Building a business website takes time and money. If your business has been doing well without one until now, it's easy to find excuses to put off working on it. But can this procrastination hurt you?
If you're still wondering if building a website for your business is worth the time and money, here are some signs that it's time to take the plunge and get started.
1. Your company exists.
I'm kidding, but just sort of. The internet is a big part of how people make purchasing decisions today, and not just when it comes to the things you can buy online. 81% of shoppers research online before making a purchase.
Whether you're selling a product in a physical store or a service, most people first look for what you're selling on the internet. How many customers are you missing because your business is invisible when they search online for what you sell?
2. A customer asks where to find you on the internet.
People fully expect that every company they do business with will have a web presence. Even if they already know your business, a website is the easiest way to find your address before they go to the store, or to check your business hours so they don't leave for no reason.
Consumers today don't want to pick up the phone to find this information or open the phone book to find your number. While you can include some of this information on sites like Yelp or your business listing on Google, customers are more confident that they can trust what they see on your business website.
If you've been asked by at least one customer where they can find you online, it's time to look for a satisfactory answer to that question.
3. You keep reading about pure web marketing tactics.
If you've spent any time reading articles about entrepreneurs and small business owners at all, you've talked a lot about the value of social media marketing, content marketing, and SEO. These are all tactics that your competitors may already be using, but you can't even try until you have a website to promote.
More importantly, they tend to be more effective and provide a better return on investment than other types of advertising. If you're currently spending all of your advertising spend on billboards and radio ads, you're not getting the most out of it.
4. You realize that your grandchildren don't believe that your business really exists.
kids these days, right? Your whole life revolves around the internet. As for him, if it wasn't online, it couldn't be real. If you heard them discussing elaborate conspiracy theories this thanks giving that you were actually a spy and the business you pretended to own was a cover, it might mean you watch too much TV, but it definitely means it's time to get a website up and running for your business.
Children show us where the future is headed. If the youngest generation in your family finds it odd that your business doesn't have a website, you have to admit that they may be right.
5. You realize that you don't want to grow old.
The longer you are around, the less visible you will be to potential customers. Even previous clients might wonder if they were out of business if they couldn't find a website - people really take it for granted at this point that websites are an important part of the business. If you don't have it, it looks unprofessional and means people take you less seriously.
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