Your business has been doing well so far, and therefore you might be wondering Do you need a website for your Business? If my business has been successful so far, what is the point of a website? 

The short answer is YES. There has never been a better time, or a more critical time, to invest in an online presence for your business. A business website delivers enormous benefits to a small business. These grow in value exponentially year over year, just like the Internet does.

 Are you not convinced? We’ve collected ten of the most significant benefits your small business can receive from a simple website.

 Ten reasons why you need a website for your small business

 A website makes you look professional

 In a survey by Verisign in the USA, 84% of small business owners agreed that a website makes a business more credible than companies using only social media. 

 A website is also a great place to show off your professional certifications, awards or membership in trade organisations.

 Having your website and domain name allows you to have branded emails, adding professionalism and confidence to your customers. It is also worth noting that several online tools no longer allow personal email address access to their facilities. The primary industry that has brought in this policy is the email marking business with companies such as Mailchimp and constant contact refusing to sign up users without business addresses.

 Your website can attract new customers through Google

 You may be comfortable with your business size, but you will always experience customer turnover. They may no longer need your product or service or have found another provider. Making your business visible on google will attract new customers and allow your business further sales opportunities.

 Your website will need to be optimised to understand what your business provides for the search engines. The optimisation is done by analysing the words people use to search for similar companies to your own, and incorporating them into your website. The action of building these words and phrases into your website will push you higher in the search engine rankings and increase your visibility. It is best to talk directly with a specialist SEO company to manage this for you. They will produce better results than a novice.

 You can showcase your products and services

 Showing your potential customers what they will get from working with you can build their confidence in you. High quality, relevant images can convey your message faster than reading text.

If you have a shop or a physical location, quality images of your site can give people a feel of what it would be like to enter your premises and the “feel” that it brings. Purchasing is emotive, and connecting with those emotions of the purchaser can increase sales. 

 Your website can also explain your services and products in detail and offer essential information such as usage or safety instructions. If you operate a restaurant, you can publish your menu and highlight gluten-free or vegan dishes so people can make informed choices.

 You can display your best reviews and testimonials prominently on your website

 Everyone and everything gets reviewed nowadays. You can establish proof of capability by displaying your best reviews and testimonials prominently. If your business has appeared in the press or on blog sites, ensure there are links to these. The wider the audience that approves of your business, the more weight the reviews and testimonials carry.

 A website can encourage customers to contact you

 Having your contact information available 24/7 is very important as the world is now a 24-hour marketplace. Try to ensure your contact details are never more than one click away. Do not solely rely on a contact form; put your email, telephone number, social media contacts, and everything you have. This way, the client knows you are open to discussing business with them and you are also not hiding from any potential problems.

 You can integrate your website with Google Maps so people can find you more easily

 A website lets you embed maps directly into your content. Mobile internet has grown enormously in the last decade and also localised searching. 

 Having an interactive map on your website will bring rewards if you are in a physical location. You could attract people to your business who did realise you were as close as you are or transient passing trade.

 Your website establishes your place in your industry

 Your competitors are probably already online. They will get the first opportunity to interact with customers if they are. You want the first opportunity to explain your products and services, and a website can give you that opportunity.

 A website is no longer intimidating to own and manage

 Modern website developers use tools to create a website for you that is appealing, easy to navigate, and easy to manage. With easy to use “back end” systems, you will be able to manage your website yourself to keep it up to date and relevant.

 A website ensures your success over the long term

 As of January 2021, almost 4.66 billion people used the Internet. In the US, for example, over 90% of people are online.   Without a website, your business isn’t visible to these people. As we progress further into the digital era, your business will become invisible to everyone unless you invest in a website.

 So to stay competitive in this increasingly digital world, your business needs to get online.

 You can get all of these benefits without spending a fortune

 A professionally designed and managed website does not cost a fortune. It can be challenging to justify the expense. Still, it should not be considered an expense in this digital age, more a necessity to trade, like electricity or your work tools.

 So, do I need a website for my business? The final verdict

 Hopefully, you’ve realised that the question isn’t “do I need a website for my business” but “can I afford not to have a website in the digital era”. And the answer, if you want to continue thriving in the long term, is your cannot afford to be without an online presence. More and more, even staying afloat without a business website is impossible. Your customers are online, your competitors are online, and if you’re not there, your competitors and your customers will connect, leaving you behind.