You had been relying on social media and word of mouth to grow your business, and it was working great. The question of why a small business needs a website was irrelevant to you. Your business was very successful, bringing in great revenue! You felt that you didn’t need a website because you were doing just fine on social media alone.
However, something has now changed. You’ve hit a wall. Your company is no longer maintaining the same growth curve. When you recently assessed your growth, revenue, sales, and number of prospects, you realized that your results were stagnant.
This is not what you had in mind for the year and certainly not the results on which you built your annual budget!
So, what can you do to change this downward or flat trajectory and see growth once again? If you own or operate a small business in 2021, the answer is pretty simple. You NEED a website. Here’s why:
1. Legitimatizes You
Clients expect you to have a website in today’s digital world. While having a social media business page is good for marketing, having a website is even better. When clients inevitably research you and your company, they expect to be able to find you and a professional website to back you up. This demonstrates to them that you are a legitimate company who will deliver your promised product or service.
Not having a website can send the message that you are no longer in business, not successful enough to pay for a website, not a real company, not interested in new clients, or not keeping up with modern business practices.
Do you want that to be your company’s first impression to potential clients? I know I certainly would not want that!
In fact, I can remember a time that I did not hire someone to do a home repair because they didn’t have a website. In my mind, that equated to skepticism and suspicion about their legitimacy as a reputable business. I found another company that appeared more legitimate and hired them instead.
2. Builds Credibility
Legitimacy also leads to credibility. In a recent marketing survey, 84% of consumers responded that they believe a company with a website is more credible than one with only a social media account. Wow! Do you want to be part of that less credible group? I don’t! Instead, you can raise your company’s value just by having a website because credibility equals sales and sales equals revenue.
Building credibility with potential clients, in your community, and with other business owners allows people to view your company as trustworthy and reliable.
When potential clients first hear about your company, they want to find out more. Your social media pages give them a small glimpse into who you are. Yet, these platforms can’t give clients the full picture because of space constraints, design elements, and limited functionality.
In addition, you will never own your social media pages, which also limits your message and content. You are at the will of the technology giants—how they want to run their platforms or change their algorithms. As the popularity of one platform rises and falls, it can hinder your marketing results. However, if you have a website, it is a stable location for your company, allowing your audience to always be able to find you regardless of which social media platform is popular at the moment.
3. Solidifies Your Branding and Voice
Not only does having a website build your credibility, it also solidifies your branding. You can design your website exactly how you want without being restricted by social media’s formatting limitations. Your website should feature your branding with personalized colors, fonts, logo, and style, while social media platforms limit you in these areas.
When you use these elements correctly, you create a masterpiece that attracts clients and makes them want to learn more about you. Since your branding also includes your voice and your message, be sure that it is actually your voice being heard.
Don’t let your voice become muddled and overtaken by the loudness of comments and reviews by relying on social media alone to express your brand.
You should always be your brand’s loudest voice. Don’t let it get hushed by the masses. When your small business has a website, you no longer have to worry about your voice being overtaken by comments on your social media posts. Instead, your website is the final say and the voice that proclaims your intended message to your audience.
4. Offers Free Advertising
A small business needs a website because it is basically free advertising. It is a place to promote your company at a very limited cost. The little amount that you would pay someone to host and maintain your site is tiny compared to what you would pay for continuous, traditional advertising in newspapers, magazines, and direct mail.
The cost is less, but the reach is much broader. That sounds like the perfect scenario in my opinion! What business owner doesn’t want to save money and reach more people at the same time?
5. Helps You Gain a Competitive Advantage
If you have a great website, you automatically gain an advantage over your competitors. When consumers are looking to make a purchase, hire a company to perform a service, or invest in a non-profit, they research the product, the company, and its competitors.
Shockingly, 93% of consumers said they did online research before making a single purchase according to a survey by Verisign. Before making a single purchase! That’s a lot of research! Wouldn’t you want to be part of those research results?
If you do not have a website, how will consumers find you when they do an online search? Obviously, your competitors with a website, especially an outstanding website, have a big step up on you in vying for your client’s business. Why give your competitors that much of an advantage over you from the very beginning?
Every Small Business Needs a Website!
If you are part of a small business that is operating without a website, it is time to change that! To be able to grow and succeed, you must be considered a legitimate, credible company that exhibits your brand’s loudest voice. So, what is holding you back from being as successful as possible?
Don’t be part of the 84% that is seen as less credible because they don’t have a website.
If you are worried that you don’t have the skills or time needed to create a website or write copy for it, outsource the work! It won’t cost as much as you think, and the credibility you gain should more than make up for the cost of the site.
The Inspired Copy can help you move from being a social-media-reliant company to a legitimate, self-reliant company. So, when you are ready to take your company to the next level, send me a message! I am here to help you increase your credibility!
