We see many small businesses on social media that are running without a website. But trust me, in the long run, you would need a website because as your business grows managing it becomes difficult. Therefore, websites not only help you keep track of everything but also help with order management. Most importantly, customers tend to trust those companies more that have both an online and web presence. Sure you can kick start your business idea from Instagram or Facebook but moving forward you would need a website development company to help you develop your website — exactly how you would want. Sometimes businesses focus on getting the product out in the market and consider website development less important. They end up completely ignoring it — which is wrong. Because it can lead to low conversion rates and overall lower revenue.
In this blog I will discuss how ignoring website development can cost you in the long run and as well as what you can do to avoid it. So let’s jump straight into it, shall we?
Limits Your Audience Reach
This is the most important disadvantage of not owning a business website. The whole idea of websites and online presence is to promote your business and inclusivity. Not having a website means you are missing out on more than 50% of your potential customers — you won’t be able to explore or reach your target audience.
You will lose the opportunity of connecting with your potential customers. If you don’t have a website you will only be able to cater to people in that particular area but if you have a website you can reach across borders effortlessly. Reaching a wider set of audience is the number one advantage of having a website. So don’t overlook that.
Unable to Build Customer Relationships
You need your customers to trust you, and to connect with you but how will they if you don’t even have a medium. Fine, you are present on social media but it shouldn’t be the only way through which you connect with your people — you should always provide alternatives. Because what if the social media is down — it won’t let your customers stop reaching you out if you have a website.
Moreover, websites bridge the gap between the business and customers — strong customer connections play an important role in brand awareness and higher conversions. Because if you have an online presence your customers trust you, and when they trust you they are more likely to refer you to people in their circle which would enhance your image in return. Also, you can easily convey your company or product updates to your customers straight from the site. Pro tip: most of the time, companies lack in-house website development expertise, at times like these I advise them to outsource website development services for optimal results.
Higher Advertisement Expenses
So if you are leveraging the power of social media only — you are draining your budget by spending hundreds of dollars on ad campaigns and paid partnerships. Whereas websites offer you cost-efficient options. How? Because you can get many in-built marketing tools such as you can generate discount coupons and vouchers and send push notifications about new sale offers.
These in-built marketing tools not only save time but also lots of money. If you are developing an eCommerce website, Shopify’s eCommerce building platform should be your number one choice because it is highly secure, PCI compliant, user friendly, responsive, and highly SEO friendly as well. Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce building platforms and every web development company would know how to develop it.
Lack of Customer Trust
Customers trust businesses with ample online presence. If your customers can’t see you, they won’t trust you and when they don’t trust you, they won’t buy from you — and then you know what happens next right? You will go into losses and won’t be able to break even. Moreover, you need a business website for not only sales but for Google search presence. Social media is not enough to handle all the work. You can not appear in search engines only through social selling. Therefore, have a website for your business, optimize it for SEO, and bag more leads.
Lower Brand Awareness
When you are new in the town, people have to get to know you and you get to know them — it’s not like they would know everything about you beforehand. Similarly, your customers need to be made aware of your brand, you need to show yourself to the world and let them know you exist and you simply can not do it without a proper channel and no social media alone is not enough. Brand awareness is one of the initial stages in the entire marketing funnel.
People should know about your brand, they should see you, they should hear you — the more they see you the more likely they are to buy from you. To develop your website and leave a positive impression on your potential customers today and a web development company will help you achieve all that you want. Having said that, web design and development is not a piece of cake, custom website development costs a lot. The reason why hiring a web development company is cost-efficient.
No Organic Traffic
They say it right that securing organic traffic is difficult but once organic traffic starts coming in, there is no stopping it. But then again your organic web traffic is related to owning a website. Organic traffic is actually the most authentic traffic there is. Meaning the chances of them converting are higher than paid campaigns. Therefore have a website, rank it on Google, and have organic traffic without even having to pay for the advertisements. Moreover, online presence also enhances your customer experience and loyalty — since they can reach you any time of the day and get immediate responses.
Now that you know how important developing a website can be for your business – now it’s time to search for the best web development company out there to turn your dreams into a living reality