If you’re asking yourself questions like “how important is a website for a business?, or “why is a website important for a small business?” then you’re not alone. Many small to medium businesses– and even some Fortune 500 companies– are paying more attention to their website than ever.
But why? In this article, we’ll show you why web design is still essential for business in 2022, and why having a website for your business is critical for success.
Why is a Website Important for Small Businesses?
This might surprise you, but there are still many businesses– large and small– that aren’t paying attention to their websites.
And listen, we get it. It can be tempting to let your website fall into the background while you focus on things like your exciting new landing page, or your social media accounts instead of your website.
Many business owners will say “my customers can definitely find anything they’re looking for on our company Facebook page.” And while social media is a great way to connect with your customers, it should not be the foundation of your online presence.
A website is important for your business because it can be whatever you want it to be without being under the restrictions of any online platform. You can give your customers the experience you want them to have with almost literally no boundaries but your imagination.
In a world where you can feel more connected than ever to your customers through multiple online channels, don’t fall into a false sense of security. It’s critical for your business to have a professional website that you use as your online “home base” to represent you. Websites are more important than ever, and it’s time that we focus on yours.
DID YOU KNOW: There are more than 2 billion websites online with more than 540,000 websites created globally every day.
What are the Benefits of a Great Website?
If you want some specifics on why a website is important for small businesses (or really any businesses), let’s start by taking a look at some high-level statistics before we drill down.
DID YOU KNOW:
- 93.5% of global internet users have purchased products online.
- 75% of consumers admit to judging a company’s trustworthiness and credibility on how its website looks and performs.
- 57% of consumers won’t recommend a business if they have an outdated, slow, or badly designed website.
- 85% of adult consumers expect a website to look better on a mobile device than it does on desktop.
- 38% will give up on a website and not engage with it if the layout or content aren’t attractive to the eye.
- 88% of consumers who shop online only give a site one chance, and are less likely to come back after a bad experience.
- 77% of professional web design agencies find once they’re hired that website user experience is a problem for their clients.
- 47% of website visitors expect the average website to load in 2 seconds maximum
- Retailers lose ~$2.6 billion dollars a year from websites that load slowly.
As you can see, all the numbers point to one thing: if you don’t have a great-looking, functional website, you’re almost guaranteed to be losing out on customers and revenue.
Now let’s drill down into some other specific benefits of having a great website to compete in today’s market.
First Impressions Are Important
We all understand the importance of a good first impression, right? Well did you know that some first impressions are made in milliseconds? (More specifically, around .05 seconds to be exact.)
That’s how quickly someone judges your website. (And for those of you who have a website that takes longer than that to load, remember– that’s a first impression too…)
DID YOU KNOW: 39% of people will give up on a website if it takes too long to load, never even seeing it
This means that in less than a second, your website’s visitors have subconsciously made a judgment call about your company.
Will they stay? Leave? Do they think you’re a legit company, or do they think your site looks untrustworthy? These things happen in milliseconds at the speed of subconscious thought.
So how can you make a first impression that will win potential customers over and tip the scales in your favor?
It’s simple. Good design.
When you use good design practices for your entire website, your customers will notice. There are parts of your site that customers will see (also known as the ‘front-end’), and there are parts they won’t see (also known as the ‘back end’). You need to be sure to use good design principles on both so your site is gorgeous, runs fast, and is easy to navigate and understand. If you implement the fundamentals of good design, you’ll find success.
DID YOU KNOW: 75% of your website’s credibility comes from how a customer thinks it “looks and feels” when they visit it.
Even if your company is the best in your industry at what you do, if your website is poorly designed on the front end or the back end, customers judge your business accordingly. Remember, your website is your opportunity to give your company instant credibility (or instant distrust) online. So ask yourself this question: does your website do a good job of giving your company the great impression it deserves?
Brand Identity and Voice
It’s also important to remember that your website should be the perfect representation of your brand. In today’s market, every part of your website “speaks”, but the question is, what is it saying?
For instance, if you go to the website of a local brewery that is known for being weird and wacky, wouldn’t you be confused if you landed on their website and it was straight-laced and ultra-professional?
And what if we flipped that. What if you went to the website of a local law firm, and it looked like a wild, wacky, Hawaiian-themed party?
If you were a consumer, both of those examples would likely leave you scratching your head and frankly– finding another brewery or law firm.
So what is your brand identity and voice? Rugged and outdoorsy? Petite and sweet? Professional but self-aware and humorous?
