If you are a small business owner or thinking of starting an online business and are wondering why should I have a website, then this post is for you.
Bill Gates once said “If your business is not on the internet, then your business will be out of business”
So I guess then that because Bill Gates makes a statement like that, then it must be right, but he does own a software company and he does have a point.
The internet is expanding at such a rate with around 6 BILLION expected in 2022, that’s 3 quarters of the world population.
So it makes perfect sense to have a website, right?
The internet is the biggest online shop there is with everyone using search engines for every conceivable thing.
If you have a business in a particular niche, let’s say something like “Drones”.
Then all you have to do is learn how to target that crowd of people who are looking for information on anything related to drones and you have a potential gold mine.
So why do people shy away from websites?
Is it the fear of creating a website that puts people off?
Is it the costs that are involved?
Is it that there is a lot of work required?
Well, there is a lot of work involved but so is running a business!
None of the above should deter you from creating a website because all you are doing is expanding the business.
According to what Adaptive Marketing say, around 96% of consumers currently use the internet to find a business.
Without a website, you are missing out on so much!
If you already have a successful retail store, a website will only make it more successful.
There are so many more additional benefits that a website will give you, below we have highlighted 14 of them.
[Affiliate Disclosure: Why should I have a website that has been thoroughly researched from information and testimonials that are in the public domain. This post may contain affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission, however, this won’t affect what you pay!]
Establishing an Internet Presence
An internet presence is what all small businesses need, just look at the major companies.
Ok, they have the big bucks and large budgets for their IT professionals but don’t let that deter you.
Because you can create an internet presence on a very low budget.
There are so many ways to create an internet presence and the top of that list for us is…
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- Building a website
- Create a Google My Business account
- Email Marketing
- Have a Social Presence, on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram…
- Create Great Content On Your Website
There are so many other methods that you could adopt but you should be keeping the number down so that you can expand your knowledge.
Credibility And Professionalism
First and foremost when you build a website is that it will give you credibility and make you look professional.
In today’s cyber world, people want more than just a link to an offer, they want information which your website will give them.
It is extremely unlikely that you will have a business that nobody else has which means competition.
A website will help to make you stand out more.
A website that looks professional with great content and images speaks volumes.
Since around 93% of people are using the Google search engine to find information.
That information resides on a “website” and if you don’t have a website that means people could question your legitimacy as a business.
It’s all about first impressions and a website showcasing your business shows people that you are legit and a real business.
You Are Building A Brand
Your brand is who you are as a business and increasing your brand should be high on your priorities.
It shows and tells people who you are and that you are serious and capable of building a business that people can trust.
It could be a catchy website title or a logo that makes you stand out or maybe the great content that you are providing.
All this adds to the possibility of increased revenue
A Website Will Help Find New Customers
When you create a website, it’s not just about creating a one-page site where you have a photo of yourself and your company and the address and times of opening.
We see this so many times and even with some larger companies and many people think that is all you have to do to get noticed.
It couldn’t be further from the truth!
If you want people to find your website then you have to be a little clever, you have to be prepared to go that extra mile.
Find out what people are searching for regarding your business, so if your business is all about “Drones”
Then you would write content that helps people find answers to their queries.
How do you find what people are searching for?
That’s simple, doing keyword research.
If you really want to know what people are keying into the search engines, just enter your query into the Google Search Engine.
Then scroll down to where it says, “People also ask:”
Click on one of the queries and watch the page open up and display a whole new bunch of questions that people are asking.
Go to the bottom of the page and there are some other suggestions.
You can also use Google Instant where you place characters before and after the key phrase.
You can use a combination of a keyword tool, something like Jaaxy.
There are a whole bunch of different ways to find out what people are keying into the search engines.
That is where your money is, in the crowds of people using search engines.
A Website Will Help You To Showcase Your Products And Services
The website allows you to showcase to potential customers what it is that you are all about.
Without a website, people either have to come into the shop if, in fact, you do have a retail shop.
Or they would have to get in touch by phone to hopefully get access to a catalogue.
A website will allow you to store all your products and services making life a lot easier for your potential customer.
In the 21st century, it is all about making things easier, not just for you but for your customers.
A Website Will Allow You To Showcase Customer Feedback
When you are looking for a new TV or Soundbar, where do you go for clarification that the TV or Soundbar is the right one that you chose?
You look for customer feedback and around 93% of people do exactly that before they end up purchasing.
Having a website will allow you to showcase feedback from customers.
Create A Free Google My Business Account
Google My Business is a software management tool that is FREE and will allow you to reach a wider audience.
It may take some time to set up your business but it’s a great tool and something that you should take advantage of.
This is not some Micky mouse piece of software, it comes from Google and anything with their name to it has to be top-notch.
