Three reasons your business needs a website

As we enter 2013, and with the web a constant theme in business, media and our social lives, it may come as quite a surprise that a recent survey discovered 60% of small businesses in the UK have no web presence at all.

It seems that many sole traders and small firms view their businesses as entirely offline entities. In an increasingly IT-savvy world, this is a risky strategy and one which is likely to come unstuck as people continually turn their attentions online when purchasing goods of any kind.

Whether you’re a plumber, driving instructor or fitness coach, harnessing the web and building an online presence is vital if you are to reach out to as wide an audience as possible.

Here are three reasons why your business needs a website:

1) Accessibility. Think of your website as a digital shop door from which you never hang a ‘closed’ sign. It is there twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year. This enables your customers to interact with you at their leisure and when it suits them – this means they’ll engage on their own terms and will be more engaged as a result. Just ensure the important content on the website is easy to find and not too text heavy; you need to inspire them during their first visit.

2) Existing customers. A website is the perfect place from which to show off the advocacy people or businesses already have with you. Don’t be afraid to ask existing clients to contribute to a testimonials page. It’s also a good idea to feature a snippet of a quote from them on your homepage. Encourage customers to share their positive experiences with your company via social media and offer them incentives for doing so. This will impact positively on the number of hits your website receives and for very little effort on your part.

3) Local awareness. A website isn’t necessarily there to propel you into multinational stardom. In fact, quite the opposite; it can be the perfect tool with which you can build relationships at a local level. Consider local listings sites and building partnerships with other small businesses. The latter will be particularly helpful if they already have a web presence – learn from them and lean on their past experiences.

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