There are certainly a variety of ways that companies design and use websites. This will vary by industry, audience, and what the fulfillment process is for providing a product or service to that audience. There are unique businesses that sell a specialized service or a more complex product that requires a lot of relationship building and multiple steps to close a deal – not necessarily something you would impulse buy online. This leads some business owners to say, “Well, I don’t really need a website, but...”
…But, you really do.
Even if your sales are made offline, your clients are researching you online.
We are past the emerging Internet! Our culture now lives and breathes the Internet on a daily basis. Despite being a business-to-business corporation, or a special niche business, you still need to have a website. At the very minimum, having a professional website confirms that you are a modern business. Imagine someone has heard about your business from a friend and they are comparing bids. The first place they are likely to go is a computer to look up your business online and check out your website to learn more about you. What happens if they don’t find one? You might be giving that person the impression that you are not a well-established company, or that you did not put time, effort, or investment into your business. People make a lot of assumptions when they don’t have information provided to them.
“In Pew Research’s report released in January 2014, research indicated that 87% of US adults are using the Internet.”
Websites are not just for tech companies and bloggers.
When talking about having a web presence, your industry doesn’t matter. Does John Deere sell computers to geeks? No, they sell construction equipment, tractors, and mowers. But guess what – they have a website with a global reach. Do houses usually get purchased online? No, but real estate agents and home builders need websites. (And, by the way, blogs are not just for bloggers either.)
Your website gives you more control over your brand message.
You can control the information people find out about you on your own website – how your brand is conveyed, the kind of photography they see, the description of your services, the latest specials, and pricing. You do not have ultimate control over third-party websites that may build profiles about you. Would you rather direct your customer to the right message and your ideal call to action, or are you just ok with them stumbling upon misinformation? What if an old customer left 1 bad review about your business on a review website, and there is nothing else positive that comes up in Google? The only way to deemphasize information that does not go well with your company persona is to create your own content and bring it to the forefront.
Customers use your website as a resource.
Before the customers of a small retail store pop by for a visit, they look up the website on mobile phones to double-check the address. They also frequently use websites from work, home, and on the road to grab contact information to place an order, ask a question, or review products beforehand. Offices who crave efficiency can offer Frequently Asked Questions sections on their website to offload customer service phone calls. If helpful information is found easily on your website, your most common support phone calls will probably decrease. Medical offices can offer registration forms and health history forms to ease patient check-in time. A website can truly be a great efficiency tool when the content is proactive.
