If you have a business and you wish to generate leads and sales, a website is no longer just ‘a nice thing to have’, it is a business necessity. Below are just some of the main reasons why you should consider developing a website professionally;
01. More customers
According to the Central Statistics Office, 43% of Irish consumers made online purchases in 2012, spending almost €4billion euro in the process. These figures are expected to soar to a whopping €21billion by the year 2017. Link here. So by not having a website, you’re missing out on a piece of the pie!
02. Business Growth
Government figures also prove that the digital economy is growing 10 times faster than the rest of the economy.
Even the most ardent anti-futurists cannot argue with the economic progression towards online sales and service providers.
Future-proof your business by embracing this change.
03. Gain Credibility
Having a professionally designed website will provide your business with a professional image which will inspire confidence and can foster instant credibility with anyone – suppliers, competitors, & customers alike.
04. Make a good first impression
Increasingly, we live in a time-poor society where customers will judge whether they like or trust your product or service within seconds. (7.2 seconds to be exact, which is the average length of time an internet user views a webpage for before deciding to stay or move on). Research proves that your website must communicate ‘a value proposition’ to the viewer within 5-7 seconds, or they will move on. So making a good first impression is vital. By having a well-structured, clean and professional website you can quickly gain the trust of clients.
05. Your competitors are online
Regardless of whatever product or service you offer, you can be almost guaranteed that someone else is offering the same thing online. That makes them your competitors and by not having a website you are losing potential customers.
06. Show what you can do
No matter what type of business you are in, a website is a great place to peddle your wares.
By including a portfolio or image gallery, as well as testimonials about your work from clients and customers, you can demonstrate the quality of your products or services and show what makes your business unique – inspiring greater trust and confidence in your work.
07. Better communications
A professional website can help your existing customers, potential customers and provide better customer support.
It is much easier and quicker to update information about your products and services on your website than in print material, making it an effective way of letting your customers know about the arrival of new products, upcoming events, special promotions, or any new services you now offer.
Customer support and after sales service & advice are also much easier to provide online, and anything that helps customer service, is positive for good word of mouth & referrals.
08. Operates 24 hours per day
Your website is the best employee you will ever have! It runs 24/7 without any supervision or need to lock it up. No slacking on the job or calling in sick! Your website can always be there for your customers.
09. Helps with business goals
Not such an obvious one this, but when it comes to writing the content for your website you are going to consider and revisit things about your business that you maybe haven’t thought about in years. In our experience, this process can help you re-establish and reconnect with the values you want your business to have. You will most likely reassess and refocus your business goals and be happier for it.
10. Easier and more cost-effective Marketing
The internet has opened up a whole new world of marketing that didn’t exist before.
Your website can attract new business by using a whole host of new low cost marketing techniques including mailshots, social media promotions, demographic target marketing etc. If your business is clever and you have a niché market, this method of marketing can work wonders.
11. A professional email address – yourname@yourwebsite.com
One of our pet-hates, and we know there are many ways to do this, but by having a website you can have your ownemailaddress@whateveryouwant.com. Having a professional email address demonstrates to clients how professional your business attitude is, it reads 100 times better and is easier to remember than steviephotographerman99286534@hotmail.com.
Silly & general email address are a turn-off and don’t resonate with customers (rant over).
12. Beat the big guys – level the playing field
You might not have the premises, the staff numbers, advertising budget or resources of a multinational but in the online arena – it’s your website versus theirs. A clever & professional online presence levels the playing field between different sized organizations.
So… why should you get a website?
Can you think of even a few reasons why you shouldn’t?