This is a great way to make yourself noticed online especially locally.
Here’s a review I wrote about Google My Business that goes into a lot of detail.
A Website Will Help To Create An Authority in Your Chosen Niche
Opening a retail shop with a sign (your logo) doesn’t tell people much about who you are or what you do.
Granted your business could be about Drones and that name within the shop title sort of gives it away what you are about.
But, that is ok if people are walking past your shop but more than likely your shop won’t be on the main high street.
It also doesn’t tell people that you know what you are talking about, after all, how many shops have you come across that sell everything that is electronic?
Many times, when you ask a question about a product they end up reading the instructions on the box which we all can do.
A website allows you to become an authority in your chosen niche or business.
Even if you aren’t an authority on your chosen niche, over a period of time you will become an expert and someone who people will want to listen to.
It’s not very difficult to do.
All you have to do is find out what people are keying into the search engines that relate to your business and create great content that people want to read.
All you are doing is creating content that answers questions about a particular problem.
All the while you are doing this you are also doing plenty of research and learning.
Educate Your Customers
Educating your prospective customers is what building authority is all about in the above section.
All you have to do is type into the search engines something that you want to research and part way down you’ll find a bunch of questions.
This is what people are asking and Google tells you this.
Your website becomes a library full of useful information that people are going to want to read.
Save Time With Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Over time you will have created a number of posts that answer many frequently asked questions.
These are questions that many people will be asking and whilst you have created content that answers these questions.
Then who’s website is going to be consistently seen?
All this means more traffic which could be turned into more revenue.
A Website Will Help You To Reach a Wider Audience
The internet is a massive place and will only get bigger and the time has come when you don’t need to go looking for customers.
If you do your research properly and determine what people are wanting then they will find you.
So if someone is searching for let’s say…
“Best drones with cameras for 2022” – This is a great keyword with little competition.
You would write content using that keyword as your TITLE and give a little time for Google to index your content.
Then it’s like picking up your website and placing it in front of the people searching with that key phrase.
As we mentioned earlier three-quarters of the world population is now on the internet, so take advantage of all that potential revenue.
More Advertising For Less Money
When you are trying to get the word out there and to a wider audience you have 2 methods, either paid traffic or free traffic.
We will always go down the FREE traffic or SEO route but it can take a little time because Google has to have faith in your website.
So it takes a little time but eventually, Google will see that you are an authority providing help to people.
The beauty of using organic traffic is that it is FREE and works 24/7.
Your Website is a Great Way to Build an Email List
One of the many ways to build an online presence is through email marketing which is a list of subscribers who come to your website and signup.
These are people who are interested in what you have to say!
If you look after your subscribers in the right manner then over a period of time you may be able to get them to purchase from you.
There are many ways to build a subscriber but one of the best ways is to give your reader what they want.
Great content to help them with a specific problem and providing they like what they read there’s a good chance that they will subscribe to your list.
There are various ways to help build that list, like giving away something free or maybe some free training.
A CTA or Call To Action, like a sign-up form.
Some people have pop-ups which can be good when used in the right manner although I am not a lover of them.
At the end of the day if someone likes what they are reading on your website then they will find a way to subscribe to your list.
These are the people you want and not people who are only signing up for FREE stuff.
To do this you are required to signup for an autoresponder to something like…
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- GetResponse
- Aweber – Is free for the first 500 subscribers
- Mailchimp
A Website Will Help Towards Long Term Success
A website is your own private space on the internet that will sit there indefinitely providing you pay for hosting which is something like $12/year.
You keep adding new content and the older your site gets the more traffic you will get.
Just think about it, the internet is here to stay and will continue to grow then let your business grow with it.
Creating A Website Nowadays Is No Longer Something To Fear
Nowadays building a website doesn’t need to be an expense and you do not need to know a bunch of techie stuff.
Those days are gone and since I am a software developer take it from me that I have hardly used those skills.
Everything is point-and-click with an enormous catalogue of plugins which you can use to do all sorts of nice things.
These are computer programs that provide ways to do some complex things without you having to do anything.
Most sites like Wix, 123, offer point-and-click applications with most of them automated so you really don’t have to do anything.
The hardest part, and it really isn’t hard is building the website by writing content.
There Are Many Places You Could Go, To Create A Website, This is One That We Would Recommend
This is a place I have been using since 2017 and will continue to do so well into the future.
They provide a service that literally covers everything you would need to know about building an online presence.
They are called Wealthy Affiliate and have been around since 2005 and helped over 2.2 million people in that time.
They provide all the training and education
If you are looking for a domain and place to host your site they can do this through Amazon.
The community at Wealthy Affiliate is probably one of the best that you are going to find online who are there to help in any way they can.
Well, that’s it from me and hope you enjoyed this post.
See you soon!
Take care!
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