Blog For Noob Random thought of a Noob Blogger
It might come as a shock for many people living in 2021, but thousands of businesses in the UK (and millions of businesses across the world) still don’t have a website. There are many reasons why a small business owner might think a website is an unnecessary expense. Maybe they are locally focused and don’t feel they would need access to a world-wide customer base. Maybe their customers are less likely to be technologically minded. Perhaps they feel that they would prefer to spend their time or resources elsewhere. However understandable their aversion to a website might be, you have to have a very convincing customer-centred argument to not have a website in 2021. It’s a necessity for almost any small business. Here is why.
Gain Credibility
A significant reason for you having a website for your small business is to make it clear that you are a trustworthy enterprise. There will likely be alternative companies to you – you probably have competitors – and one way for you to deal with that competition is by having a site that looks good, instils trust and communicates your business clearly to customers. Without a website, people can start to question how credible or legitimate you are. Having a website is also a great way to make a good and controlled first impression.
Webrooming Increases Footfall
One of the most common reasons for small business owners to not have created a website is because they simply do not think it is relevant to their business plan that’s based on brick-and-mortar custom. That’s not true! Small business websites increase the amount of footfall a store experiences thanks to a phenomenon called webrooming. That means that when you invest in an online presence, you actually increase your business’ offline profits because of the webrooming phenomenon. Customers feel a lot safer making a purchase when they can research your stock online before purchasing.
Be Discovered
Almost every modern consumer uses the internet to get the information they need about products. This is true even when that information is local and could be answered by a phone call. Customers are using smartphones to decide where they go next when they’re out and about and looking to tick off their shopping list. That’s the reason why your small business should come up in local searches. If it doesn’t, people will go to your competitors instead.
Save Time on Customer Service
Many businesses get regular calls from people who are looking to make purchases but want answers to simple questions like hours of operation or travel details. This means if you miss a call, you can potentially miss a customer. Calls also serve as a distraction – your staff members likely have more productive things that they could be doing. When you have a website with clear and understandable navigation, you will reduce the number of calls that you have to answer, while increasing productivity. Having a website also simultaneously provides an all-round high-quality user experience, where customers have a low amount of friction and making a purchase is easy and hassle-free.
