Benefits of Having a Website

I have met a few small business owners recently who still think that they don’t need a website. If you are one of those business owners who feel like it’s a waste of money, let me ask you this…

When was the last time you actually picked up a phone book to look for something?

If you can honestly say that you don’t use the Internet to look for things, who can argue with that? However, most people today fire up their favorite search engine when looking for something. Wouldn’t you like to grab a portion of those sales?

Whether it’s a new product they are interested in, learning a new hobby, looking for travel destinations to self-help, the list goes on and on.

The benefit of being able to do research on the Internet is that you can retain your anonymity; there aren’t any sales people in your face while you are doing comparisons and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.

Most people I speak with tell me that if they are considering buying anything they check it out first online. The next step is to seek out local companies that have the service/product they are looking for. They enjoy the experience of being able to research the company, see their product or offering and examples. After doing their initial research, some purchase online and others move forward by either making a call, submitting an online form request or heading down to the physical location.

Now that we’ve covered potential sales, lets talk about your service or offering…

Lets say you spent $1200 on printed materials to pass out to your potential customers and your product changes or your company moves to a larger location – you’ll have to toss them or worse yet, line out the incorrect information and write in the new. What does that say to your potential clients?

If you have a website, your online brochure can always be updated easily. If you decide that you’d like to try selling something new – add it to your site. If sales are through the roof and you’re moving to another office space, update your address on your site.

One of my favorite benefits to having a website is that your business can always be open to distribute information to your potential customers. Your website is up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. People can browse your services or products, find your location, learn your business hours and read testimonials from your previous clients while you are at home snuggling in bed. If you provide them with a web form to fill out they can also leave you a message indicating their potential interest and you can get back to them first thing in the morning!

By far, one of the greatest benefits to having a website would be marketing. In the past when businesses advertised, they often weren’t sure where their customers were coming from and what advertising efforts were working. With a website you can install analytics that tell you exactly where your customers are coming from. Not only can you view their location, what url or search engine they came from, but you can also find what keywords they used to find you. You can then adjust your advertising accordingly to gain more business.

In summary, the benefits outweigh the initial cost of getting a website up and running.

Check out the poll at the upper left hand corner and let me know what you think. As always, I welcome comments too.

Joanne