1. Customers expect it: 

Studies show that 6 out of 10 customers today expect businesses to provide an online presence. 

2. Relatability:

You can build trust and relatibility by showing your potential customer how your product or service can and will benefit their lives. Online press releases and frequent blogs together with replying to customer emails and social media comments is a good way to build trust and personalise your small business. Having social icons like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on your website makes sharing the content of your product or service for your visitors easier and more effective, if they like what they see, making your brand more relatable and recognisable.

3. Market expansion:

Without a doubt, the most lucrative benefit of having a website is visibility -making your product or services available across time zones and indeed across the world. Having an ecommerce store equates to you selling your product or services 24/7 unrestricted by geography, allowing you to reach thousands more potential customers, thereby extending your local reach and growing your business exponentially. Implementing an effective e-commerce solution into your business site is essential.

4.  Discoverability:

With 3.5 billion Google searches each day, having and maintaining an online presence is imperative for any small business. 9 out of 10 customers rely on the internet to locate and evaluate local goods and services. For the 46% of small businesses that do not have a website, the other 54% that do have a website have the competitive edge over you, for they have the benefit of discoverability.

5. Business credibility:

A study conducted by Verisign showed that 84% of consumers believed that a small business with a website is more credible then one without an online presence. Having a website gives your business the added advantage of providing high quality real time, two way communication customer service and after sales service.

6. Showcase products and services in real time

The downside of traditional marketing and advertising through brochures and print adverts is that it was unrealistic to update your products and services as frequently as you would have liked. With the advent of websites you can promote your product and services online with as much creative detail as you desire. The addition of images, short video tutorials and even downloadable PDF leaflets will give hesitant customers no reason to go to your competitor.

7. Web presence analytics:

Having a website allows the demographics of your website visitors’ information to be gathered and analysed using real time data. For example, how your visitors found you and the number of visitors to your website are just two of the crucial bits of data you can gather to enhance your market research. Being alert to such trends and patterns can prove invaluable in redirecting your marketing strategy as and when the need arises.

If you need help getting online, here at web development agency WTS Technologies we specialise in providing small business e-commerce solutions and bespoke websites. Contact us today!