Why is it so Important to Have a Website in 2017?

A well-built, user friendly and attractive site will take your business farther in the online market. However, there are still businesses out there that have not joined the thousands of companies that have a website. In this article, we will cover just why it is important to have a website in 2017.

Since the birth of the internet in 1989, it has grown and advanced massively. When it first started, there was barely anything, but as time went on; more and more websites started appearing. Techniques, ideas, coding languages, styling and so much more was developed over the years to become what we see today on the World Wide Web. If you would like to find out more on the history of web design, we recently covered it in an article titled ‘The History of Web Design’.

A website is an online version of your business. Instead of relying on people walking into your business; it opens the potential for people to find you online. This can be to find out more about the company or make a purchase. A website is a great asset for any company to have. They come with a variety of benefits, all of which aid the business in many ways.

Increase In Potential Business

When accessing the online market, not only are people able to find you; it can even tempt them to make contact and purchase a service or product. Opening this avenue so people can find and purchase from you via an online source will greatly aid in improving potential business. More people are looking towards using online methods of finding companies they want to purchase from. This means relying on business that walks through the door will not do you any good.

Over time, more people are using the internet to find the best place to purchase a certain product or service. If someone needs a new garage door or are looking for wholesale products; they are highly likely to use the internet. Not having a website means potential customers can’t find you; cutting off a lot of potential business.

By either developing a website yourself or hiring a web designer to do it for you will enable you to enter the online market and captivate on the potential business that comes from it. It is not as easy as getting a website to get the potential business. There is a long process involved; especially if the domain and website is brand new. It might even take almost 2 months for a website to start ranking. This then needs to be furthered with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to ensure your website is ranking well enough for people to find you.

Accessing the Online Market

A website is a digitised version of your business. Instead of people walking in to see what you have to offer; they can stay at home or workplace and find out more about your business. The online market is always expanding with new websites being added every day. New businesses start appearing while others disappear. It is essential to get into this market before you are left behind.

More and more businesses are getting websites which means if your competitors get into this first, you will start falling behind. It is highly important to have a website as more people are searching online today than ever before. Continuing without a website will also cause you to lose business. Your customers will be looking online and will come across other business within the same industry and will most likely choose them.

Accessing the online market also means trying to be on top. Just getting a website designed will not do. The website must be user friendly, responsive, well designed and easy to navigate through. These aspects, along with many others, are what make a website successful. Utilising SEO techniques and keeping your site up to date will ensure that your website does its best in the long run.

Getting Ahead of Competitors

Your competitors might already be competing in the online market. This means they already have the lead and will be claiming some of your potential business. Getting your own website launched and getting it ranking is the best way to claim some of that potential business back. Some of your competitors might not have a website either. It would be greatly beneficial if you got a website started now so you would join the online market before they do.

Either getting ahead or joining your competitors online will serve you well in the long run. Among being found online, it greatly increases the chances of conversions and can greatly aid in improving brand awareness (which we will cover next). The idea of joining the online market is to then be at the top and captivate most of the potential business. Rarely anyone will view pages past page 3 on Google so why leave your site there? Once you have given your website time to settle, you need to consider possible methods to take it further.

Utilising effective SEO techniques is just one example of how you can get your site ranking higher. Along with continuous updates to the content of the site, you will be able to push your site higher and reach more people. There are a variety of ways to help your site rank which will all aid you compete with or go higher than your competitors.

Improve Brand Awareness

Whenever you see a tick on shoes, you’ll associate it with Nike. When you see a large yellow M, you’ll associate it with McDonalds. This is where a brand becomes recognisable and is commonly seen with large and popular businesses. No matter the size of the business, you can improve the general awareness of your brand and even make it recognisable.

A website is a great way of doing exactly that. People will be able to find you online, make purchases and will start to remember your brand. Doing so will cause people to share your company with others. Through the use of word of mouth, more people will find out about you and will be much more aware of your brand. Utilising the website to improve brand awareness ensures that your name becomes more well-known; create potential repeat business opportunities and make your brand more recognisable.

So, why is it so Important to Have a Website in 2017?

Well with the ever-increasing number of online searches being performed every year; it will soon become a necessity to get in the online market. There are already a lot of people that will search online instead of visiting a shop directly. Any business that doesn’t have a website is missing out on this potential business and leaving it to their competitors.

If you want to captivate on the potential business available through using responsive, well designed website; get in contact with us.