6 reasons why your business needs a website
As I’m scrolling through my Facebook networking group feeds, I often see posts of people asking if they need a website for their business.
Ugh….heck yeah you do!
Trust me. I get it. If you are making things work without a website and you want to save a little cash, you're probably asking yourself, but do I haaaavvve to?
I know building a website can be intimidating and hiring a web designer might be expensive. However, this really doesn’t have to be the case. Luckily, there are many designers out there (like me) that can offer an affordable price for building your website. If you let it, the process may even be fun.
Are you running your business through social media or Etsy? Social media can be a great tool to supplement your website for marketing or a place to sell your products. However, it should not replace the functionality of a website. You are simply holding your business back by doing this.
The reality is, having a website is an absolutely essential component for your business.
Let me tell you why.
Credibility = trust
This one is honestly so simple. By having a website your business automatically builds credibility with potential clients or customers. By having a website your business seems more legitimate. Credibility = trust. People don’t want to get ripped off.
Brick and mortar businesses automatically gain that credibility and trust by having a physical space where people can come and see the products, get a feel for the atmosphere, and possibly even speak to the owner. You don’t really walk into a store and go, I'm not shopping here because I don’t trust it. This is because you can see it with your own to eyes. You can touch the products and feel whether or not it is good quality.
With an online business, it’s not quite as easy. We have to work harder to build trust. One way to do that is by having a website. Look at a website as the equivalent of a physical space for your business. People can come and browse and decide whether or not they want to book or buy. Selling on social media is like setting up a pop-up tent at the weekend farmers market, It can work for a while but if you want to run a legitimate, long-term business, you are going to want to find a permanent space.
make it about you
By selling on social media or Etsy you are holding your business back from its full potential. You are making it so much harder for your business to stand out because social media and Etsy are crowded!
There are 2.5 million sellers on Etsy. There are 1 billion Instagram users, 25 million of them are business profiles. These platforms are a great way to market your business but by selling here, you are doing a disservice to your business.
Your website is setting the stage for your business to shine. When people are on your website, it is about you and nothing else. When you are on Etsy, there are many other sellers you have to compete against. It is a constant comparison game.
Web design is a great way to showcase your personality and enhance your brand. People will get to know you and trust you.
Having a website gives you endless possibilities for how you would like to set up shop. You get to talk all about yourself and your business without a character limit. You can add your blog, your podcast, your store, your scheduling, your Instagram, your, portfolio, your testimonials… well you get the point. Give people every single bit of information to build their trust and let them get to know the ins and outs of your business.
Evolve
Having a website that is all your own will also allow room for your business to grow and evolve. By having your own place to run your business, it makes it easier for you to figure out what is working and what isn’t.
Also, you can start small and expand. if your business is small now and you don't want or need a full 8-page website, that's okay. You can always start with a single landing page where people can book consultations with you or a small three-page website if you need an online store. Once your business grows, you can add more and more pages.
Having analytics for your website will also help you figure out what content is converting and what isn’t. Which blog posts are the most popular, which type of blog posts don’t do so well, which product are people buying or viewing the most.
Analytics are an important tool for the evolution of your business. They are essential for telling you what you should do more of and what you should do less of. What you should change and what should stay the same.
Perfect your business.
Convert
A website is truly the best way to convert clients. It encompasses all the things I’ve already talked about. Build trust with your audience, stand out from the crowd, and evolve your business.
Your website is your best marketing tool. When someone pops on to your website they must already be interested in what you have to say or what you sell. This is your time to sell yourself and convince them to buy or book by having content that converts. Tell them about you, what you do, then include a call-to-action.
Having a clear call to action is essential for converting clients. It’s as simple as telling your audience what you can do for them in depth and how you can help them. Then tell them what to do next if they are interested.
In my website, I have summarized info about what I do and how I can help. Then, I have sprinkled ‘learn more buttons’ throughout those pages. The ‘learn more’ buttons take the audience to the next step which is an in-depth explanation of my services. After they know every detail about the service they are looking for and they are still interested, I have a ‘book consultation’ button under each service package. Once they book their consultation, I can guide them from there.
I have buttons everywhere on my website to make sure it is as easy as possible for potential clients to get to the next step.
Easy navigation is important but a clear message about what you do and what problem your business solves, is equally important. Make sure your copy is easy to read and engaging.
stream-line
Having a website is also important for the organization of your business and streamlining your process. Make the process as simple and straight forward for your client as possible. If your customer or client wants something from you and they are having a hard time finding where to buy or how to book. They are going to give up and go somewhere else.
If you are sending them through a chain of links…forget about it. It’s just too complicated. If someone sees something they like, they want to buy it then and there. Don’t make them jump through hoops.
If you are a service-based business, make it easy for your clients to book with you. On Instagram, I see a lot of requests to book through email. It honestly makes me cringe a little bit because It’s just too much of a complicated process. The client sends an email, waiting. The emailing back and forth -does this time work for you? Waiting. Yes… wait no I have something going on that time does this time work? Waiting. No that doesn’t work for me, how about this time? Waiting. Waiting. Waiting…. Client Ghosted.
It’s as simple as having a website where you can set up a scheduler and you can input your availability, then when a client wants to book with you, they can just work around your schedule. You have a booked client and you don’t even have to do anything.
full time marketing
Social media is great for marketing however, your website should be your number one platform for marketing your business.
Your website is the one platform that you can completely customize to match your brand identity and your personality. Your website can be whatever you want it to be! It is the place for you to tell your audience exactly who you are, what you do, and how good you are at what you do!
That's right. Having a website gives you complete bragging rights. Let the world know what you do and why they need to buy from you or hire you.
Also, If you have your SEO in tip-top shape, it will make it easier for people to discover you through google search.
Think about it. When You are looking for a product or service, how often do you type it into google search? Probably 98% of the time. Those businesses that are showing up on the first page of google are killing it. If SEO is done correctly, and you rank on google, that is easy marketing right there. The best part - you just get to sit back and relax as sales and consultation bookings just roll in. Thanks, Google!
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You see? Having a website for your business is essential. Do me a favor and just make your life easier and allow your business to grow! It’s just as much about making it as easy for you as it will be for your client or customer. It will help you build trust, it markets your business all on its own, and it will convert your audience into paying clients or customers.
Remember there are affordable options when it comes to building your website. Feel free to learn more about how I can help you by visiting my services page. Remember you can start with a small with a one-pager that will still get the job done!
