Why your business must have a professional website?
With rapidly growing technology, the rate of people using the internet is also multiplying. People are using search engines to find out businesses, products and services online.
Today the most businesses have professionally designed business website utilizing the online and cheap medium of internet to advertise their products / services, connect with online customers and increase their brand awareness in a way that nobody had thought before 20-30 years ago.
When you are proposed to have a professional business website generally you are worrying of involved cost or may have general replies like:
- You already have a website for your business.
- You don’t have enough time to manage & maintain online stuff or website.
- Why should you make unnecessary expense on designing a website while you can get enough business without it?
That is all sounds great but indeed there are some facts that you should consider. According to NRF/Forrester Online Retail Index, consumers spent $6.1 billion online in December 2000. And a recent survey showed around 70% of the total population now has access to an internet connection – that’s a big business opportunity you’ll be missing out if you don’t have your business website or online web presence.
Advantages to have a professional business website:
- To increase brand awareness for your business. Having a web presence on the internet helps other to learn more about who you are, what are you doing and how your products or services may benefit them. If you don’t publish or advertise your business online how much profit you can make? Probably can save only a web designing cost. Let people to know you and open your business to the world of unlimited opportunity.
- To increase your sales & online customers, and decrease marketing & advertising cost. Of course nothing counts against customer’s personal visit to your store or office but your business website can be a great marketing platform that can save you on huge advertising cost and other marketing expenditure. According to recent survey online advertising and marketing via website cost you low as against to other holistic marketing media like advertising on popular magazines, news papers, tv and radio. Your website can act 24 hour a day and even on public holidays. There are great chances that you may be enjoying a party or watching your favorite movie and someone generates a great lead or place a big order online that can never be possible without having a good business website.
- Your other business competitors already have online web presence. Not having a website is one of the distinct disadvantage for your business. The reason is the most of your competitors have developed website and started to steal your potential customers online that probably you will have, if you had your online presence. According to Overture there are 39.8 million online business searches per day all around the world. Millions of people are using Internet daily to look for different types of goods and services online. If you will not take advantage, apparently your competitors will have all these benefits.
- 24/7 Customer Service Your website can be a great tool to provide support for your products and services. Your customer can find out any useful and required basic information instantly that may probably require to make a telephonic call. Informational requests and customer support can be handled instantly and without any special efforts. Your business can run online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
- Website can be a great recruitment tool for your business When you’re looking to recruit staff for various positions, your website can be a great tool to broadcast the openings and can greatly help to find out talented employee matching the required skills. Your website can organize & process received applications automatically that would probably hassle collecting and sorting out through endless piles of cover letters and resumes.
Bearing this in mind, having a business website that is designed professionally and utilizing search engine optimization techniques, allows you to gain great advantages and also reduces your marketing efforts and advertising cost. Secondly you can’t stop people from writing negative reviews about your business but having a professional business website gives you an opportunity to reply and guide those conversations in correct directions that would otherwise be lost and result in incredibility of your business.
Checklist
- Use your website to promote your business.
- A website doesn’t have geographical and time based limitations that generally your local business have.
- With a professional business website you can have edge over your business competitors.
- It’s cheaper to set up a business website than buying or renting premises.
- Website can serve as a great communication medium between you and your customers.
- Faqs, blogs and forums can help your customer to get instant online support and find out relevant information quickly without needing to contact you.