Let's Talk... Websites!
We are aware that more people are going online. Businesses have used their websites for years—pretty much since the internet's invention in the 1990s—to increase sales and their exposure in the largest market ever. Any brand needs a website because 75% of consumers now purchase online at least once a month.
The reliance on internet contacts has dramatically risen after the epidemic struck us in 2020. Due to lockout regulations and health concerns, many customers were forced to turn too websites in order to continue buying the products they want. It's not shocking that 84% of consumers said they used digital platforms more often in 2017.
The convenience of shopping online is likely to endure despite the loosening of coronavirus limitations, at least for the time being. It is now more important than ever that your business have a digital presence, centred around a superb website that offers the experience your customers are searching for, if you want to reach your target demographic.
Here are seven reasons why having a company website is crucial if you want to be successful and engage customers.
- 1. Reach more people
- 2. Align with your customer experiences
- 3. Build your brand presence
- 4. Improve credibility
- 5. Access the power of search marketing
- 6. Interact with your customer, whenever they need you
- 7. Your shop window
1. Reach More People!
The epidemic required that everything be converted to digital form. Events became webinars, and get-togethers evolved into Zoom calls. Customers were unable to attend the establishments they usually patronize, which forced restaurants to rely on online takeout orders, merchants to concentrate on digital sales, and other businesses to discover methods to serve their clients remotely. These companies required websites to make this happen.
Although it was an adjustment for many, the expansion of their product lines and the switch to digital during the pandemic demonstrated the internet's ability to reach users even in dire situations, which is still true today. Brands can reach practically everyone from the comfort of their own home by employing internet channels. There are no obstacles but a bad connection!
Instead then relying on foot traffic or nearby clients, having a website gives you the chance to target customers anywhere in the globe. By providing customers with a simple one-stop platform to learn more about you and make a purchase from your company, such a channel may help you grow awareness and sales, which should increase your income. The only significant problem you have in this crowded internet environment is how to stand out and get discovered, which we discuss in the sections that follow.
2. Align with the Customer Journey
As we've already established, the accessibility of companies from anywhere at any time makes internet purchasing convenient. This is probably why, based on information from Think According to Google, 63% of buying situations start online in 2018, and this number may have increased as a result of the epidemic.
Many shoppers will use the internet to both investigate their choices and make actual purchases. Your website serves as a platform to inform visitors about your company, goods, and services whenever they require it, assisting in their journey until they decide to make a purchase from you. They may then quickly make their purchase if you have an e-commerce website.
By linking your website to your digital marketing initiatives, having one will also help you target clients more effectively. This might involve using emails, advertisements, and social media, all of which link back to your website and enable you to communicate with prospects on the platforms they prefer. As a result, they will be sent to your website, where they may continue their interaction and eventually become clients, furthering their customer journey.
3. Build Your Brand Presence
Your digital presence should be centred on a website. Brands must use a variety of online channels to communicate with consumers, including social media, email, blogs, search, and advertising. Even while these may occur on various platforms, they will ultimately direct leads to your website as the central location where they can learn more about your business and take action, like making a purchase.
It is crucial to have a website if you want to develop your online presence because of the connections that exist between it and other platforms. Since the majority of buying experiences start online, as we've already established, increasing your company's exposure (via, for example, social media or SEO) will enable you to connect with more clients and forge crucial relationships.
Additionally, it will allow you to take control of online brand dialogues, including answering questions on numerous platforms and directing users to your website to continue their experience.
4. Improve credibility
With more people turning to the internet to study their purchases, many of them will look up a brand online before making a selection. If you don't have a website or provide a terrible user experience on yours, consumers may be discouraged from continuing or even come to believe that your business isn't real.
To allay these worries and make a good impression, you must have a professional website. This will enable you to increase your reputation while successfully interacting with individuals and earning their trust enough for them to make a purchase.
