The number of small businesses grows daily, as more people are taking the reins of their own business and venturing into the world of entrepreneurship. This is a great thing, but many are still not following the right path to success, especially with regard to the way they showcase themselves to their potential customers.
Studies show that a large number of small businesses do not own a website. In times when people use the Internet for almost anything, that fact is alarming, to say the least. This is especially true considering that, for any search or purchase, people got into the habit of searching the Internet, so any business that is not present on the web is also not visible, consequently losing sales and customers.
In the past, having a website was considered a luxury that many could not afford, either because of the pricing itself or because they simply did not have the knowledge on how to create a website. This is easier nowadays, because websites got cheaper and easier to achieve, thanks to tools and services like Wix.
Here are a few reasons why every company needs a website and how it can make the business stand out from the competition.
Good location above all else (or why SEO matters)
When starting a business, it is important to study the public and the physical location, in order to find out if people will find it easily, and if it is well located and easily accessible to the target audience. The same is true on the Internet: if the business is hidden, no one will find it.
Here, the concept of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is important. Google (and other search engines) attach great importance to delivering quality responses to search queries so, if you have a well-designed, well-structured website, delivering high-quality blog posts the chances of customers finding the company is enormous, putting even small businesses side by side with great ones.
Although many find it impossible to be “well-located” on Google, it is actually quite simple: the key is to follow SEO guidelines and invest in good content, for example, produced by a quality blog.
Build an audience and community
If the searches are almost all done over the Internet nowadays, having a website helps you connect with your existing and future clients. It is a great way to not only showcase what a business does, but it is also helpful to create a relationship with those who identify with the brand.
This relationship can be built by posting up-to-date content, as well as connecting the website to social networks. With this, the business can show what it is and what it does, but also allows people who know its work to share with others and increase the reach of the business. People are more likely to go to a business if they feel a connection with it, feel it is trustworthy and is something they really need.
Show the business’s knowledge
If the website is a way to showcase the business, and the content is what makes people create an identity with it, then exploring that part of the communication not only helps the business stand out for the searches but also generates more reliability.
Articles, videos, photos, graphics or any other kind of content are good options, provided that originality and quality are also there. They help generate and increase engagement and make people look for the business’ knowledge of the subject.
Of course, creating content frequently is not the easiest task for many, but for this, you can count on the help of specialized professionals who do this curation and production according to SEO conventions.
Gain market authority
If you know two solutions to your problem and only one has its own website, who would you trust more? On the one having a page with domain ownership or the one with a simple “fan page” on Facebook?
As mentioned above, social networks play a fundamental role in any digital marketing strategy and are quite useful. But a website is obviously much more customizable and professional than a social profile.
With a website, any company has many more ways to promote their product. Moreover, through the creation of content, it can be proven to customers that the business knows the subject and is the best bet to solve their problems related to it, something that is a very effective differential in this decision making.
Transparency and trust
A brand that has a website takes advantage of the opportunity to introduce itself to the general public but, more than that, it also has the opportunity to talk about its products or services, their advantages, its market history, its experiences and, among other things, to present its values.
Comparing this with another brand that does not worry about any of this, there is no doubt that, in terms of credibility, the one that presents and starts a frank dialogue with the public comes out on top.
Expand the business
To acquire more customers, a business needs more leads. To generate more leads, the business needs more visitors. And to get more visitors, the business needs a good website to ‘greet’ them.
The site is often the first point of contact between any company and the future customer. Marketing strategies allow these customers to reach the business, instead of the business having to go after them. In the long run, it is a very advantageous process.
Conclusion
For a business, having its own website is a basic part of any digital marketing strategy focused on results. It is the channel that will pass all the credibility necessary for its base and assist in many factors, such as being found by the target audience, gaining authority in the market, expanding the business, selling its products or relating to the audience.
If your business already has a website, keep in mind that the path is being taken, but by no means should you stand still and think that everything is solved. The next steps after having a website are conversion optimizations, SEO optimizations, design updates, content planning, layout adjustments for mobile devices, and so on.
Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
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