Web Site Design for Small Business
Why Small Businesses Need to Have a Website
In today’s competitive business environment, it is absolutely essential for any business to have a website. This is especially true for Small Business.
Why?
1. Because it shows that you are serious about your business.
Of course you are serious about your business, but you need to let everybody else know that and by having a well designed web site for your business you’re making it clear that not only are you serious about your business, but you want your customers and your competition to take you seriously.
A professionally designed website, especially if you are a small business competing with other possibly larger businesses, is absolutely essential. A well designed website that is appealing and easily navigated will not only add credibility to your business, but will step it into the 21st Century.
Gone are the days of simply giving potential customers a business card, unless it contains the website address of your business. “Do you have a website?” is a very frequently asked question and not being able to say “Yes I do”, can be quite embarrassing.
It does not replace your business card or business stationary, but it ads to it and provides a professional impression and in-depth introduction to your potential customers.
2. Your Business is Open 24 Hours a Day
Having a website means your ‘door’ is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Your products or services are available whenever a customer or potentially new customer wants see what you are offering.
It does not matter what type of business you have. If you are a hairdresser, then your website is still accessible even when you’re asleep. That means, people can find out about your business, look at the opening hours, read about the expertise of you staff, check your rates and specials, or what ever they wish to find out, before they decide to contact you and make an appointment. This will safe you lots of time on the phone as well.
3. Easy to Keep Up-To-Date and Relevant
When you make a change to your hours of operation, staff, service offerings, or contact information a website can be updated easily, quickly without the usual expenses. The same cannot be said for your other media.
Your business website is updateable within minutes or at least hours of any changes that occur in your business. There is no need to send out letters or put public notices in the newspapers, you just have to update the information on your website and you’re done.
With increasing phone lines and other changes in the communication systems, it is not unheard of that a phone number has to be changed. Your website can provide your customers with an immediate update. What if you have to expand your business and move to larger premises? Again the address change can easily be made on your Website.
Staff changes, introduction of new products or services, or any other change that often occur in small business can be updated almost immediately.
Updating a website is so much quicker and easier than having to get all those brochures reprinted in order to include the new information – this is also a very expensive exercise – what about the times when the printer gets the information wrong and the whole job has to be done again because you didn’t pick the error…more cost, more inconvenience, more lost time.
4. Add Value
In addition to offering your services and products, a website allows for value added content. Your site can be used to announce specials, offer directions and a map to your location, and list company policies. It can also include client testimonials, how-to hints & tips, or other helpful information for your customers.
5. Get More Customers
One of the biggest reasons for your business to have a website is that more and more people have abandoned the traditional telephone directories when looking for service or product providers. It is so much quicker for a potential customer to Google ‘florist in xyz town’ than taking out the Yellow Pages, finding the category, looking down a long list of business names and hoping to find one near them.
If you don’t have a website you'll never have a chance at these prospective customers, but many of your competitors will.