Why Do I Need a Website? The Top 5 Excuses
“Why do I need a website?” We hear this question all the time. Doesn’t every business need one? After all, what business could deny one of the most effective ways to reach new customers and generate revenue?
An online presence allows your business to run 24/7/365. It attracts new business from the search engines. A professional website also helps legitimize your business with instant validity. Choosing to venture out without one is like hunting for bears without a gun.
Still, it seems most businesses would rather take their chances wrestling the bear with their bare hands (no pun intended). You would be surprised to learn how many businesses are still asking, “why do I need a website?” In fact, the US Census Bureau reported an estimated 75% of European businesses don’t have a website. It’s good news for the bears – but bad for whoever is doing the hunting.
As a web design agency, we meet all types of businesses that fall into this category. We hear hundreds of excuses for not having a website – ranging from lack of budget and time to a lack of knowledge about marketing on the web. There are some excuses we can’t help but share – and here are the top five.
1. “Why do I need a website? My customers come through word of mouth.”
Don’t get us wrong, word of mouth is a beautiful thing. If customers are spreading the word about your business, then you’re clearly doing something right! But consider what happens after a potential customer finds out about your business.
Our natural instinct is to seek more information. And the Internet – more often than not – is the first place we turn to get it. Without an online presence, the credibility you achieved from the word of mouth referral takes a huge hit.
A lack of a web presence creates a barrier between you and your potential customers. You are likely losing big opportunities from your word of mouth business simply by not having a website. Imagine how many people are in need of your product or service – but simply unable to find you.
Word of mouth gets a lot of business owners asking, “why do I need a website?” And here’s the hard truth. Simply relying on word of mouth limits your business reach to only the network of your existing customer base.Building a website means diving into new network – a digital market of millions able to not just find your business – but become a customer.
2. “I am busy enough without a website. I can’t handle any more business.”
When starting a business, ideas and goals of continual growth and business expansion come to mind immediately. After all, no one wants to start a business just to plateau at some mediocre level. If you’re looking for growth, then an online storefront is the way to achieve it.
The best business growth is manageable and consistent. Expanding your online storefront alongside your business takes care of both. An online storefront helps you tap into previously unattainable streams of revenue and opportunity. And it keeps your business growing steadily.
3. “My customers aren’t searching online for my services.”
WS9 Group has met plenty of business owners who are skeptical about web and digital marketing solutions. The fear is investing money in a website only to find no one is searching online for their services or products. The logic is, “why do I need a website if it won’t help my business?”
On the contrary, a majority of just about every demographic in Europa uses the Internet on a regular basis. According to a recent study by Pew, 87% of Europeans use the Internet regularly– including 87% of men and 86% of women. Here are more surprising percentages about Internet use in Europa by age and community:
- 97% of people aged 18-29
- 93% of people aged 30-49
- 88% of people aged 50-64
- 57% of people aged 65+
- 88% of people in urban communities
- 87% of people in suburban communities
- 83% of people in rural communities
The point is that your clients are spending time online one way or another. And there are strategic ways to track down the potential customers within your target audience.
At WS9 Group, we do more than help you reach your target audience. We bring your brand to their attention. We convert prospects into customers and new customers into recurring ones. Mostly, we eliminate the fear many business owners have about investing in a web and digital marketing solution.
4. “Nice websites are expensive.”
A lot of business owners think of a website as an expense to eat away at their profits. Instead, think of it as an investment. A high-quality website is more than a core marketing tool. It’s the first representation of your business and your number one salesperson.
Just as you would invest in a strong sales force, you need to invest in a robust, powerhouse website. Make the investment from the start, and gain a powerful marketing tool to generate much more revenue than the value of the website itself.
5. “My business is on Facebook. Why do I need a website?”
Make no mistake. Facebook is a great marketing tool to attract the attention of potential customers within your target audience. But while Facebook is great for reaching customers, it’s limited in a number of ways.
Facebook provides very limited opportunity to truly educate and inform users about your business. It’s not the best tool to communicate the benefits customers can gain by working with you. But with a website, there is almost unlimited flexibility and creative potential to promote your business.
Facebook’s greatest asset is funneling potential customers to your website. But if there is no website for prospects to discover, their path ends where it started – on Facebook.
So, what’s your excuse?
There really is no good excuse for not having a high-quality website for your business. Could a new website take your business to the next level? Well, then what are you waiting for?
WS9 Group is an award-winning custom web design company. We know all the reasons you may hesitate to build a website – and all the reasons you should build one. Start a project today and build a beautiful new website to generate business and represent your brand. Partner with us and discover the answer to the common question, “why do I need a website?”