Having “a” website isn’t enough to win over customer trust in today’s modern marketplace. When people search for you, they should find a website that gets the point across of who you are and what they can expect from your brand.
And guess what? When you absolutely nail your brand identity and voice on your website, you’ll notice a stark difference in the way customers interact with your website.
DID YOU KNOW: 46% percent of online consumers say they would pay more for brands they trust and relate with, and consistent branding can increase conversions by 33%.
Beat Out Your Competitors
Business owners hate to think about this, but when customers are choosing what they’re going to purchase, you should count on the fact that statistically, they’ll likely be checking out your competitors as well.
And as they decide between your company and your competitors, you can bet they’re going to look at each of your websites and compare them in some way.
If your website is behind your competitors in terms of design, speed, or content, your customers are statistically more likely to choose your competitor.
Do your homework and see where you stand when it comes to your competition. Take some time and look at some of your competitor’s websites this week (try to do at least three to get a good sampling).
One of two things is likely to happen:
- You’ll see how bad their sites are and be excited to get way ahead of them
- You’ll be sad because of how good their sites are and be inspired to jump on the opportunity to revamp your site
Some people try to excuse the fact that their competitor’s websites are better by saying “Don’t worry, once they talk to us, they won’t choose our competitor.” That’s not a mentality you can safely have in the current market.
Remember: you might not get a chance to interact with some customers, and your website is all they’ll have to look at when making their buying decision about a product or service.
Would your website beat out your competitors in a head-to-head match?
DID YOU KNOW: By a factor of 3 to 1, online buyers (especially Business to Business) say that gathering information online on their own is superior to interacting with a sales representative, and 70-90% of them have made up their mind before ever contacting a salesperson.
SEO Means Customers Come to You
The term “SEO” or “search engine optimization” is a phrase that many business owners have heard. It basically means that your website can be found when people are searching for what you do.
Google is just a big index of every website online, and it’s #1 job is to deliver results that people are looking for. So by using SEO techniques, you can tell Google what your website is about so it can show up in the right searches by the right customers. Even basic SEO that you practice and implement over time can have customers come to you.
Think about it using this example: if someone goes to Google (or another search engine) and types in “custom car paint job”, they are likely in the market to get their car painted. If your business is a body shop that does great paint jobs for cars, you want to show up in that search, right?
When you use basic SEO practices, you’re increasing your chances of showing up in the right searches at the right time.
This is more important than ever as social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are all making it harder and harder to reach people organically without having to pay.
It’s worth noting that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s a lot like growing a tree– you have to tend to it, and it will slowly grow. If you haven’t been putting SEO “seeds” in the ground, the best time to start is now.
DID YOU KNOW: 1 in 5 businesses say that their main website issue is low traffic and updating your existing website with some simple SEO “first aid” can increase page clicks by more than 437%.
Let Your Products Shine
As we mentioned, your website is a reflection of your company that your customers will experience online. So when you’re building the ideal website, be sure to let your products shine.
This might seem basic, but you’d be surprised how many companies miss out on an opportunity to use their websites to their fullest potential when it comes to selling their products and services.
Sure many companies will have a sterile “list” of what people can buy, but you’ve got to do more than that to stand out.
When we say you should let your products “shine” on your website, it means to:
- If you can, have a dedicated product page for each product. This gives the product a place to truly shine and be the star
- Have a great image that makes people want to buy your product or service
- Have a description that lists benefits not just “facts” about what you’re selling
- Have social proof if possible. Things like customer reviews go a long way toward building credibility
- Consider including
Taking some of these tips can help you sell more products, but there are even more benefits to letting your products truly shine.
When you let your products shine on your website, you’re making sure your marketing strategy is modern and effective. The way that marketing works has changed quite a bit now that we live in a world with social media– and frankly, many businesses are way behind.
In the days before social media, advertisers would try to get the most of their advertising dollars by including as much information in their advertisements as possible. The idea was to try to give people the full picture in a single ad. This meant that ads were loaded down with all kinds of specs, details, and descriptions.
That doesn’t work anymore.
Now, the ads that perform the best are the ones that are simple, and grab the viewer’s attention. In some cases, they don’t even tell exactly what the product or service is or does at all.
The idea is to get someone’s attention and get them to make a meaningful click with as little information as possible.
Then, when a customer clicks on this ad that captures their curiosity, it leads them to another platform– like your company website, where they can learn more about the product.
This means that if you get the click we just mentioned above, chances are that the person who comes to your site is already interested in what you have to offer. This means you have a ‘warm prospect’ on your site, and they’re okay with you going into more detail about your products or services– and it doesn’t scare them away because they’re interested and ready for it.
