3 Reasons Your Business Must Have A Website

A significant part of my life lives on the internet, and I cannot imagine my life without it. In fact, there was a scheduled 5-hour power outage where I live a few weeks ago and it was quite challenging to endure. Even using a computer felt pointless because there was no internet. Thankfully, I still had my smartphone and access to mobile data through which I was able to access the internet at least for short periods of time if I needed to.

The reality is that we live in a time where most people are now walking around with smartphones in their pockets or have laptops or computers which we use to access the internet. Whenever we have a question about anything our first instinct is to search Google for answers. The results page on Google will give you a whole list of website links that you can click on and read until you find what you are looking for. This is the essence of my message to you, that people are now finding answers to their questions on websites and if your business doesn’t have a website yet then you are not at the forefront of answering people’s questions. In other words, not having a website puts you at a significant disadvantage over your competitors.

Let’s go through my top 3 reasons for why your business must have a website if you want your business to succeed.

1. Your Target Audience Is Already Online

To reiterate what I’ve already implied, is that your target audience is already most likely online. The world has changed, and everyone now lives one life in the physical world and one life in the online world. As individuals, we establish our online presence through our social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. We interact with each other sharing pictures, videos, memes, and now recently reels!

So much of our time is spent online that it is critical for businesses to recognize the opportunities they are missing out on if they don’t engage with their target audience through these online platforms. The ideal strategy is to use social media to direct your target audience to your website, which should be thought of as your virtual shop.

If you think of a business such as Canadian Tire, or Walmart, or Shoppers Drug Mart, we all know that they have physical locations where you and I can go to if we want to buy something or just browse through their products and services. Their products and services are displayed for you on racks, shelves, cabinets, or even stacked on top of each other. You can organize and display your products and services on your website however you want, and people will be able to access the information you display from the comforts of their home.

Furthermore, it is fair to say that your target audience expects you to have a website for your services and that if you don’t then you look less professional.

2. Reach New Potential Customers and Generate More Leads

Finding new customers is an essential part of business growth and having a website for your business helps you to do that. Let’s assume you are a restaurant owner who provides Sri Lankan halal food for Muslims in Toronto, Canada. If you didn’t have a website to advertise your services, then the only way people can learn of you is through marketing efforts such as word of mouth, newspaper ads, posters, flyers, and advertisements on bulletin boards. Think of that customer who is interested in Sri Lankan halal food and don’t know you yet. They pull out their phone, search “Sri Lankan Halal Food Toronto” on Google.

The websites that show up on the first page of Google and at the very top are the winners of this competition. The potential customer is most likely to click on the top links on the first page. If you don’t have a website, you haven’t even given your business a chance to compete. However, having a website isn’t enough. It needs to be optimized for Google to rank your website at the top of such a Google search through a process called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Having a website and following SEO best practices, gives your business that competitive edge when its done correctly.

3. Improve Customer Experience By Selling Directly Online

These days, most major companies such as Amazon, eBay, major retail stores like Walmart and Canadian Tire all have online stores by which their customers can order something and have it delivered or picked up. Each company is different in their model, but they all have the same understanding, that providing their customers with a better overall experience with their service is crucial for their business to do well in today’s market.

Convenience has become so important that people are now willing to pay more money for it. Compare the customer who can order your product from their sofa to the customer who must make the effort to come to the store to buy the same product. Personally, I buy most of what I need on Amazon because they most likely have what I’m looking for and they offer 2-day delivery service which is very fast. Sometimes their products do cost more than at other stores, but the convenience of having the product delivered within 2-days is worth that extra cost for me depending on whether I’m facing a time crunch or not.

Non-Profit Organizations Can Collect Donations Online

For non-profit organizations, donations are the fuel for their success. Donations pay the overhead and funds the capital projects. Offering your audience opportunity to make online donations from the comfort of their homes increases the likelihood of them donating.

So Do You Need A Website For Your Business?

As a final verdict, I always tell people that if they want their business to grow then they should have a website and that it should be optimized for search engines. It doesn’t matter whether you are selling a product online or just advertising your services, you should want people to at the very least find your website if they search for anything related to what your business offers.