First impressions matter! Fun fact: It takes only about 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion about your website design. That’s 0.05 seconds for your potential customers to decide if your site, and ultimately – your business, is worth sticking around for or not.
Seriously, friends– 88% of consumers research a product online before making their purchase. 88% of your potential customers will visit your website (and probably your competitors) before deciding if they’ll visit your business. Does your website do a good job of representing your business?
If it’s not obvious yet, I’ll go ahead and tell you: Your business *needs* a website.
No, not just any website; your business needs a professional website design. Because a website that’s boring or cluttered, takes forever to load, and doesn’t include critical info your potential customers are seeking, will hurt your business rather than help it. The appearance and usability of your website can make or break your business.
Here are 5 compelling reasons why your business NEEDS a professional website:
1. Credibility. Again, about 9 out of 10 people are going to search for their solutions online before they visit your store. If you don’t have a website at all, chances are one of your competitors do. Where do you think the potential customer is most likely to go?
Having a website says “I care about my business, and I’m here to stay”.
I don’t recommend using a free website building platform, but it’s better than no website at all. However, if you have a DIY freebie website that you built yourself, ask yourself, is it providing you with the image you envisioned for your brand? Please don’t be that business owner that has a website online that says “Hey look, I used a free website builder!” 10/10 Very unprofessional. I’m telling you this because I love you.
With mindful planning, designed efficiently, with your customers’ (and potential customers’) needs in mind, your website will offer a professional image and a great experience when visited.
2. Information. In its most elementary form, imagine a website to be an online brochure that can be updated at any time.
A website is an effective way of reaching your customers to announce new services, products, upcoming events or special promotions. Some other forms of advertising can quickly become outdated, but your website can provide current information and news.
A website goes so much further than being an online brochure though. We have endless media outlets to showcase our skills, smarts and products. Not to mention integrating social media so you can share info on your site across numerous other channels, reaching an even wider audience.
3. Accessibility. A website is open 24/7, 365! A website gives you the ability to provide the convenience of seeing your products or services when your physical business is closed.
Also, with so many add-on’s available, website visitors can contact you, schedule appointments and, if you’d like, purchase directly through your website.
We live in a crazy busy world. Convenience is such an awesome selling point!
4. Customer Service. A website can improve customer service, which improves loyalty, which guarantees your customers will keep coming back to you when they need your products or services.
It doesn’t matter what you sell, consumers love a personal touch. Sharing tips and advice to customers regarding your products or services can be a huge asset to your customer service. If you’re selling hair products, you could provide styling tips that line up with each product. If you’re offering insurance, you could offer advice on how to choose the right insurance policy based on their needs.
Last but not least, including a FAQ page allows you to address a lot of your customers’ questions before they even ask. Talk about customer service!
5. Ownership and Control. With a professional, self-hosted website, you own everything contained within your online space. If you ever decide to move to a different web-host, you can take everything with you.
With free DIY websites, you’re not always able to take your content with you (at least not easily) when you’re ready to move on. Starting from scratch isn’t appealing in this case.
If you’re serious about the long-term prospects of your business, a professional website design is the way to go. Professionally designed websites look better, work better, and are easier for business owners to deal with.
And to be frank, a cheap pre-made template looks like a cheap pre-made template, and it doesn’t have much room for improvement.
A professional website design requires tons of fine-tuning and technical knowledge. But the impact it has on your digital marketing? Priceless.
If you’re ready to discuss building a website that thrives, let us know! We’re happy to help.