Why Small Businesses Need a Website
Oct 3, 2024
Taylor Hoskins
Having a social media presence on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn is a must these days for engaging with your audience and building a community around your business. These platforms can be fantastic for promoting your business and connecting with customers, however, having a dedicated website remains just as important as ever, it is doesn't have to be a challenging process to get one either.
Your website serves as a one-stop-shop for your online presence. While social media is great for interaction and visibility, a website is where you can fully control your brand, showcase your offerings in detail, and provide essential information all in one place. Here's a few reasons why you, as a small business owner, need a website:
Your Customers Will Expect It
When a potential customer or client goes online and looks you or your business up, one of the first things they'll look for is a website. They might find a contact number and an address on Google or somewhere else, but if they can’t find a website, it immediately raises questions: Is this business credible? Are they still open? Where can I get more information easily?
A website is like your digital business card—without one, you could risk losing potential customers before they've even interacted with you.
Build Trust and Credibility
As touched on above, a professional website builds trust. Even though a lot of small businesses rely heavily on word-of-mouth or local customers, a website can still give your brand legitimacy and makes it easier for potential clients to find out more about you. It’s also the perfect space to display reviews and testimonials from happy customers.
Be Found Locally (and Beyond)
Search engines like Google (and Bing—let's not forget about Bing) are can be used to help drive visitors to your business. With proper search engine optimisation (which we offer, by the way) your website can appear when potential customers search for businesses like yours in the area.
For example, with good search engine optimisation, a customer looking for “best coffee shops in west Cumbria” could land right on your website. Being visible in local searches gives you a huge advantage over competitors who aren’t online or are less optimised for search.
Showcase Your Services 24/7
Your website works for you even when you’re closed! It provides customers with important information—like your hours, services, location and pictures—whenever they need it, all in one place. This availability ensures that potential customers can find out what they need without waiting for your business to open. You might say "but Google and social media can do all that too!" and you'd be right, but a website also allows for so much more, and it can be personalised to your brand.
With a website, you can showcase your work in an organised and personal manner, you might want your customers to access a bespoke contact form which can ask important questions upfront, or you might want to let people use a booking form.
Why lose potential customers just because you aren't contactable? Let your website work for you.
Conclusion
Having a website isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have. It’s an investment that will pay off in the form of increased visibility, trust, and customer engagement. If you’re ready to take your small business to the next level, we can help you create a modern, user-friendly website that reflects your brand and meets your business needs. We will get those clicks turned into sales.
Like what you see? Let's work together.
You deserve to have a beautiful, functional website that drives sales. Luckily, you're in the right place. Get in touch and find out how we can work together to build your online presence.