 

6. It Gives You A Competitive Edge In The Market.

Depending on your industry, the market may be saturated with numerous businesses offering the same value and solution as you. However, a number of them do not have a website which gives you an edge over them in terms of visibility, reach, leads and conversions. If people can’t find them, they’ll come to you because they can find you, on Google at least.

7. It Increases Your Visibility And Reach In The Digital Space.

People use Google to find almost anything and everything in today’s digital world. From solutions to a particular problem to making inquiries about products and services at nearby stores. For businesses to succeed online, search engines are crucial. Customers won’t be able to locate you in searches if you don’t have a website. Owning a website provides a central spot to keep your address, phone number, contact form, list of goods and services, prices, etc. so that people can find and contact you easily.

8. A Website Delivers Quality Data For Digital Marketing.

If you plan to leverage digital marketing, having a website should make it your top 3 must-haves list. Analytics from your website gives you quality data to work with when setting up Ads, crafting content, building a landing page for a campaign or understanding your users to improve your products and services.

Great Reasons! But Why Do Some Small Businesses Disregard the Idea of Having a Website?

Numerous factors may be responsible for this. However, here are the most common reasons.

• Lack of financial resources⁣⁣⁣⁣
• Not being tech-savvy enough⁣⁣⁣⁣
• Thinking that having a website is not relevant to your industry⁣⁣⁣⁣
• Relying on non-digital marketing⁣⁣⁣⁣
• Relying solely on social media platforms 

How Does Charisol Help You Tackle These Concerns?

Having worked with numerous small businesses, these concerns are valid. However, we’ve developed, implemented and tested solutions to all these concerns.

• Creating budget-friendly website design and development plans for small businesses to take ease financial concerns
• Designating a support person to assist with website maintenance and content update for non-tech-savvy business owners
• Building a niche and user-focused website to fit your industry if you’re in doubt about what could work for your business 
• Understanding your business use case and recommending a digital-friendly solution to help you achieve your business goals 
• Giving you 100% control of your content and business online.

Now, It’s Up To You!

When it comes to your business, you have the final say but if we could leave you with a piece of helpful advice, we’d say take advantage of our limited website offer for small businesses or book a 20-minute free consultation with us now let’s discuss your business needs and how we can help you optimize your business for success.