Table of Contents
Target new customers worldwide
You want as many customers as possible when you’re starting a business. You would start by reaching out to people around you and your local market, which is a great starting point and highly recommended. But what happens when your local market starts to dry up, or your target customers are not in your local market? The next step is to reach out to new customers all over the world.
Fantastic, you’ve come to the realisation. It is easy via the internet for your business to be found whether you offer services or sell digital or physical products. These days, the first thing many people do when they hear about your business is to look you up online.
With over 3billion people worldwide having access to the internet, the odds of getting a good percentage of that number to check out your website via organic search is enormous. So, your potential customers are always searching for your services/products online. Without a website, you will be limited to your local market and stuck to making the same figure in sales every year.
Build a solid brand reputation
Another significant benefit of a website for your business is free brand credibility. Potential customers or investors will perceive your company as reputable if you have a well structured, informative website.
A simple way to view a website is your online business address. Your business website is where your customers, clients and associates go to find you on the Internet. Having a website makes you look more professional and provides customers with in-depth information about your brand, products and services. It offers you the opportunity to build trust and relationships with them.
It’s important to note that social media doesn’t replace having a website. A website gives you full control over how your business is presented – something that no social media platform can do for you.
Gain information about your customers
A website isn’t just a platform to share information about your business or sell to the world. It is used to collect information about your customers, too.
Currently, One of the most significant benefits of having a website for a business is keeping track of its performance in real-time through analytics. By analysing your website’s traffic, you can learn more about who’s coming to your site, where they’re coming from and what they do once they get there. This information can be invaluable for optimising your website content and marketing efforts to drive more sales and conversions.
Analytics will provide you with valuable data on how your business has performed within a period. Key indicators of business performance include the following metrics.
- How many visitors your website receives each month.
- Where your website traffic is coming from (such as social media or organic search).
- Which pages on your website are most popular.
- What percentage of visitors to your website make a purchase.
Once you have this information, you can better allocate resources to improve your website and business performance.
Keep your business online 24/7
The internet has opened up so many opportunities for business owners like you. Unlike a physical office, the internet has no open or close hours, and you can still attend to customers and sell your products whenever you want, Wherever you are.
The internet is a global marketplace that allows your business to reach millions of people worldwide and make sales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Building a marketable website means making your business available for people to see you anytime and anywhere as long as they have access to the internet.
Build a Lead generation platform
Once you have a website built, add a form for people to sign up for your mailing list. Then send them blog posts, email newsletters and special deals.
It’s great to have new people visiting your site, but getting people to come back is what builds your business. One of the best ways to do that is with a mailing list. You can use your newsletter to promote new products, offer special deals and share news about your business with your customers.
Educate Leads and existing customers
Customers don’t always know what they’re looking for. For example, if you’re new to search engine optimisation, it can be hard to figure out what it is all about.
If you sell products online, you will want to educate customers about shipping and delivery, returns and refunds information etc. A website is a perfect tool for this task. You can use it to educate your audience on the best products, depending on their requirements and goals.
There’ll be a significant reduction in time spent by yourself or your staff explaining the basics of a product or service to inquiring customers. If they are not at your store, you can directly refer them to your website if they have any additional questions.
24/7 Always online customer support
With every new prospect comes questions. Buyers want to understand how your product/service works and its benefits before making a purchase, and this is because buyers purchase an informed decision. A home buyer wants to know about the number of rooms in a property, power supply availability, etc.
Online customer service helps you save time interacting with new prospects or existing customers, making communication more effective and quick even when sleeping.
From automated online customer service to FAQs to Knowledge Base, we know how to add online customer care features to your website. The benefits it serves, especially for e-commerce website, is vast.
Take Charge. Make your policy
When setting up an online store on an online marketplace, you are restricted to the company’s policy and must adhere to their terms and conditions, which may not be favourable to you in most cases.
As the owner of your website, you can create policies that favours your customers. You will also do what you can to make their shopping experience as smooth as possible.
Having control over your website means that you will be able to make changes without asking permission from anyone else, making it easier for you to implement new features and changes in response to customer needs and current market trends.
Building an eCommerce website allows you more control over how your products are displayed and marketed. With an eCommerce site, it’s easy for you to create a unique look.
Create new streams of income
Aside from having a virtual store to sell your products and an Internet-based address where prospective customers can find you, there are other ways to make money from your website. Here are just some of them:
Generate income through online advertising: These ads come in two forms: banner ads that appear at the top of pages or boxes placed throughout the page,
Make money through affiliate programs: If you have an e-commerce site, consider joining an affiliate program where people who blog about your products will receive a commission for each sale they generate for you. Or, if you have a website where visitors can develop their own content, such as photos or videos, consider joining Google’s AdSense program and earning money by displaying ads on your site.
Generate income by offering ad space on your site: Depending on what works best for you, you can charge advertisers by the click or by the month.
All in one business hub
Since their early beginnings, websites have evolved a lot when primarily used as Internet-based marketing brochures. Today’s websites are more advanced and equipped with features that can turn them into an all-in-one business hub.
A website is now an interactive interface designed to enhance user experience, whether they want to purchase or get information about a product and service.
- Provide a showroom for your products
- Finalise sales transactions through various modes of payment
- Receive resumes and pre-qualify them through an Applicant Tracking System or ATS
- Provide social proof via testimonials and customer reviews
- Organise customer information with a built-in CRM
- Offer subscriptions
- Sell memberships
- Educate your audience with blogs, e-books, modules, and training manuals
- Give your audience an interactive experience using 360-degree images and videos.
- Provide customer support channels via chat, email, or built-in forms.
- Give clear-cut information about your business, including a location map, directions, phone numbers, and email addresses.
Conclusion
If you want an effective website or one that can help you take your business to another level, you have to be prepared to invest in one.
Investing in a website can help you achieve long-term profitability
For your investment to pay out, you have to make sure your website is professionally designed, fully functioning with fast download speed and packed with great content.
Your best option would always be to hire a professional web designer who has the experience and training to build a functional yet aesthetically beautiful website.
