Have you just launched a startup (or still planning to)? Congratulations! It takes a lot of courage and perseverance to start a business these days. We understand that you might not consider building a website one of the top priorities, especially if you’re running a brick-and-mortar store with a local target demographic.
Unfortunately, not having a website is not an option in this digital age. In this article, allow us to enlighten you on why it is critical for your business.
1. It Increases Legitimacy
One common hurdle when it comes to starting a new business is proving your legitimacy. Don’t worry, it is normal to take quite a while for a new startup to gain some traction. However, don’t let this stop you from making an effort to improve your legitimacy.
One of the best ways to do so is to have a website. It doesn’t have to be an online shop. It doesn’t even need to be fancy. It should look professional, though, and project the ideas and values that can represent what your brand is all about.
2. It Helps Protect and Establish Your Brand
Speaking of your brand, developing a website for your business is also a great way to establish your mark. We understand if you’re not thinking about getting your branding elements trademarked just yet. At the very least, though, it is ideal to put them into action and give them more visibility by placing them on your website.
You also need to keep in mind that just using your trademarks actively on your website, even if they’re not registered yet, can still grant you certain protection and benefits within the geographic area where you operate.
It even grants you the right to send out a cease and desist letter to another individual or organization that you believe is using your trademark without consent, especially one with obvious misleading or malicious intent.
3. It Will Promote You and Your Team
It can be easy to overlook the people who are involved when you are constantly devoting all your efforts towards your business. Fortunately, putting up your own website is an effective form of self-promotion not just for you but for your team.
It can help convince potential investors or set you up for another career path that you might want to explore in the future. The same goes for your employees too, especially if you have made a spot for them on your about page.
Doing so will make it easier for them to expand their career horizons later on or take pride in growing with your company. In fact, just the success of your business itself, as it is projected through your website, can be enough to impress other people, especially with the help of your personal recommendation.
4. It Will Make Your Business More Accessible
Suppose you have a physical store. It won’t be always open, right? Most businesses only have limited hours of operation. You might not even be available to contact given the hectic schedule of a business owner.
Having a website will give both your potential and existing customers a place that they can visit anytime. You can even further improve your accessibility by setting up a chatbot to welcome visitors and answer queries.
5. It Will Market Your Products and Services
In relation to the previous tip, since your website is constantly accessible, it will also effectively market your products and services. Plus points if you can get it to rank high in search engine results.
Just to give you an idea, a recent survey reports that 81% of consumers search for products online before they purchase them, even if they’re intending to buy them from a store. Now, imagine how many sales you lose if your customers go online and find your competitor’s website instead.
Having a website is also one of our favorite lead generation strategies. The easiest way is to set up a newsletter for your website that your online visitors sign up for to receive updates on your latest offers and promos via email. You can even use your acquired leads for your email marketing campaigns later on.
Are you finding it difficult to get visitors to leave their email addresses? Here are a couple of ideas:
- Offer a freebie. We recommend sharing a digital product that your visitors can download after filling up the sign-up form. It can be anything from a worksheet, eBook, or even a link to an online class. Just make sure that it is related to your products and that it will provide value to your potential customers.
- Send out free samples. This will require a bit of capital, but what sets this lead capturing method apart from others is it will provide you with more personal information. The data will be invaluable particularly when you’re trying to determine the target demographic that you attract.
6. It Gives Another Venue to Sell Your Products and Services
You should definitely consider upgrading your website into an online shop if you haven’t done so yet. It will give you another space to sell your products and services on, and the best part is, it is rent-free. You will pay for the domain and hosting regardless, so why not make the most out of them?
Those who offer services can create a booking platform instead. It can be as simple as posting an order form, but we definitely recommend investing in a more user-friendly platform.
7. It Allows Online Methods of Payment
Online banking methods are increasing by the day. Paypal and Payoneer are just two of the most popular options. It is essential to offer such payment methods if you want to expand your reach to these online account holders.
8. It Will Increase Convenience
There is nothing more convenient than being able to transact online. All you need to do is reach for your phone, search for the product that you need, add it to your cart, and pay for it. You can even do all your shopping without getting out of bed.
Wouldn’t it be nice to offer the same privilege to your customers as well? After all, it will also allow you to make sales or receive bookings even after office hours.
Offering your products and services on your website makes things more convenient for you as well. You can perform all the necessary processes in your pajamas, from collecting orders up to shipping.
We recommend looking into eCommerce platforms that offer automated features, though. It will make your website (and business) even easier to manage.
9. It Gives You Room for Expansion
Finally, having a website allows you to expand your business, later on, to cater to more geographical locations. You can even consider international shipment.
Aside from that, your own website serves as the best place to advertise job openings should you ever plan to hire employees in the future.
Remember, a website is more than just a URL that holds organized information about your business. It is more than that and can be anything you wish it to be. Your website can be a space to promote your products. You can turn it into an announcement board to share your latest updates. You can even upgrade it into an online shop.
There are definitely other reasons why it’s a good idea to have a website as a business owner. We have just chosen the most popular motivations and benefits that you’ll get to enjoy should you decide to develop a website for your business later on. Good luck!