Your business does need a website to survive and flourish in our digital era.
Since 2010, the demand for business websites has skyrocketed.
Failure to invest in an effective business website could spell disaster for your business.
Don’t let yourself fall behind!
Why invest in a website?
It is becoming increasingly evident that the presence of a website is critical for businesses of any size in today’s digital age. As technology progresses rapidly and competition intensifies, statistics have provided solid evidence supporting the need for an online presence.
10 statistics you should know
The following are ten compelling pieces of statistical data that indicate why every business should invest in creating a uniquely tailored website:
- 97% of consumers search online for local businesses;
- 79% of consumers will not engage with a business if they cannot find its website;
- 57% of consumers between 18-70 years of age report they receive updates on products and services from company websites;
- 68% use the internet when researching new products or services to buy;
- 94% of B2B buyers research suppliers online before making a purchase;
- 66% of internet users expect companies to offer personalized experiences on their websites;
- 42% research whether brands show up in multiple sites of search engine results pages (SERPs);
- 68% prefer to be directed from social media platforms to company websites for further information;
- 61% believe it is essential for organizations to update content regularly on their sites;
- 76 % of users are likely to return if presented with relevant content.
When taken together, these statistics paint an undeniable picture: websites are essential tools for businesses looking to thrive and remain competitive in today’s market.
5 Reasons why business must invest in a website
“Having a great website is the key to success in today’s world” – Jeff Bezos
“A website is a window through which your business says hello to the world” – Claire Connor
Here are five reasons you must invest in a website if you want to succeed nowadays. Your custom-made website:
1. Invest in a website to REACH MORE CUSTOMERS
Investing in a website is a great way to reach more customers. An online presence allows you to compete with larger companies, connect with new audiences, and increase sales.
Important to know: internet marketing is the cheapest tool to attract new clients and customers. Often, it’s free.
Knowing that over 80% of your potential customers are active on the internet and social media, build your website for them. Show them how you can help and what is unique about your products and services that will make their life better. SEO optimize all content, and new customers will definitely come.
2. Invest in a website to INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS
Brand awareness is the degree of recognition and familiarity that people have with your brand. It dictates how customers perceive and interact with your company and its products. Brand awareness can be increased through various marketing strategies, of which the website is one of the most affordable.
Statistics show that keeping customers is over 30% less expensive than acquiring new ones. Having strong brand awareness is essential for businesses. Strong brand awareness increases customer trust and loyalty, which leads to more sales and higher profits.
Here is how your website supports your brand:
- Website design: it reflects your brand colors and your business style. Great design provokes positive emotions. That stays memorized. When your customers decide to purchase, or hire, they’ll remember you, thus increasing the chances for sales.
- Content: Quality content consistent with the brand message increases brand recognition, values, and product offerings. Content such as blogs, videos, social media posts, and e-books create a positive impression of the company. Creating content related to industry news and trends engages customers and establishes credibility for the brand. Finally, producing high-quality content boosts search engine rankings and improves online visibility, leading to more customers discovering the brand.
- Testimonials and reviews: Studies have shown that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they would trust personal recommendations. Furthermore, 73% of customers are more likely to purchase after reading positive customer reviews. This indicates the immense power and influence of testimonials and reviews in influencing brand awareness and consumer behavior. What better place to gather testimonials and show them to potential customers than on your website?!
3. Invest in a website to IMPROVE CUSTOMERS SERVICE
Studies have shown that customer service is important in retention and loyalty.
As customer expectations increase, businesses must provide personalized experiences and ensure customer inquiries and complaints are efficiently and effectively heard and resolved.
A study from Deloitte found that 89% of consumers are influenced by the level of customer service when shopping for products or services. Additionally, research indicates that 86% of customers are willing to pay more if they receive exceptional customer service.
Your website improves customer service and provides a better user experience. Here are some ways in which the website does that:
Your website is accessible 24/7, so customers can get information and support outside your regular business hours.
You can offer self-service options like FAQ pages, product guides, manuals, how-to’s, and tutorials. Customers will appreciate finding answers to their questions quickly and easily.
Your website enables easy customer communication through live chat, contact forms, and social media integration. People expect to be heard, and when satisfied, they enjoy leaving good reviews. Through your website, show your customers that you respect them.
Browsing history, purchase history, and other data provide personalized recommendations and offers. This will build customer loyalty and increase customer satisfaction.
If you own an eCommerce website, add order tracking and updates, thus helping customers stay informed. This will reduce customer frustration and improve their overall experience.
Excellent customer service and better user experience lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
4. Invest in a website to use it as the FREE MARKETING TOOL
Once built, your website can be the best tool for free marketing, thus bringing more new customers and increasing your profit. You can conduct three types of free marketing strategies through your website.
