Rewind a couple of decades and the only businesses with websites were those with access to intricate development skills. For the majority of bosses, websites were expensive, complicated and incompatible with the way they worked.
But as we enter into a new decade, those excuses have completely dried up, and it’s become almost unthinkable for any modern business to ignore the online marketplace completely, regardless of the industry and the way they engage with customers (heck, at MoneyMagpie we’re ALL about our website!)
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, making a big investment in a new website represented a major risk, but the modern business owner understands that not being online is the bigger risk in today’s marketplace.
In this article, we will explain why your small business needs a website and show how it’s never been easier to get one.
What are the advantages of being online?
The advantages of being online are almost too numerous to list, due mainly to the fact that so many Americans have access to the internet. The number of US adults online grew from 52% at the turn of the century to 90% by 2019, for example.
The internet, of course, is a hub for entertainment and news. But it’s increasingly being utilized by prospective customers as a tool for market research. Every day, millions of would-be shoppers scour the options online before choosing where to make a purchase, and if you don’t have a website then you’re simply not in the picture.
Being online allows you to show off your products and services, publish case studies and reviews from happy customers, and offer potential new customers the chance to make a purchase from the comfort of their own device.
A professional, informative and on-brand website, supported by a coherent digital marketing campaign, can underpin major growth for any business and help put what you do in front of exactly the right people.
Do I have to do it myself?
We get it – you don’t have the time to make a website. It can be pretty intimidating thinking about setting up a site with no expertise. All those pages, colors and logos to contend with, and information to type up – it can seem like a never-ending job. But it’s actually far easier than you might think to build your own site.
If you’re inexperienced and don’t know how to code then a builder that utilises templates could be the best way to start a website. Many modern platforms allow the user to “drag and drop” and take several shortcuts on the way to producing a professional platform.
Many modern builders also offer automation combined with customisation, which means a happy balance for small business owners eager to establish a personal presence online without wishing to create everything from scratch.
And you can of course hire somebody to help you. Gone are the days when web designers would charge thousands of dollars to concoct a bespoke creation from scratch; today’s web designers often utilise builders themselves to help speed up the process and offer better value to their clients.
If you have ambitions to find new customers and grow your business, then the answer to the question in the headline of this article is a resounding “yes”. And luckily for you, it’s never been easier or more cost-effective to invest time and money in building a website for your brand.
Find out more about running your company in our small business section here.
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