This connects to your reviews approach as well. 85% of consumers are said to read internet reviews before making a purchase, so when people search your business, they want to see what other people are saying.
Although reviews are frequently posted on external websites like TrustPilot and Google, it is still feasible to integrate these into your website. This way, you may tell prospective leads about the good things other people have experienced. By doing this, you will be able to raise your conversion possibilities while enhancing your brand's credibility.
5. Access the power of search
Traffic and e-commerce are mostly driven by search engines. Organic search accounts for 53.3% of all website traffic, and 49% of consumers claim they use Google to find new products.
You need to have a website that is optimized for search engines in order to benefit from search. A website's SEO is influenced by a number of elements, such as the inclusion of all customers, ease of navigation, and the use of pertinent keywords for your industry.
You can get traffic from individuals looking for what you have to offer by building a website that checks all the proper SEO boxes. This will raise consumer awareness of your company and provide leads that might become paying clients.
Since 97% of consumers use the internet to discover local businesses, this doesn't simply apply to digital brands but also to local ones. Search may enhance sales, even for tiny firms, since 28% of local searches result in a purchase.
Your website is your most important tool if your company wants to increase visitors and benefit from the beneficial ripple effects on profits and sales. Your market position and income potential will suffer in a number of ways without it and without search engine optimization.
6. Interact with your customer, whenever they need you
The majority of companies and merchants have set business hours. For instance, whereas most corporate offices are closed on weekends, a typical high street store may be open from 9 am to 5 pm. Customers would have to be present at these hours and in the proper area if they wished to make a purchase.
However, with automation tools and web-enabled online shopping, you benefit from company continuity, and as a consequence, your consumer is free to make purchases and engage with you whenever it suits them. With regard to e-commerce, this can allow customers to make purchases outside of your store's regular business hours. Customers may wish to purchase on bank holidays when you may not be open, which is why many companies decide to launch Boxing Day specials on Christmas Day!
Even if you don't provide e-commerce, having a website and a strong online presence still allows potential consumers to learn more about your company, interact with you, and make purchases without you physically being present.
By eliminating time constraints and providing a comprehensive and usable website, a consumer may customize their experience to their preferences. By lowering any obstacles, this makes doing business with your company or completing a transaction easier. Additionally, you will be able to deliver a service and increase sales without having to physically open your doors, which will help you run your business more efficiently while minimizing costs and effort.
7. Your Shop Window
The online version of your store window is your website. Almost every company has one, but if you want to thrive you must ensure that it is a welcoming representation of your company and is stocked with the necessary information.
Use your website as a platform to emphasize the significance of your company and the reasons why anybody should want to become involved as a supporter, partner, employee, or client. This entails telling your brand's origin story, outlining your core principles, and presenting your goods and services.
This will enable people to successfully interact with your brand and boost your sales potential when paired with the other elements already mentioned, such as the capacity to reach large audiences, coincide with customer journeys, and target people on their terms.
As a result, you will gradually develop a loyal clientele, provide top-notch service, and enhance your reputation, all of which will have a significant impact on your performance and financial metrics.
In Summary
You are expected to have an online presence as a business because the majority of consumers today buy their goods and services online. As a matter of fact, how are you surviving if you don't follow the accepted standard and lose out on the highest market potential?
Your online presence will not only provide you the best opportunity to increase sales and expand your business, but it will also give you the chance to build a solid online reputation, which will further your efforts in digital and search marketing.
Given the significance of websites, it is also essential that yours stands out from the competition and portrays your business in a friendly manner that engages visitors and offers a seamless experience. By doing this, you can target and convert leads from wherever, encouraging consumers to buy from your company whenever they want to.
Without a website, you run the danger of being unnoticed in the marketplace or being overshadowed by your rivals, both of which would be detrimental to your business. As a result, every company should make the most of its website.
We've collaborated with various companies to develop effective websites that draw visitors and convey the spirit of the brand. To learn how we may help you establish an efficient website, contact us.
