In this digital age, a good website is of utmost importance to any business as people are increasingly turning to the Internet to look for information. A good website is critical to the audience. Be it through a quick search online or a referral from someone, your website is often the first impression you give your potential customers or business partners. A website is a great tool to provide information and convince visitors that you provide the best service or product.
Credibility & Professionalism
According to a research, 97% of people go online to find a local business, and 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine. Consumers now expect businesses to have an online presence as it signals credibility and professionalism, it is simply unacceptable to not have a website. Your website is a perfect space to share your company’s mission, vision and what you do. By helping consumers get to know your business, you are working to establish trust, which is the first step in building long-lasting customer relationships.
Also, you can digitally display awards allocated to your company on your website, differentiating yourselves from your competition and establishing authority. Regular informative and creative updates on your website helps to build stronger relationships with consumers and encourage conversions.
All Around The Clock Global Exposure
Since information about your company is available on the Internet, people over the globe would have access to the services and products you provide or send in any enquiries they may have. It gives your company not only international exposure; this exposure is 24/7 as well since the website is always functional and operating even when you are asleep.
E-commerce has been growing at an unprecedented rate, expected to be the largest retail channel in the world by 2021. Consumers these days prefer to shop in the comfort of their home or office, instead of going to shopping malls to make a purchase. With an e-commerce website, you are potentially reaching out to more potential customers. Consumers would be able to learn more about your company and make purchases at any time of the day. Your website acts as your digital sales person – providing the consumer with information about the product, makes the sale and collect their payment information online.
A good website has certainly become one of the most important business tools that you can take advantage of – it is also the first step in digital advancement. It is the backbone of your business, that will support your future digital marketing efforts like Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
What is the definition of a good website?
There is only 10 seconds for your website to leave a lasting good impression on your potential customer. Thus, your website should be easily navigable, loads quickly, consists of concise and comprehensive information (who are you, what do you offer, point of contact) with a well-organized and modern layout. It should be self-explanatory in order to compel the visitor to take a step forward to do business with your good company.
People visit your website with an agenda, therefore they will also expect immediate gratification which means they expect to find their answers within 3 seconds upon landing on your web page.
Information such as operational hours, location and contact information ought to be available from google business listing. Your website should also be compatible on all mobile devices and browsers, since most people access the Internet through their mobile devices on-the-go. A quality website is also well-polished without spelling and grammatical errors, complete with visually appealing content.
Visitors determine your company’s legitimacy and potential just based on your website itself, since it is the first point of contact that your business have with them. They will use your website and the information provided to decide whether they should offer you new opportunities. Web design plays a major role in how your company is perceived by consumers everywhere.
Who needs a website?
Regardless whether your business is e-commerce or not, you need a digital presence for your business.
It has been proven that digital content significantly affects a consumer’s buying decision. Prior to purchasing, consumers have already made online comparisons between other vendors before deciding to speak with a sales representative. Meaning that they are already more than halfway through the buying process. Take for example, procurement teams filter through several potential vendors online before deciding on a few or even one to contact. They also expect their contractors to possess a website that is helpful, benefitting them as well.
Despite embarking on social media marketing, there must be somewhere that your potential clients can head to in order to find out more about your business. That is where your web pages comes in play.
Digital marketing efforts such as SEO and SEM also require a solid website in order to channel traffic for your business. With a good website in place, these strategies would be more effective in producing results – increased conversion rates and sales as visitors would be more inclined to stay on the page to find out more about what you do.
Conversion rates and sales aside, a website can help your company to grow phenomenally. Digital presence increases efficiency and effectiveness of your business model. For instance, if you own a restaurant, you can add widgets to your website to enable making reservations online which could facilitate a better operational flow compared to before.
Boundaries are endless when it comes to digital marketing, with having a good website at the base line. It is crucial to keep up with times, focusing on digitalizing your business to ensure that it does not fall behind competition in the future.