Society is becoming increasingly more web-driven. Most of us carry little computers around in our pockets everywhere we go. We are able to find the information we need with just a few taps.
As our society has shifted away from getting information from websites to getting information from our apps, it has become increasingly common for entrepreneurs to question whether or not they need a website.
The answer to that question is yes.
Why Does My Company Needs a Website?
Websites continue to be the number one way people stumble upon the information they need. People head to search giants like Google to find answers– and Google points people to effectively optimized websites.
Even app-based companies have websites.
Websites have evolved beyond being just digital catalogs.
A website should be looked at as an integral part of your team. Your website should work for you when your office is closed. It should be able to answer your audience’s questions. It should be able to store information about your clients’ likes and wishes.
Maintaining your website should be a top priority.
24/7 Customer Service
You’re human. You need sleep– and a life. So having a website is an excellent way to continue making money and meeting your audience’s needs even on your days off.
The key to making your website work for you is having the appropriate information, forms and landing pages so that you can collect the kinds of information you need to help you move prospective clients though your buyer pipeline.
Equip your website with places where people can buy your product or put down a deposit on a service. You can have a place where people can sign up for a free consultation. Your site you should have a page that answers your customer’s most frequently asked questions. It should have the hours of your business and/or a way for people to reach out to you with questions or concerns.
By not having an effective website, your brand could be missing out on your ideal consumer’s midnight shopping spree or stroke of inspiration.
Branding and Recognition
Websites continue to be one of the most effective ways to get the word out about your brand.
Websites allow you to easily point people to a neat, sleek place where they can view the best of your product or services.
Your website URL should have a prominent place on your social media pages, business cards, and other forms of branded content.
Choosing an easy to remember domain name like “bainbridgemc.com” allows people to refer back to your product or business in their own time, at their own pace.
Your website should give people a pretty good understanding of the kind of work or product they will receive as result of choosing to work with you.
Sites like weebly.com, squarespace.com, wordpress.org and wix.com allow marketers and entrepreneurs to set up comprehensive websites with very little technical training.
Gathering Information on Potential Buyers
If you’ve been following the news over the last 10+ years, you should know by now that consumer data is king; it can also be converted into cash.
Some of the largest companies in the world spend millions of dollars every year doing whatever they can to collect collect key data on the people they want to reach.
While some of the articles on data collection can feel a little dystopian, there is a reason Facebook, Google, Esty, and Amazon have become the business behemoths that they are.
That reason is effective data collection.
A lot of your favorite companies know a lot about you. You give them your name, address and phone number so that they can send you the items you want. They explicitly ask you about your preferences– or use artificial intelligence and machine learning to learn them. They use their insights to offer you items that they think you might like.
As an entrepreneur, you probably have an idea of the kinds of customers you want. You should also have an idea of the customers you have.
From preferences to client birthdays to street addresses, a website allows you to gather the information you need to make your client happy, and helps you to keep all of your deliverables on track.
Business Growth and Ownership
But what if I choose to sell my product on a site like Etsy or Amazon or Facebook? Those companies already have features that allow me to take and track sales.
Yes, a lot of successful businesses have been started solely on e-commerce or social media. However, companies should always have a site they can send people to for more products or information.
Companies sometimes outgrow their third party sites. Third party sites can become expensive over time.
Additionally, an issue with a third party site can be bad for business– and sometimes the issue is entirely out of your control.
Company websites allow leaders to manage their sales processes very closely.
As a brand grows, and reaches a place where it wants to take its finances in house, it can be harder to convince customers to order from a new site if they are used to the product only ever being on Esty.
Ultimately, there are as many reasons for having a website as there are businesses in the world. All leaders should regard their brands’ websites as a top priority.