A business’s online presence, regardless of industry, can have a massive impact on its sales & marketing success. According to smallbiztrends.com, even post a worldwide pandemic forcing hundreds of thousands of businesses (large, medium and small) to close their doors, 1 in 4 small businesses still do not have a website. From 2019 to 2020 alone, online retail sales grew by 5.5%. And in 2023, e-commerce retail purchases are expected to continue to rise from 14.1% to 22% according to statista.com.

You may be thinking, “I don’t have an e-commerce or retail business, so do I really need a website?” and we’ll be sharing our 3 top reasons why the answer is an astounding, yes.

When an average person thinks about a website for business, he/she usually fancies a website serving the traditional functions of announcing the business’ existence, offering information on its location, services/products, and prices, as well as sharing client success stories. These are all important functions of a website; however, you can customize your website to do so much more.

Quite frankly, if this is not an area of your business that you’ve focused on up to the point of reading this article, then it’s time for you to stop and pay attention. A professional website is not only a 24/7 source of information about your brand or business. Neither is it a mere shopping outlet for restless online buyers. Your website is a complete utility that can attract, nurture and convert continuous digital “foot traffic” long before you open and way after you close.

Let’s take a look at why 21st-century entrepreneurs and business owners should have a professional website.

1) Professional Websites Create Credibility

A total of 5 billion people use the internet daily. That’s around 63% of the world’s population. In the 12 months leading to April 2022, the world’s connected population grew by almost 200 million.

84% of today’s consumers think a website makes your business more credible than companies who only have social media profiles. 77% of those consumers also believe that a website makes a business appear more credible. And here’s even more data that you may find useful:  92% of consumers prefer to get information from a business’ website instead of their social media page.

Simply put, having a professional website increases your brand’s credibility in the eyes of your new potential clients. Without a website, you may be invisible to more than half of your market audience.

While social media and other marketing outlets should be included in your business sales & marketing strategy, it should never replace a professional website (at least not if credibility is important to you).

2) Professional Websites Improves Brand Image

Brand building helps to create longevity in your business.

“Brand is the sum total of how someone perceives a particular organization. Branding is about shaping that perception.” – Ashley Friedlein, CEO & Cofounder of Guild

You may ask, what’s the difference between a business and a brand? Aren’t they essentially the same? Yes and no. Many business owners focus on delivering a product or service without any thought or interest in building a brand. If you’re someone who’s selling extensions from your back trunk as a side hustle, doing auto repair work from your at-home workshop, or offering tutoring services to middle school students from 4pm to 6pm every weekday, chances are you are more focused on building your business than building your brand. It’s also very likely that you’d fit into the 32% of small business owners who say they have never needed a website.

On the other hand, an entrepreneur or creative that wants to expand beyond their existing products or services, may be more intentional about building a brand. Think about some of the well-known brands we know and love. In the 1960s when Nike’s co-founders started Blue Ribbon Sports (later changed to Nike in 1978), do you think they could have imagined building a brand that remains a dominant leader in the sneakers marketplace more than 50 years later? What about Disney? Apple? Mercedes Benz? Google? What do they all have in common?

They understand it’s the brand that counts. This is bigger than your products or services because they will change over time. Your brand embodies your promise to your customer and how you fulfill it. How you nurture your customer’s experience with your business. A professional website is one of the ways you are able to do this. Your website impacts brand image as 93% of consumers use the internet for online research before making a purchase. Showcasing your brand to your prospective customers is one of the most important things that you can do.

3) Professional Websites Increase Lead Traffic

So here we are at number 3 and if the numbers are still not adding up for you and you’re questioning if your business or your brand needs a professional website, you may want to continue reading to the very end.

We’ve shared how having a professional website can help increase your business credibility and build brand experience. These may not be top priority items for you at your current stage of business; however, one of the most compelling reasons you want to have a website for your business is to attract new leads.

88% of small business owners agree a website has made it easier for customers to find their business. 81% say that a website has helped to grow their business and 97% would recommend having a website to other small businesses.

Despite what you’ve heard, your customers are online. They are probably typing their pain point into Google as you read this, looking for a company who will provide them with a solution. So it’d be safe to say that you want to be the company that shows up on Google. Once people find you online, become interested in your business or brand, what solutions you have available, begin to trust you and want to know more, they will find you in the other places they like to hang out – online and offline.

So if there are 2 key factors you want to focus on as you develop or update your website, they would be:

• Optimized searchability
• Optimized user experience

The finale.

“E-commerce has been increasing year-over-year for decades,” says Dennis Consorte, Digital.com’s small business expert. “Online shopping is more convenient than in-store shopping, and the old ways of doing business are declining. People are accustomed to researching businesses and services on the internet. The question isn’t whether you need a website. It’s whether you will survive without one and for how long.”

No matter what industry you’re in, how large or small your business is, there’s a professional website that can be tailored to you and your customer’s needs. There are website builder platforms like WordPress, Shopify and hosting platforms like Namecheap  and Godaddy that make it really easy to create a DIY website.

You can also hire our team of professionals to take away all of the headache and confusion, and design your website for you. We’re making it very affordable for small business owners to move their businesses forward with beautiful, professionally designed websites. Click here now to get your business website for less than $500.

– Aisha A., EBS Founder

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