6 Reasons You Need a Website for Your Small Business
Website for Small Businesses
Many small businesses are still yet to have an online web presence. If you run a small business and don’t yet have a website then you are certainly missing out on some great opportunities. Whether you have a product or service you will always have reason for an engaging website.
A total of 59.4 million people in the UK are active Internet users, 75 million of which also access the Internet on their smartphones. Now that’s a lot of potential customers that could be visiting your website at any time, either sat at their computers or out on the go.
With the number of eCommerce purchases rising as result of these Internet users, it makes sense that your small business has an online presence. Here we list a few reasons why your business is in need of a professional website.
It’s A Reliable Marketing Channel
A website is a great platform to promote your products or services at a more cost effective price than a regular shop on the high street. You are instantly giving consumers a chance to find your business, when they might not have otherwise been aware of you. Particularly if you’re a local trader, you too can benefit from an online presence.
When a consumer wants a product or service they are more than likely to research their options online. Without an appealing, professional website your business could be overlooked for your competitors. Think of your website as your business card that is accessible to everyone at any time.
It Gives Your Business Credibility
Consumers often regard businesses with an online presence as more credible than those without one. Since over 92% of the UK population are Internet users, your potential customers will more than likely to search for a product or service online. By having a well designed website that is engaging to each visitor your business will instantly be seen as professional and trustworthy, prompting those visitors to go to you over your competitors.
Market Expansion
With a website, your business is always accessible, 24/7 365 days of the year, unlike an actual shop which has inconvenient closing times. In today’s society, your consumers are likely to have busy lifestyles where shopping on the high-street is just not feasible. A responsive built website, available across all platforms, enables you to meet the needs of your customers at a time that suits them. Plus, you’ll still be earning even through “closing hours”.
Improve Customer Service
A website offers endless possibilities to keep your customers happy and impressed with your service. You could consider writing blog posts to provide consumers with further information, include a review page to help them choose between products, or you could even have an FAQ section that allows customers to easily find the information they’re looking for. There’s no easier way to update your client base than with a sleek, fully functioning website.
Analyse Your Market
A well designed website can be used as an analytics tool to help you understand who your primary audience is and whether or not your marketing campaigns are effective. It can provide you with real-time data on the number of monthly/weekly/daily visitors to your website, website visitor demographics, which page is visited most frequently or it can even tell you if your visitors are returning to your website, plus a whole lot more.
This can tell you how to market your products or services more effectively and give you insight into what your consumers are interested in.
UK e-Commerce is Thriving
As revealed by the IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index, ecommerce in the UK was worth 133 billion pounds in 2016, that’s a 16% growth compared to the previous year. Retail ecommerce is expected to continue increasing at a fast pace for the coming years, boosted by the rising popularity of m-commerce.
By having a responsive design online presence you can cater to a whole host of customers across a number of platforms and capitalise on this popular way of shopping.
The Overview
A responsive built website that is not only flawless in design, but engaging to your present and perspective customers, has numerous benefits for your business. As well as a second selling platform, an online presence enables you to attract new customers, showcase your products and services, and increase customer retention, all the while enabling you to sell through all 365 days of the year.
If you’re looking for reliable web design in Godalming then we’re the team for you. We design and develop engaging and visually stunning websites for a number of businesses across many industry sectors throughout Surrey. For further information please don’t hesitate to call us on 020 8393 2633 or email: enquiries@surreyit.com