You’ll want to create a product page with a clear flow that gives customers great information and drives them toward a purchase (or whatever action you’re looking for on your site).
Nowadays, if someone ends up on your website, chances are they’re already interested in what you have to offer. And because this person is what we call ‘warm’, or has ‘warm interest’, you can go into greater detail about your product on your website without being afraid of scaring them away. In fact, if you create product pages that have a clear flow, you can give customers quite a bit of interesting, digestible information.
DID YOU KNOW: 47% of website visitors check out a company’s products or services page before looking at any other pages, and 75% of social media users have taken an action (like visiting a website) after looking at an Instagram advertising post.
Make Money (or Acquire Leads) While You Sleep
Did you know that your website can be your best salesperson? (And think about what that means: you don’t have to pay your website a commission…)
If your website isn’t your best salesperson, you’re missing out on an enormous opportunity. Think about it: what’s the best part of selling things online? Making money while you sleep.
When your website is properly set up, you can gain sales and leads without having to do a thing. This means that your website has to be optimized for the customers to take action (this is also known as having your website ‘built for conversions’). When your website is built for conversions you can drastically increase the sales of your company because your website is always selling.
If your website isn’t optimized and designed in an attractive way that encourages the customer to take action, you’re missing out on countless leads and sales.
DID YOU KNOW: 70% of small business websites don’t have a direct Call to Action (CTA) on their homepage, and 49.7% of companies who use webforms 24/7 say it’s their highest converting lead generation tool.
Beyond Contact Info: Real Customer Service
One of the most underutilized aspects of your company website is its ability to become your customer service hub. We live in something called the “thank you economy” (coined by famed foul-mouthed marketing Gary V).
In his book, Gary talks about how the real way to build your business is to show genuine appreciation for customers, truly listen to them, and run your online business like a small town shop with the way you reply. What do we mean by that? One-on-one, customized, individual attention.
Having a website where customers can come and connect with you beyond the normal ‘contact us’ page on your website can be huge.
Two ways to truly capitalize on this philosophy is:
1) In-Depth FAQ: Have an in-depth, easy-to-understand Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on your website. Make sure that you cover as many bases as possible. If people can find the answers to the customer service issues they’re looking for quickly and easily, they’ll be grateful.
2) Live Chat: It’s easier than ever to have a widget on your website where your customers can chat with you (or a simple AI chatbot) quickly and easily. Talking to your customers through this chat tool is often called ‘conversational commerce’, and it can be one of the most incredible sales tools you’ll ever use. Help your existing and potential customers at the speed of conversation.
If those aren’t as feasible for you, do you absolute best to answer emails from your website form as fast as possible (and make sure they’re not landing in your SPAM inbox).
Use your website as a way to truly connect with your website visitors, and you can deliver a customer service experience like no other.
DID YOU KNOW: 73% of customers said that live chat is their preferred method of communication with a company, and is the #1 choice for shoppers between the ages of 18 and 49.
Better Websites Save You Money
Did you know that having a better website doesn’t just help you make more money– it actually helps you save more money too? It’s true.
For example. If your website is designed well, it will be equipped to handle multiple tasks that could take several employees to handle. Your site can be designed to:
- Answer potential customer questions and objections
- Allow site visitors to do their own product research
- Handle existing customer service requests
- Let people book their own meetings with your sales and support team
- Allow site visitors to buy their own products.
If your website is poorly designed, you’ll have employees taking on time-consuming tasks that your website could automate. Efficient websites not only make processes faster, but they also cut down on labor, and let your staff focus on the important things that matter.
In the long-run, by making your site more efficient, you can actually save money on labor costs in your lead generation, sales, customer service departments and more.
The flip side is if your website, you’re going to be bombarded with simple support requests and questions, increasing your labor costs. Not only that, but if things are less clear, you’ll also likely lose sales.
DID YOU KNOW: 66% of adults feel that valuing their time is the most important thing a company can do to provide them with good online customer experience.
Websites Complete Your Marketing Plan
As we mentioned earlier, websites are a pivotal part of having a complete, overall marketing plan. Why? Because at the end of the day, your website is the anchor of your company identity online.
You may have the best ads out there, and the best engagement on your social media platforms behind them, but that won’t work on its own.
The issue is that if your ads and social media platforms eventually lead your audience to a poorly designed website, you won’t see many (if any) conversions. When your website isn’t great, your advertising is essentially leading fish to a bucket with a big hole in it.
