A website can offer a number of advantages to a small business, especially the Ghanaian small business. A website is a front desk, a catalogue, a magazine a showcase, a storefront and a shop.
A business website basically allows shoppers and customers to interact with the business quickly and easily from the comfort and convenience of their homes or wherever they may be, at any time. Here are seven essential uses for a website in a small business, as guide to help you, a business owner, in making the decision for setting up a website.
1. More Shoppers Use A Website When Making A Buying Decision
A website is a must-have for any business nowadays, because research has shown that an increasing number of shoppers are learning to depend on it when making a buying decision. Shoppers increasingly do a search about a product they want, on their mobile phones, and read reviews and testimonials in order to help them make a decision.
Your small business website could attract more of your target shoppers or customers to your product, simply by placing your product right in front of them on your website when they are making that buying decision. Could you imagine how many customers you may have lost just because you didn’t have a business website.
2. A Website Helps You To Tell Customers About Your Business And Services
The days when businesses send out letters or elaborate colourful catalogues through the post to showcase their products and offers to customers is long gone. Today, a website is a front desk for your business online. With your website, you let customers know what exactly you can do for them.
Indeed, there are many ways to advertise your products online, like Facebook ads or Google ads. But a very effective and most cost effective way to promote your products and services is through a website. With an SEO compliant website, you have the potential to turn any visitor to a probable customer.
3. A Website Is Always Open For Business 24/7
Unlike brick and mortar shops who close for the night and holidays, your business website is always open, 24/7. Your website will not turn your customers away just because it is time to close. It will be there for your customers to check out your offers and shop at their convenience, day and night. Customers who for one reason or another cannot physically be present in your shop can be present online to do business with you. You don’t have to lose a customer.
4. Your Website Represents Your Business
Your website is the first point of contact between your business and a customer, possibly. As shoppers check out a website before making a purchase, the website has become the face of a business. For this reason, it is imperative that your business website is professionally designed to be instantly attractive and highly informative. A business without a website is definitely losing business to the competition.
5. A Website Gives You Insight Into Shoppers’ Behaviour
Shoppers leave trails when they visit your website, and there are a number of data analytics applications that websites owners depend on to measure and analyse different aspects of the performance of their business websites.
You can analyse traffic that hits your website, including demographic characteristics, users’ interests, lifestyles, geographic location, how they got to your website, time spent, the key words for which your website shows up in search results and a whole lot more metrics you would like to measure. You may use the insight you gain to improve shopping experience for your customers.
5. A Website Is Cost Effective Medium To Keep In Touch With Buyers.
Unlike regular advertising or sales promotion that are inherently expensive to run, a website tends to be less expensive and more cost effective over time. What’s more, you may not have to wait for post surveys to see how you have fared. You can directly receive feedback from your customer through your website. The feedback, while giving you tips on what you can do well to improve your quality of service, also motivates you to come up with creative initiatives.
6. A Website Creates A Sales Funnel
With your business website, you capture people from different sources, including search engines and social media, as part of your online marketing campaigns. You set up your webpages in a way that directs visitors to your desired goals and actions to take.
When shopper get to your website, they arrive at a special page that captures their details and moves them to take action. A professionally created website with great copy-writing and psychological design features implemented would ensure that your conversion of visitors to buyers is very high.
7. Your Competitors Have Business Websites
Last but not the least, your competitors have websites, and their business, products, services and the deals the offer show up in search results when your customers conduct a search. As you’ve read above about how consumers typically start their buying journey, you would understand that they do research and read recommendations.
That is how today’s shopper approach a buying decision and behave. Your competitors are aware of that already and may already (at least some of them do). And they own a website and are making good use of that advantage, and reaping the benefits. If you don’t have a website that beats or matches the competition at least, then what are you doing?
Need Help Setting Up A Website For Your Business?
If you need help to set up you business website, or you need to have your existing website checked up, you may send me a WhatsApp on 024 479 0288 for help.