7 Reasons Why You Must Have a Web Presence For Your Business to Succeed

The world is becoming more and more connected through the Internet. More than ever before, consumers are turning to the Internet to find information of all kinds from telephone numbers to movie times to product comparison. If you want your company to do well, it is absolutely essential that you set up a business website.

Small companies tend to ask themselves why they would even need to have a web presence. Common reasons include:

• “We are a small company – there are only 3 of us that run the whole thing. Creating a website would be too time consuming and unnecessary for such a small company.”
• “Our product is not something that would sell well over the Internet. It is something much better understood in person.”
• “I don’t get any customers through the Internet. All of my customers come through word of mouth.”

There are hundreds of excuses out there and because of these excuses the US Census Bureau reported that 75% of American business do not have websites. However, none of these excuses compare to the benefits of having a web presence. Did you know that 87% of Americans use the Internet regularly? That’s a huge percentage of the consumer base and it is continuing to grow. If you don’t have a business website set up, you will lose business to those companies that do.

Now, that we’ve gone over why you need a web presence, let’s talk about how it will benefit you

1. Your Website Will Always Be Open

One of the greatest benefits of creating a business website is that is will constantly be there. This means that your customers can view your website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Essentially, it means that your store will never be closed. You would be surprised at how often people do their shopping online before a brick and mortar opens or after it closes.

2. Keep Customers Updated

In comparison with traditional advertisements (e.g. billboards etc.) that can take weeks or months to make changes, websites changes can be made much quicker. If there is a special going on, add it to your website. If you are introducing a new product, add it to your website. These changes are comparatively simple and make it much easier to keep your customers and potential customers updated and engaged with your business.

3. Advertise Inexpensively

Once your business website is up and running, it is a great way to advertise. Your website acts as a constant advertisement. As mentioned above, you can highlight new products and convince past customers to be the first customers for your new product. Finally, those that visit a website are more likely to act than the traditional advertisement target audience. Besides the initial set up costs, the only costs running a website entails are usually a hosting fee and time required to manage and update it. This essentially makes your website an inexpensive, always running advertisement.

4. Boost Credibility

Having a web presence instantly makes you appear more serious about your business. Even though you probably always have been, setting up a business website shows your potential customers how serious you are. When searching online for a new product, are you more likely to buy from a company that has a website or one that doesn’t? You are most likely to buy from one that does, right? That’s because having a website makes your business more credible.

5. Worldwide Audience

Business websites are literally accessible to the entire world through the Internet. If someone has access to the Internet then they can view your website. Now, you may not be trying to market to the entire world but that still means that everyone you are trying to reach can view your site. Building a credible web presence will boost your customer base because you are able to reach more people.

6. Easily Obtain Customer Feedback

What better place is there for customers and companies to engage personally with each other than a business website? Creating a place where your customers can interact with you is key to having a successful business. Not only will your customers feel valued, you will also have great insights into where your customers are having troubles with your company.

7. Do Research and Analysis

In addition to obtaining customer feedback, having your own website makes it easier to conduct research and analysis. Often, valuable insights do come from feedback but there are other valuable insights that come from having a website. You can see exactly where people will ‘bounce’ from your website and analyze why. You can also view the path that customers take on your website in the buying process. Successful business are always improving and adapting to their customers’ needs and websites are a great way to gain understanding of those needs.

You must set up a business website and have a web presence, no matter the size of your company. Do not let any of the hundreds of excuses prevent you from realizing the benefits of having a website. Most importantly, do not let those excuses prevent your company from the success it deserves.