Why your business needs an online presence

Having a website is must for any business, regardless of size or industry sector. With over 64% of households in Britain online (16.5 million), marketing your products or services via the internet is no longer a luxury.

Some businesses still refuse to see how having an online presence can be of any benefit, often using reasons such as:-

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• My business is too small
• I don’t sell products, I offer a service (i.e. a plumber or builder)
• I have had a website before and it was very expensive
• I have never needed to advertise, all my work comes through word of mouth

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Listed below are 5 reasons why having a website is a must for any business.

A website can save you time – Having a website, whether its a simple one page site listing your products/services, or an e-commerce site, which enables potential customers to read detailed descriptions and reviews of your products does save you time. Small businesses can especially benefit, as potential customers can research your products/services without having to make direct contact, freeing you up to complete current jobs/orders.

A website can save you money – A well designed website is a great way of promoting your products/services to the masses. Potential business is only a click away. Many small businesses have seen a huge growth in turnover due to having an online presence. A well written, informative site, can generate far more business than traditional methods of advertising, such as a leaflets, or advertising in directories like the Yellow Pages. If searching for a local mechanic, how many people do you think still dig out the Yellow Pages and thumb through all the adverts, when typing ‘Mechanics in York’ into Google returns hundreds of results, all taking you to a website detailing their services. The initial cost of having an effective website produced and maintained, is easily offset by the amount of business generated, and not spending money on other forms of advertising.

Your competitors have websites – As you are reading this article, someone will be searching the internet for a service or product that your business provides. By not having a website, you are helping to promote other businesses in your industry sector. This is due to your competitors facing less competition on the internet, meaning a higher percentage of searches for your products or services will ultimately be directed to their website.

A good looking website can help portray a professional image – In todays global market, image is everything. Your website has the potential to promote your products/services not just locally, but internationally. Often your website is the first point of contact with potential customers, and you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. An attractive, easy to use website will help to instill confidence. The internet has leveled the playing field, meaning you can now compete against market leaders, without having to spend tens of thousands of pounds on advertising and self promotion.

A quick and easy way to deliver up to date information – A website is like a brochure, but is far more versatile. Brochures are often quite costly to produce, with the information they contain quickly becoming out of date. Once your website has been produced, changing information such as prices can easily be done, for a fraction of the cost of printing a new brochure.