- Social media: Connecting your website with social media effectively increases brand awareness and gains new customers. Social media gives you direct access to a large and engaged audience. Creating interesting, valuable, and relevant content is vital, as it will encourage users to follow and interact with the brand while giving them something they want to talk about. Additionally, linking your website to social media allows users to easily find more information about your products or services, thus increasing your brand’s visibility and exposure.
- Email marketing: according to 2021. report by Campaign Monitor, the global average email marketing conversion rate across all industries is around 17.4%. Effective campaigns can increase conversions by up to 40%, putting email marketing at the very top of all marketing tools. Each time you have a new product, service, or other promotion, your email list will be an invaluable tool. Even if you don’t have news, sending smartly written emails will remind your customers of your brand, thus increasing their loyalty.
Referral marketing: By encouraging satisfied customers to share your website with their friends and family, you can generate word-of-mouth marketing and increase your website’s traffic and sales.
5. Invest in a website to SAVE TIME AND ENERGY
Your time is probably the most precious resource you have. A well-designed and content-rich website will save you time, nerves, and energy.
Here is how a website works for you in that area:
Automating tasks: Your website can automate many routine tasks, such as processing orders, sending order confirmations and tracking information, and sending email newsletters. This can help free up your time to focus on other aspects of your business.
Providing information and support: By providing a detailed FAQ page and other self-service options on your website (manuals, guides, descriptions, etc.), you can reduce the number of customer inquiries and support requests you need to handle directly.
Streamlining communication: Your website can enable easy communication with your customers through live chat, contact forms, and social media integration, thus consolidating all customer communication through one channel.
Tracking and analytics: By installing free analytical plugins on your website, you’ll gain valuable insights into traffic, user behavior, and other crucial key success metrics. This can help you make data-driven decisions and save time that would otherwise be spent on guesswork or trial-and-error.
Why are websites so expensive?
Websites can often be expensive due to the work and expertise that goes into creating a successful business website, maintaining it, and positioning it on the first pages in SERP (SEO).
Website design and development require various skills, including:
- coding
- graphic design
- SEO
- content writing
- analysis
- marketing
- psychology.
Additionally, business websites must be cared for and regularly maintained to remain effective and secure. All of these tasks require time and expertise, which is why website development can often be costly.
A website hosting service charges businesses from $30 to several hundred dollars
In addition to the development cost, business websites also require hosting services, which can add to the overall cost. Hosting services are necessary to keep your business website running smoothly and securely.
Investing in quality hosting services is integral to business website maintenance and will help ensure your business website remains effective and successful.
The price of hosting services shouldn’t stop you to invest in a website. Here are the three cheapest hostings with good service, which we highly recommend:
- Cheapname hosting, starting at $24/year
- A2 shared hosting, starting at $36/year
- Bluehost, starting at $35/year
How much should you invest in a website?
When you invest in a website, you’ll have one-time and yearly expenses.
- A one-time investment is building a website.
- Annually, you’ll have to pay for hosting, domain, website maintenance, SEO, and digital marketing.
We recommend starting small if you are on a tight budget. Find a freelancer to design and build a several-page website, buy an affordable domain name, and purchase cheap hosting.
As your business grows, invest more money into your website – invest more, and it will return many times.
Prices of designing and developing new, custom-made websites go from several dozens to thousands of dollars.
If you don’t have a website, we recommend starting by investing in our 3-page website package, starting at $60.
If you want to invest in a website that will rank high and be much more than just a digital ID, we provide high-quality, affordable WordPress website design packages starting at $200.
As for care and maintenance, you shouldn’t invest more than several hundred dollars annually. Check our Website care packages starting at $10.
One website for multiple businesses
If you don’t have enough money to start independently, the good idea is to partner with someone and create one site for multiple businesses.
To invest in a website, you can partner with businesses from the same niche or companies from different niches. The second option is better, especially if you find companies with a similar target audience.
For example:
- hair stylists can partner with a nail salon and massage center;
- gym and fitness centers can partner with organic food stores and supplement eCommerce owners;
- companies that provide car services can partner and build one website;
- a lawyer can partner with a real estate agent and notary.
Benefits of having one website for multiple businesses
There are three major benefits if you make one website for multiple businesses:
- Cost Savings: Using a single website for multiple businesses can save you money on hosting, web maintenance, and other expenses associated with maintaining multiple sites.
- Reach: Having one website means that your products and services are exposed to more potential customers, allowing you to reach a broader market than if you had separate websites.
- Consistent Spending: With a single website, you can more easily budget and plan your spending on SEO and top rank, thus ensuring high quality and exposure to multiple markets.
Is it worth investing in a website?
Yes, it is worth investing in a website. Statistical data, studies, and numerous everyday examples support this claim.
Without a website, businesses can’t build credibility, streamline communication, save time and energy, and utilize free marketing tools.
While some initial costs may seem frightening, the benefits and return on investment make it worthwhile for all businesses.
If you want your business to survive, grow, and thrive in modern and competitive markets, you must invest in a website.