The first thing we do when we hear of a new company is look them up. Most people spend so much time on the internet that businesses have realized that having an online presence is crucial to their success. Those who choose to forego a website are missing out on business opportunities.
Some businesses have websites simply because it’s part of today’s business culture, but adding a website to your business is as quintessential to your business as having a functional workspace. Perhaps your best asset online, a website adds more than just information about your business; it can serve a multi-faceted purpose that can help your company grow.
Consider the following ways a website can accelerate the growth of your business.
Credibility
A professional website adds credibility to a business. It is a statement of legitimacy and a way of instilling trust in potential customers. This is the main reason why all companies, big or small, should have an online presence.
Typically, a great website will include a homepage, a menu of your products/services, your contact information, an address, core values or company goals, FAQs about your services or business, testimonials, and sometimes chat options for a quick reply. Aside from setting apart your business as legitimate, it can include all the necessary information about your business and include customer support. This serves as a permanent 24/7 advertisement for your business.
Brand Awareness
A website helps you establish who you are and what you stand for. By sharing your mission and goals on your website, it helps attract customers with similar values. You can think of it as a business representative who can showcase your business beyond your business hours and even reliably answer FAQs about your business to potential customers, potential staff, and even to businesses who might want to partner with you or use your services.
Needless to say, a menu of services on a website goes beyond a virtual business card with additional information that can help your future customers get acquainted with you and your core goals or strong values.
Potential Leads
Once you get people to visit your website, you can showcase your products and services to target audiences who are more likely to do business with you. Your website is your strongest presence online. A business may benefit from having an online presence in different platforms; however, unless ads are paid for, they are limited and get easily lost or filtered in a newsfeed.
A website adds permanence to your information and it can be customized to reflect current promotions, services or events. Think of it as the façade of your online building or persona - the more impressive its design, the better your chances of success. Do you recall the last time you opened the phone book to look up a business number? We thought so. Searching online has replaced almost all traces of an outdated practice.
Competitive Edge
Since most businesses have seen the benefits of moving their services online, we are now competing in a global economy. Putting yourself out there and showcasing your business, your uniqueness, and your talent to a global audience, even if you consider yourself more locally based, is important on a professional scale.
To determine what you want to present to an online audience, keep in mind that to be chosen among competitors you have to, first, stand out and, second, inspire trust. The more people get acquainted with your work or services, the better your chances of expanding or of being a household name.
Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is the core goal of your website, and a brilliant way to achieve the best customer response is to design a website for a specific target audience. Also, paying ads and optimizing a website for different marketing platforms is a great marketing tool. Update websites regularly and make sure that their content is relevant, and if you offer customer support, be swift to answer to let customers know your website is active and a means to contact you. Engage with your audience by providing subscriptions to your website’s latest releases or posts or email marketing, to provide useful information.
If you're looking for a low-cost way to drive more organic traffic to your site, consider working on your site’s SEO. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a key factor that will make you stand out from thousands of websites and thousands of businesses. Just think that your competitors might already be doing the same, because they understand it’s an important part of SEO strategy.
Content Management
You might already be on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and think that’s enough of an online presence, but these don’t really count as being ‘online’. No matter how much you update or customize your business page on social media platforms, they ultimately control how customers view and interact with your brand.
Although social media is a great tool for engaging with your customers, whatever content you share on these platforms is no longer your content. These platforms can redistribute it without your knowledge or permission. Having your own website gives you control of your image, your message, and your reach.
Conclusion
In today’s digital age, websites are absolutely critical for a business’s success. Any business that wants to establish itself as a trustworthy brand and gain new customers needs to have a website. Having a well-designed, fully functional website increases your brand’s credibility, grants you a unique opportunity to showcase your products and services, generates new leads, gives you an edge over your competitors, and is the best way to market your business and control your content digitally.
If you don’t have a website yet, you can work with web designers and developers to get a
professional website. That way, when a potential customer visits your website, they’ll get the impression that you know what you’re doing.
Ace Virtual Agency is a full-scale virtual solutions entity. One of the services we offer is developing attractive, fully functional websites, optimized for increased visibility on search engines. Our wide range of skills and services means that we can have a site up and running for you in a matter of days with minimal effort on your part. Get in touch with a member of our team and see what we can do for you.