So what does the opposite look like? When you have a well-designed website, you have a solid foundation for a strong marketing campaign that can get you some real conversions (and a return on your investment).
Did you know that 92% of business owners believe that just having their website online directly contributes effectively to their digital marketing strategy?
Use your website as an opportunity to build a strong, cohesive marketing plan. By making your website the cornerstone of your online presence it should be, you can generate more leads, collect email addresses to build your lists, and make direct sales.
If your website is set up correctly, you can also gather valuable data about the customers who visit your site. This information, also often called ‘Analytics’ or ‘Google Analytics, is an excellent source of seeing who is visiting your site and how they’re behaving. By looking over this data, you can see:
- Demographics of people visiting your
- Their behavior– what pages visited, how long are they staying
- Sources of traffic and how they’re interacting with your site
- Devices used by your audience
- Potential errors on your site
As you can see, if you use your website properly, it can be used in various ways to strengthen your overall marketing plan.
DID YOU KNOW: 83% of online consumers say that a seamless experience across all devices and platforms is very important to them.
Websites Are More Affordable and Accessible Than Ever
Website are more affordable and accessible than they’ve ever been before. With services like Wix, Squarespace, and others, you can have a website for double digits a month (or a couple hundred dollars a year). And then there’s WordPress, which is essentially free to get started (as long as you own your own web address).
In this scenario, the affordability comes because it’s a do-it-yourself situation. And while all of these services are user-friendly, none of them are “automatic.” A lot of them use templates that let you go in and customize certain aspects of “pre-made” websites.
If you’re a go-getter, a self-starter, and someone who does well watching tutorials, this might be for you.
DID YOU KNOW: Wix has over 200 million users worldwide, and they boast at having more than 800 templates to choose from.
Some Website Warnings
While we’re focusing on the benefits of having a great website, we also wanted to warn you of some of the most common pitfalls we see businesses of all sizes fall into. Do any of these “website warnings” apply to you and your business?
DIY is Harder Than it Seems
While Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, and other website builders that use templates can seem easy on the surface, there is a lot to manage and juggle when building your website.
You need to understand hosting, domains, at least basic webpage building, copywriting, and image sourcing (for starters). Trust us when we say that many small business owners who dive into the task of trying to build their own sites either never have time to finish, or give up along the way.
This isn’t an attempt to discourage you– only to prepare you. Until your website is finished, this will be a full-time task.
Also, be extremely careful that you know what you’re doing if you have an existing website. It is common for people to accidentally delete or lose their old website while developing a new one.
If you do take the DIY route, be sure you do as much research and preparation available or you risk broken links, lost SEO rankings, and other negative effects.
Older Websites Can Harm Your Business
Are you reading through this article nodding along at how well your website is stacking up? Great! Now, ask yourself this question: “How old is my website?” If you answered anything beyond 2-3 years, you actually might be further behind than you first thought. Here are some ways that your old website can be harming your business
- If your site looks old, it can damage credibility (remember all of the statistics about how customers judge you based on your site).
- Your site is very likely much slower than the average modern site, which can cause users to leave quickly.
- There are new threats to website security every week, so if your site is older, it’s statistically likely that it is a major security risk that you don’t realize.
- Older sites are often very text-heavy, and don’t hold up to modern standards.
- Many older sites are not optimized for mobile, which is where more than 50% of web traffic comes from.
- Older sites that haven’t been touched in a long time look like they’ve been abandoned to Google, and it hurts your ability to be found in searches.
We can go on and on, but the truth is that most older sites are going to hold your business back for multiple reasons.
If you have an older site, consider that it might be time for a facelift.
Vizey Can Help You With a Web Design Package
Did you find yourself reading this article and feeling like perhaps your existing website didn’t measure up? Were you reading some of the benefits and wishing that you had a website that could do what we mentioned?
Or worse, did you get to the end of the article and find yourself relating more to our ‘website warnings’ than you did with the rest of the article?
Don’t worry, no matter what state your website is in, our team here at Vizey can help.
We specialize in helping small businesses have incredible, industry-standard websites without breaking the bank. We believe that every company deserves to have a website that represents them well, and we’re experts at making that a reality.
Whether you need us to create a website, or work on your existing website, one of the first things we love to do is a 100% free Vizey Website Audit.
We’ll have the folks from our team look through your website to give you an honest, expert opinion about where your website is currently, and where it can be.
If you’re ready to have a website that helps you connect with customers, make more revenue, and is found by more people, then claim your free site audit today.
We’re looking forward to talking to you.