The importance of websites for businesses can be understood as the difference between thriving and getting left behind. There are many ways, as you have learned, to let a website work for your marketing efforts. But hardly any of these efforts can be maximized if there’s no site available.

Don’t make the mistake of doing everything from a social media platform. Your identity and content are ultimately in someone else’s hands, and those hands could one day vanish, taking all of your hard work with them. Use social media, but build a website from which you can advertise your presence to the whole world.

1. About 93% Of Business Purchase Decisions Start With A Search Engine Search

With 93% of business decisions starting with a search engine search that means if you don’t have a website, you are only selling to 7% of your market. That is right, you are reducing the potential size of your business by 93%.

2. Business websites build credibility

A company with its domain makes an e-mail more credible and trustworthy rather than generic google addresses. Websites give businesses their own unique online identity.

A survey by the Better Business Bureau shows that 84% of consumers will trust a company based on its online reviews, which will only be possible if they see a business website.

3. People trust a business with a website

Marketing company BrightLocal conducted surveyed consumer attitudes. In the study, they found out that 36% of clients trust a company more if they see a website, whereas, only 21% gamble on closing a deal with a business with no website.

4. Low cost marketing method

Depending on the quality of the website designer you choose and the complexity of your site it will usually cost between $2,000 and $15,000. The more professional and customized the higher the cost.

Having a website, next to Facebook Ads, is one of the most cost effective marketing method when looking at cost per 1,000 impressions. Your website will be much more effective though than Facebook Ads because people see your website they are actively engaged in learning about your company. Having people actively engaged on your website for multiple minutes at a time will result in many more leads and sales then a small Facebook Ad as most often people don’t even notice Facebook Ads.

5. A good website is important for customer service

While phone numbers are still a common enough way for customers to communicate with a company’s customer service branch, most prefer to have an online, real-time option.

The importance of website-based communications can’t be ignored.

6. Keep up with website design trends

A good website is an on-trend website. Never assume that your site won’t need occasional updates or to get re-designed.

There is no one specific way to implement the perfect website layout design, however, there are several basics to consider that will ensure your web page is effectively user-friendly and communicative.

Consider sites designed before mobile Internet browsing became the standard. Websites created for desktop browsing are notoriously hard to navigate on a mobile phone. Depending on the size of the phone, the text might be too small to read or the links too hard to press.

As of 2018, roughly 70 percent of web traffic now originates from mobile phones. If you don’t adapt your website to appeal to mobile users, it negatively impacts the user experience. User experience is one of the most important aspects of a business website. Be sure to check on website trends for each coming year to know how and when you’ll need to adapt. It’s far easier to market to consumers with an on-trend website than a dated one.

Bottom Line

It’s possible that in the near to distant future, businesses are going to move to a new level of interaction with loyal and potential customers. Change is inevitable. For now, it’s vital to your business to make an effort to be found on the web, with a good website and an open mind.