Here are eight of the biggest benefits your small business can receive from even a simple website:

1. A website makes you look professional

84% of today’s consumers think a website makes your business more credible than companies who only have social media profiles. Your website is also the perfect place to show off any professional certifications or awards your business has.
Beyond that, having your own website lets you create a branded email address (e.g. [email protected]) which adds a level of professionalism to all of your correspondence, especially if you’ve used a personal email address to conduct business up until now.

2. Your website can attract new customers through Google

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the key to making your business appear on the front page of Google. The phrase “search engine optimization” might be intimidating, but in practice, it’s fairly simple. You enter words and phrases related to your business into a keyword research tool, figure out which ones are getting the most traffic on Google, then build your content around those phrases. As a rule, each piece of content should be focused on a different keyword, so that as your list of content grows, your site is able to rank for more keywords.

3. You can clearly showcase your products and services

You can show potential customers what they’ll get when they work with you by displaying high-quality photography on your website. You can also use your website design, along with the featured images, to give people a sense of what it feels like to enter your physical location. Another thing you can do is publish important information about your products and services on your website to make sure you’re attracting the right customers.

4. You can display your best reviews and testimonials prominently on your website

Displaying your best reviews and/or testimonials prominently on your website is a great way to establish social proof. If your business has appeared in articles from newspapers or popular local blogs, you can also feature those. Publishing your best reviews on your website also serves the secondary purpose of creating a permanent archive. This means that even if third-party review sites close at some point in the future, you’ll still have access to your best reviews.

5. A website can encourage customers to contact you

A website is a great place to make your contact information easily available to potential customers. You can even publish your contact information in a header or footer so it appears on every single page. Modern websites also make it easy to create a contact form, which can protect your business email from spam.

6. You can integrate your website with Google Maps so people can find you more easily

A website lets you embed maps directly into your content. An embedded map makes it easy for people who don’t spend a lot of time in your area to find your business. This is particularly great if you host events, as they might attract people who wouldn’t otherwise spend time in the neighborhood your business is in.

7. Your website establishes your place in your industry

71% of small businesses have websites and 81% of customers research things online before they buy them. In other words, if your competitors are online and you’re not, those competitors get the first interactions with customers.
Creating a website gives you a space to share what your business is about, establish your role in the industry, and connect with the customers who need you.

8. A website ensures your success over the long term

Almost 4.66 billion people (59.5% of the global population) uses the Internet. In many countries, that number is much higher. In the UK, for example, over 90% of people are online.
Without a website, your business is invisible to these people. As we progress further into the digital era, your business will become invisible to everyone unless you invest in a website.
So to stay competitive in this increasingly digital world, your business needs to get online.

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