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Why having your own business website is so important

In a recent poll I conducted on Facebook a couple of weeks ago, I asked ‘Do you think it’s important to have your own business website?’ A staggering 96% voted Yes. And I say ‘staggering’ because when I check out the various social media platforms, I rarely see anyone promoting their business website.

So maybe there’s a lack of understanding as to why social spaces are the perfect arenas to promote their business website. 

Online research still on the increase

More and more businesses are setting up online because they have the potential to sell their products or services to a wider market. Data shows that researching on a product, service or holiday before parting with any cash is still on the increase.

Having a website designed for your business is an important step towards grabbing a piece of the online marketing pie. And building a business website is so much easier now. You can hire a professional to help build it or you can use one of the various Website Builders, such as WordPress, Wix or Squarespace.

Searching online using multidevices


What are the Pros and Cons of having your own business website?

Pros

 1. Less competition 

If you sell your products or services on eBay, Amazon, AirBnB or similar sites you are competing with other sellers. Your potential customers don’t go on the main selling sites to look for your products. Even if they find one of your items, they can be distracted by other adverts flashing up around them. Creating a business website means your products and services can be found and, with no distractions, they are more likely to buy.

 2. Create brand awareness

It’s a competitive world out there and building a website with your brand name means that if it’s good people will recognise it, talk about it and share it. Having a business website with a secure (https) domain name that’s relevant to your business stakes your claim to that name. Getting there first will protect and secure your online brand and reputation. SAA IT Test logo

3. Reach a wider audience

Having your own business website you can attract customers from anywhere in the world, not just social media users. Not everybody has a Facebook account but most people have internet access and they use it to research before they buy.

4. Customer service 24/7

You can keep in touch with your customers and offer advice and support anytime anywhere.

5. Access to Business Information

Even if your physical shop is closed your customers can still find your business website and they can access it from a variety of devices. As long as you keep the information uptodate they can check availability of goods and services and check your prices.

6. Advertising

Use your website as a tool for advertising your business and creating customer awareness of your products, brand, and offers. Encourage your customers to leave reviews.

7. Fresh content

This can be a Pro and a Con. Your website is there to promote your business. Make sure the information is uptodate and interesting enough to attract more customers. Writing great content is a task in itself, hence why it’s also listed under Cons. There’s plenty of help out there if you know who to ask, and some excellent tools too. (that’s another Blog topic!)

8. Reduce communication costs

The Internet is an inexpensive form of communication and a great way to keep in regular contact with customers, suppliers and other businesses.

Cons

1. Website crashing

Error message on a website

Sometimes your website might crash making your business unavailable to customers. It’s normally only short-term so don’t let this put you off.
2. Accessibility

More and more customers use mobile devices for online purchases and if your website isn’t customised for mobile users they go elsewhere. Make sure you have a Responsive Website Design (and that’s also another topic).

3. Poor design

Some websites look cluttered and the user journey from searching to buying is too complex. If customers can’t find what they are looking for within a few seconds they won’t stay on your website very long.

4. Bad publicity

If customers leave a negative reviews on your website the bad publicity could have a huge impact on your brand reputation. Don’t ignore bad reviews and feedback. Respond calmly and professionally. Tell them what you will try to do to change things, offer a free replacement. How you respond can turn bad publicity into good publicity. But this isn’t just linked to business websites, it anywhere someone can leave a rating or review.

5. Not reaching your target audience

It’s not always easy to reach the right audience straight away. It can depend on your content and how your business ranks in searches compared with your competitors. Don’t be disheartened, there are people out there who can help with advertising, SEO, and content writing.

6. Poor content

Keeping your content fresh, informative and uptodate can be a real advantage. If you’re not comfortable writing your content then the thought of it could put you off having your own business website. There is help out there and sometimes all it needs is a fresh pair of eyes and a little encouragement to get you on the right track.

Increase Your Sales

So, you can see the Pros for having your own business website outweigh the Cons. The potential for increasing your customer base, business branding, reputation and increased sales is just too good an opportunity to miss.

What are you waiting for? Let’s get your business website working for you today.

Location

Shirley Atkinson

SAA IT Test Consultant

79120, Sainte Soline, France

SIRET – 835 373 515 00013

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4 thoughts on “Reasons For Having Your Own Business Website

  1. Thank you. Great article Shirley. I am still surprised how many property owners don’t have their own website and are relying on the online travel agents only to get bookings. In this world of fierce competition, I think a website is important, but also recognise the ‘cons’ and challenges of having one too but as you say, the pros outweigh the cons.

    • saaittest_wioyzi says:

      I agree Vicky. I found the same issue with a few artisans who only sell on Etsy and Amazon. They seem happy to pay them fees but they are in fierce competition with other sellers and have to hope someone stumbles across their products, rather than being able to display them on their own website for no fees. You have a beautiful gite business and with your own site can personalise and promote it regularly with your wonderful blogs and anecdotes. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. It’s much appreciated

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