I’ll admit I’m old enough to remember the Yellow Pages. The heavy directory with a distinctive yellow cover housed details of all the businesses in the local and surrounding areas. While it did get used for its purpose, it also made a handy step when you couldn’t quite reach something!
You can imagine that a lot of information was already out of date by the time it was printed and delivered, but back then, we couldn’t do a quick internet search to find a suitable business for our needs. Amazingly, the Yellow Pages survived until quite recently (https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/sep/01/yellow-pages-to-stop-printing-from-january-2019).
Retiring the Yellow Pages was a good decision to move with the times. And boy, how times have changed!
We’re living in a digital age where, at least in the Western world, we expect information to be readily available at the touch of a button.
It is very commonplace for businesses, any business, to have a website in some form; in fact, it’s pretty much expected. But why does your business need one? Here are some reasons I can think of:
Your Website Provides Up-to-date Information
Updating your business info is simple and instant when you have an online presence. The Yellow Pages era is well behind us!
Nowadays, people expect to be able to find your latest product prices or company info just by looking online. If they don’t find your website, they will find your competitors’ sites, and you’ll lose potential customers.
Your site also lets you share the latest news and events with your audience.
A Website Can Increase Sales if You Sell Goods or Services
If your business revolves around selling products that can be sold online, having an e-commerce website is a no-brainer. At the very least, your site acts as a storefront for your goods and services. It’s a way of showcasing your wares, bringing in traffic and hopefully customers, and demonstrating yourself as an established business.
A Site Can Reinforce Your Branding and Increase Loyalty
Your website is your 24/7 digital presence for your branding. Along with social media, your website is an important way your audience interacts with your brand.
Even when your office doors are closed for the day, your website is still working hard. It allows potential customers to learn more about your business and helps reinforce your branding and loyalty for existing customers.
A Website Can Support Your Marketing Efforts
Your website gives you control to create landing pages or make whatever tweaks you need for a marketing campaign. You can include a URL to find more information, link directly to a product you’re promoting, or redirect your users to a signup form.
A Website Helps Your Business Look Professional and Credible
Whatever action you need your audience to take for your campaign, your website is the essential tool for the job.
A website is an investment – monetary or time-wise – showing you’re serious about your business. Your site must look somewhat professional; the more professional it looks, the more credible you appear.
A Website Provides a Platform to Spread the Word About Your Business
A blog can help increase website traffic or inform your audience about your industry or the latest events. You can also spread the word further, as your site is available to anyone around the world.
A Website Can Complement Social Media
While having a social media presence is also important, there are many reasons for also having a website. For one, you don’t own the social media platform and could lose your online presence if, for some reason, your account is closed or deleted.
Social media also contains a lot of noise. There are updates from the people you follow and promoted or sponsored posts. Users can get scrolling fatigue just from looking at it all! Your social media can get easily lost in the noise or be quickly forgotten about. You’ll have to work hard to stand out from the crowd.
You are also limited in how you can use social media. For instance, if you want your users to complete a form, you need a website. A site gives you control and flexibility that social media doesn’t.
A Website Can Enhance Your Customer Service
Hosting a chatbot, a knowledge base or FAQs on your website can help customers to help themselves with common problems. You can also offer ways to contact you if they can’t find the answer they’re looking for.
You’ll be helping improve the customer experience and saving yourself from always answering the same questions. And, let’s not forget, it can help customers out of hours.
A Website Can Help With Self-Promotion
A site is a great place to host case studies and testimonials. These help sell your business or services. Once written and published, they can increase your credibility and reputation time and time again with no further effort required.
Your site can also encourage potential customers to get in touch with you – that’s the dream, right?
What Are Your Next Steps?
If you currently have a website, but you don’t feel it’s really working for your business, I can create a report that examines the sticking points and areas of improvement. An objective pair of eyes can make all the difference.
If you need a new website or a revamp, I can point you in the right direction to several agencies I highly recommend.
If you want to update your content, improve your search engine rankings, or need a content strategy – get in touch to see how I can help.