Many business owners and start-ups simply don’t take their website seriously enough. If this describes you, you’re going to want to reconsider. Relying on free builders to build your website or worse, relying strictly on Facebook or Instagram for your web presence is not recommended for professionals who want to grow sustainable businesses.
Look, I know. I’ve fallen into the “focus on networking and social media while neglecting my website” trap myself. So there’s no judgement if you have gotten into the habit of promoting through borrowed media instead of your owned media – but it has to stop somewhere if sustainable success is a business goal.
While there is no doubt social media can be a great tool for attracting customers, relying on these platforms alone could put your business at risk.
If you do have a website, but it doesn’t have the functionality it needs to bring you leads, or your never think about your audience when you put content on your site – or you never add content at all – these are all signs that you don’t take your website seriously.
If you’re committing any of these marketing offenses please think twice and know that your website can truly be a serious tool to bring serious business to you.
* Your Website Is Open 24/7 – Using the right approach, you can bring people to your website who will read your content and sign up for your email list. They might even land on specialized landing pages that encourage them to buy something that you’re offering, or you could provide a coupon to help get feet in the door and your cash register ringing.
* People Use Google First – Most people use Google Search to find what they need before they leave their house. In addition to claiming your free google listing, you want to fill your website with the right content, that content will help people searching for certain terms to find you and your business.
* It’s an Effective Branding Mechanism – You can use your website as a way to further brand your business. Today, it’s expected that you have a website for your business simply to verify exist. Businesses without websites are perceived to be less professional and potentially shady, especially in some industries. Your website can be so much more than a brochure and more than a place to get information, it’s a place to extend and enhance the customer experience and build on the relationship. It’s the storefront for your business on the web. For some people with solely online businesses, it is the only storefront.
* You’ll Get More Customers – By having a website that has the things it needs: a good home page, an about page that explains your story, and an email sign-up form, you’ll be able to get information to your audience faster than ever before.
* You’ll Earn More Revenue – It’s a proven fact (according to the SBA) that business owners who also have good websites earn more money. In fact, if you make sales online, over 50 percent come from new customers attracted to your website.
* Your Competitors Have One – Even if you don’t want to do it, you need to because your competition is doing it. Otherwise, when someone does a search for a business like yours, they’ll find theirs and not yours.
* It’s a Marketing Machine – Your website is a genuine marketing machine because it draws in interested people, teaches them about your offerings and your story, and then convinces them to try your products or services – all without your continued monitoring. Once it’s set up, it works for you.
* Your Website Is the Center of All Your Marketing and Branding Efforts – The truth is, your website should be considered the hub of all your online activities. Every social media post should lead back to your website. Content that your audience wants to read and engage with, then share with social media, should be put on your website.
Having an effective website proves that not only do you take your business seriously, you also take modern technology seriously. Websites give confidence to consumers that you’re a real business, that you take your business seriously, and that you have some sort of expertise or skill as explained by the content on your website.
Because people like buying from those that they feel they know, like and trust, a website is the first step to building that reputation.
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