Ten Reasons to Have a Website

Posted December 23, 2008 by Ryan Bradshaw in Web Design | 2 Comments »

The following list will give you some insights on several reasons you may want to have a website. If you already have a website, read this anyway. It will help you think through your existing site and determine what you can improve. There are so many reasons to have an effective website. These are our TOP 10:

#10 – DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND

In this Web 2.0 world we live in, many people are now using the Internet to research, shop, purchase or hire. If you don’t have a website you WILL lose business (especially if your competitors do!). Think about it… I am searching the Internet for a product or service that you offer. But wait! You don’t have a website. So… I visit your competitors site, and they seem to have what I am looking for. Maybe I even look at 3 or four sites before making my decision. If you don’t have a site, you are losing to your competition.

The sooner you get your website up and running, the better off you will be. Just as in any market having the “First Mover Advantage” can significantly help you succeed, having a well established website will help you stay ahead of your competition.

#9 – SAVE SELLING COSTS

There is a reason that sales people are some of the most well paid professionals. It is because they “Show us the money.” What would your business look like if you had a sales person working for you 24/7 for next to nothing? Pretty good, huh!

If you build your site right, that is exactly what it can do for you. It can generate sales/leads for your business 24/7. You might not think that people would be searching in the middle of the night, but I have made many online purchases in the late night/early morning hours. It happens and you want to be there when it does.

#8 – QUALIFIED LEADS

With a website that is built with your potential customers/clients in mind, you will only receive the best, most qualified leads. They will be people who are actively searching for what you do. Let me give you an example. We have done work for a company that offers online construction management software.

When we look into the keywords people are using to find the site, we see that there are several searches for “estimating housing costs,” “construction estimating,” and other similar terms. People searching for these terms could very well be their perfect client, but maybe not. The client they are looking for is a contractor who builds homes. Some of these people may be home owners looking for a quick estimate. With these keywords, we will get some of each. The website is designed to weed out the people who are not the target market.

Having a website will increase the quality of the leads you get.

#7 – NO HASSLE SELLING

I am sure that you have had the experience of going into a store and having the sales people pounce all over you. I know I have. Today, people want to browse around, talk to their friends about what they are looking to purchase, and then come to the sales person with questions. If I want to buy a new sofa for example. I do not want to walk in to the store, and have a sales person immediately follow me around the store trying to sell me every sofa I show interest in. That is sales 1.0 and doesn’t work anymore. Sales 2.0 would look like this: I want to buy a new sofa, so I go online and do a little research on good brands, materials, etc.

Once I feel like I have enough knowledge I might head over to the furniture store. I browse around and find a few sofas that I like. At this point, I will either go back to the internet to purchase, or I will find a sales person to answer any questions I might have and make my purchase.

Your website gives potential customers the feeling of complete control. They can take a look around, see what you have to offer, and then if they have any questions, they can ask you.

#6 – MAKE CHANGES QUICKLY

In the past, most companies had a printed brochure. This is still a good idea, but your website has a significant advantage. You can update it quickly at little or no cost. If you have a special offer, it can be offered to your clients right away. If you have a special event comping up, you can let them know.

It doesn’t take long and there are no printing fees.

#5 – INCREASE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Your website can be one of the best tools for customer support. With support forums, live help, FAQs, etc. your clients can have access to support and solve many of their own problems saving you time and energy.

#4 – NETWORKING

What makes business successful? There are many answers, but when it comes down to it, PEOPLE make businesses successful. Without people, you don’t have employees, you don’t have customers, and ultimately, you really don’t have a business.

Having a website can give you powerful networking tools. Blogs are very popular right now and for good reason. They allow you to share your knowledge and expertise with the world. As you start blogging, you will meet people who you otherwise would not have ever met.

#3 – THE NEW BUSINESS CARD

I think Billy said it best in his post “Your Website, a New Business Card.”

#2 -LEARN TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CLIENTS

With modern tracking technology, you can learn a lot about your clients and potential clients through your website. With correctly implemented tracking, you can see where you visitors are coming from, what they are searching for, how effective your site is at converting visitors to leads, and much more.

This information is invaluable. The better you know and understand your clients, the better you can meet their needs.

#1 – PRESENT YOUR BUSINESS POWERFULLY

Your website should be THE BEST and MOST POWERFUL way for you to present your company to the world. It doesn’t matter if you are a small business just getting started or a huge corporation with a multi-million dollar ad budget. The idea is the same. FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE CRUCIAL.

Make sure that your site puts your best face on and shows your potential clients that you are a legitimate, professional company. Many people will judge your business solely on your website. If it is the first thing they see about your company and it leaves a bad taste in their mouth, THEY WILL GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Getting your website online AS SOON AS POSSIBLE will be the best investment you can make for your company. Make sure you do it right and that you build it with purpose. If you do it right, you can have a website that will give you all of the benefits of our top 10 reasons and it shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg either. Be sure to checkout our website packages page to see what we can do to help you get going.

Tags: content management system, lead generation, sales, Web Design