Top 7 reasons your small business needs a website

04/12/2018

Did you know that according to the Telstra Small Business Intelligence report, half of Australian small businesses don’t have a website? This is an absolutely staggering statistic, as many Australian consumers won’t engage with a business if they can’t find information about it online. Furthermore, according to the same report, only 26% of small business owners incorporate SEO to reach a wider audience online. Having a website is now more important than ever and continues to become a more vital issue each passing year. Continue reading as we go through exactly why that’s the case below.

Consumers expect it:

Firstly, consumer expectations are higher than ever. Today, consumers want to know exactly who the business they’re dealing with is; have a clear sense of what the company offers; look for validation i.e. reviews; as well as, consumers want to be able to give feedback. In fact, over 60% of consumers say that they expect brands to provide online content about their business. Furthermore, over half of those consumers will head to a brand’s website for product information. That alone is reason enough to get your business online.

Websites are economical; long term:

Establishing a website isn’t always the most affordable investment – it all depends on your needs. Not having one, however, could be far costlier. Firstly, there’s the potential sales you miss out on by not having one. Remember, over 60% of consumers say that they expect businesses to have a website.

Secondly, using other mediums to constantly communicate information about your brand just doesn’t scale as well over the long run. Imagine constantly paying for traditional advertising materials i.e. flyers, radio adverts or newspaper ads -the costs will add up. Combine your website with some inbound marketing such as Google Ads or Search Engine Optimisation, however, and you’ve got an economical way of communicating information about your brand, long term.

You can keep your customers updated:

Think of your site as an online catalogue. It’s where your customers can go to get information on prices. You can also use your website to communicate the latest news about your business. Or, perhaps customers can sign up to your newsletter to receive updates on your latest promotions. It doesn’t stop there, though. You can use your website to connect visitors to other marketing platforms you use i.e. Facebook, YouTube, or even review websites such as Yelp.

A website gives your customers confidence:

Social media websites such as Facebook and review websites such as Yelp are places where customers can leave their opinion about your business. Customers may even use Google to leave a review about your business. Your website, however, is where you control the narrative. Here you communicate your desired message to influence public perception about your brand. Furthermore, if you’re doing a great job, then there’s not reason you shouldn’t link your website to social media and review websites to spread the great feedback customers are giving you.

All your competitors already have one:

By not having a website, you’re allowing competitors to land sales with customers for products that you sell. Did you know that 72% of consumers search for educational material, reviews and testimonials online, once they have an idea of the kind of product that they’re after? For example, if there are 1,000 consumers looking to buy a stereo system in Sydney every month, in theory approximately 720 will go information hunting online about stereo systems. That’s a large percentage of consumers to miss out on by not having a website.

You can earn money after hours:

This is particularly true of online stores. Let’s take JB HiFi as an example; Australia’s largest entertainment retailer. JB HiFi has physical stores with set open and close times. It also has a website that acts as an online store via which consumers can make purchases 24/7. What if you’re a restaurant? You can allow customers to make reservations online. Not only have you reduced the workload on your staff, you have also provided your customers with a convenient solution for making bookings – they no longer have to worry about calling during trading hours. We can also apply this logic to tradespeople. Should someone wish to request a quote, they can do so via an online form. Simply put, your customers aren’t restricted to engaging with your business between 9am & 5pm when you have a website.

You will show up in Google search results:

Google is the world’s most popular search engine and most visited website. Consumers use Google to perform millions of search queries every day. Examples of these search queries include “web design services in Sydney” and “handmade women’s leather boots in Sydney”. In fact, a staggering 81% of consumers will perform online research using a search engine before making a purchase. Businesses simply can’t afford not to appear on Google search results pages. By having a website and incorporating search engine optimisation your website can appear on the first page of Google, exposing it to consumers looking for products that you sell. On the other hand, if you don’t have a website then you simply won’t appear on Google at all.

Conclusion:

There are a plethora of statistics available all over the web indicating that website ownership is more-or-less a must for small businesses in Australia. A website is a long-term investment and should be part of every business’s marketing strategy. If you’re a business that is looking to establish an online presence then contact us for a no-obligation free chat today. You can call us on 1300 48 68 48 or simply fill out the contact form below.