The Internet, once a mere method of communication for government and educational institutions, is now of paramount importance to any business. And while most of the major companies understand this and try to use it to their advantage, the vast majority of small business owners fail to comprehend how beneficial small business websites might be in their case. A properly designed website can make all the difference for certain types of small business.
When asked why they won’t get a website for their business, most small business owners say that it’s simply too pricey. The fact of the matter is, however, that very few of them have actually bothered to do some digging on the prices of small business websites. The fact that web design can be performed entirely by a professional and efficient company like Ivanov Designs means one can get a nice online presence that performs.
But let’s discuss the obvious benefits of small business websites:
1. A website can be promoted through social media.
Nowadays, it’s common for most young and middle-aged people to use at least one social networking website like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. If one of those people is happy with the products or services a small business provides, they will likely share it with their online friends. A website basically allows you access to “word of mouth” advertisement. In a way, it’s kind of like having your own marketing team…except it’s as large as your customer base. Cool stuff.
2. A website allows customers to be better informed.
A properly designed website can act as a catalog, sparing the owners a lot of commonly asked questions and allowing them to focus on the important aspects of running their business. Additionally, providing more specs and details is likely to attract more customers.
3. A website expands the small business’ horizons.
For example, a small store in a small town about a very specific niche product or service is not likely to perform well. At the same time, if said store has an online shopping website, people from distant places would be able to make purchases and increase sales.
4. A properly developed website is easily discoverable by search engines.
Such a website is guaranteed be be beneficial to the small business it represents, since it will direct customers with specific demands to the right place. In order for a website to perform well with search engines, however, one might need to pay a little more for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services
5. A website allows you to make announcements.
This is more important for some businesses than it is for others, but it’s still a great benefit of having a website. Having an online representation can allow a business to inform its customers easily about certain promotions, events or new products and services. And even though small business web design is both beneficial and relatively cheap, it’s strangely not very popular among owners. This is likely going to change, however, once small business owners realize that it’s the only way to keep up with the ever-growing competition.