I'm not just saying this because I'm a business owner (and that business just coincidentally happens to make websites), I'm saying this because I've seen the success my clients have gotten from having a strong online presence. A website isn't just a pretty thing that just sits there - it's your online storefront, credibility builder, audience catcher, online catalog, service advertiser, lead and sale generator, and performance tracker.
Over the past 10 years, I've been asked "do I need a website for my business" and "why do I need a website". I've come up with these 7 reasons as the top reasons why every business needs a website. It doesn't matter if you're big or small, a non-profit or a large corporation - a website can only help you thrive and grow by helping you meet your goals.
If you're interested in the inverse of this article, check out why people think they don't need a website and why they're wrong.
Here are my top 7 reasons why you do need a website for your business:
- Your website is your 24/7, always open storefront and information portal into your business for customers and potential customers. At any time, a person can learn about or purchase your products or services.
- Having a website is a major milestone in the growth of your business. Not just anyone can afford to spend the money or time getting one. That's why having a website gives your business credibility - it means the business is real, it isn't some random one-off dude, and they care about their appearance.
- Along with #1, having a website that's always available means it's also available anywhere in the world. A website gives your business access to a wider audience and is especially important for helping local businesses grow outside their regional area.
- On a website, you can showcase your services and products in any way you want. You get to control the narrative for each item using photos, videos, and text to target SEO and help inform your customers.
- Along with #4, obviously, if you've listed your products/services on your website, the site should be able to capture leads and make sales. Having call-to-actions like "Contact" and "Buy" buttons lets your website visitors know they can do something that gets you money!
- Business intelligence data is worth every penny, and one of the best business data sources is your website. There are many free analytics services, like Google Analytics, that can be installed on your website so you can see things like how many people visit your site, where they came from, and demographic info like interests and age groups.
- Most forms of advertising and marketing require having a website. All ads, either digital or print, send people to a website. If you want to grow your business through any method, you'll need a website for people to go to.
Again, it's not just because I make websites for a living, your business should have a website - any website. It doesn't need to be a $5,000 work of art. A Squarespace or Google site would be fine. You just need to have something there for people to get more info. Once you've grown to a point where you can invest, get that pretty website that's optimized for sales or contact form submissions.
Missing out on a sale because you don't have one of the most basic business tools is a shame. That's why a business needs to have a website.