8 Benefits of Having a Website For Your Small Business
If you have a small business, especially if there are very few employees and you perhaps run it from home, then a website is going to be a powerful tool. It can help you to market your business simply by being there. This is essential if you want it to grow and grow. If your website is regularly updated and looked after, then it can be the thing that stands your business out from the crowd. All in all, there are many benefits to having a website for your business. It can help you to get new customers, new leads, and improve the look of your brand and getting your brand name out there.
You might be surprised to hear that half of small businesses don’t have a website. So here are some of the many benefits of having a website to help your business. Other than some initial costs and some maintenance, there isn’t much else that you have to be thinking about. So it definitely pays to be online for your small business to grow.
Improve Advertising
If you are able to use a website address on your advertising and promotional material, then it will help your business to be taken much more seriously. Using that will drive traffic to your site, and help you to get additional exposure. So it can be a good thing when starting out, when you can give a link for people to find out more information.
Use a Business Email
When you have your own domain name, then it means that you can set up an email address connected to that domain name. There have been many studies that show that if you have an email address connected to a domain name (for example, admin@mysmallbusiness.com) then it is going to be much more trustworthy than an email address that uses a regular email provider like Gmail or Outlook. So being able to have a connected email can be just what you need to make sure that your business looks professional, looks trustworthy, and looks like a genuine business.
Access To New Customers
Using your website as a way to get new customers can be pretty straightforward. If your site is online, then it can be found. However, there are some things that you can do to make sure that your business is found even more. You can blog as part of your website to help to build up the backlinks to your website online. Things like this can help you to be found more easily by a search engine, as well as when you share fresh and regular content. This is a pretty easy win that will help to get you exposure and help you to be found.
In the same vein, you can use keywords to help your small business to be found. If you are a wedding planner, for example, you could use keywords like ‘wedding planner in New York’ to be found by people that are searching for that on a search engine. A website will also allow you to see what terms people search to find your website, so you can see if what you are doing is working or not.
Sell Online
A website can simply be a point of contact with some information on it. However, it does give you the scope to expand and perhaps even sell online. From actual products to online courses or training, having the right software can allow you to sell those things online, to boost sales and your business. If you’re not too sure about websites, though, it could be worth hiring a web or software development team to get it all up and running for you, as selling online is more complicated than just having a website. But at least a website allows you to do just that, so the potential for growth online is there.
Improve Customer Service
If you have a business that involves customers of the general public, then for them to get in touch with you is really important. It helps them to be able to send a message at any time of day, rather than only being able to call you during the times that you are open. Using online forms and auto-responders it makes it so much easier to do this. A must for your business if you want to have good customer service so that you can get customers again and again.
Build Your Reputation
Having a website and a blog can be a great way that you can build your reputation as an expert in your field. If you run an accounting business from home, then sharing some of your tips and expertise in the form of a blog on your website, can quickly help to share your knowledge and build your level of expertise. When people see and read what you write, it helps to show their level of trust in you, as well as help to educate your potential customers about what you offer on your website, because of your expertise.
Get New Employees
If you are looking to expand your small business, or simply want to hire an assistant, then you have got your very own form of marketing just built right in. You can advertise on your website, which our readers and followers can find. This can not only save you time by placing adverts elsewhere but also save you money.
Saves Money
Having a website can save your business money in more than one way. After the startup cost of getting your own website, then it can be a great money saver as you don’t have to think about the cost of printing out paper, as well as other distribution costs that you might incur.
All in all, there really are very few downsides to having your own website, if any at all. So if your small business is yet to have one, then take some steps to work toward getting one. It will really help your business to expand and grow.
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Hi, I'm Kelly O'Donnell.