Small business websites aren’t nearly as plentiful as small businesses, but websites are a crucial part of running any business.

Whether it’s just you or you have a dozen employees, your business needs a website. It’s not optional anymore if you want to stay competitive.

Think of a website as a partner that helps you to build and grow your business. When you look at it that way, it’s easy to see that investing in a website is a smart business move.

1. Works For You 24/7

Is your business open 24/7? Do you stay up 24/7? Of course not! Small business websites are open 24/7 and they continue to drive business to your door even while you’re sleeping or spending time with your family and friends. You never know when someone might be searching for the products you’re selling at three in the morning. If you have a website, they may see you as a result, check out your products and be waiting at the door when you open the next day.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tool that works for your all the time? You could even sell your products online as well and make money while you sleep.

2. Aids With Branding

Every business needs a brand, including small businesses. Your brand is your reputation and a strong brand helps build customer loyalty. Part of branding means having a website. It gives you a platform to tell your customers and potential customers more about what your business is all about. You’re able to share your own unique message and create a voice that’s uniquely yours.

3. Helps Customers Research You

More and more customers are choosing to do a little research online before making a purchase in a physical store. They could even be inside your store, but prefer to research you a little more before buying. Customers love webrooming now, which means they check out your products or your business before making a purchase. If they can’t find you online, they might not see you as a reputable business. With 69% of customers webrooming, you need an online presence to help customers find you and choose you to make their final purchase.

4. Works As A Marketing Tool

You might see your website as just a few pages of contact information, details on the company and pictures of your products. Take a deeper look and you’ll see that small business websites are powerful marketing tools. For instance, word-of-mouth advertising is valuable, but once that advertising goes online, it spreads further and faster.

A website gives your customers something to share with others. If they loved the experience, they might share a link to your site with all their friends. If you’re blogging, a post could be shared among thousands of people, leading to new customers. All of this is because you have a website.

5. Stand Out From Competitors

Is there any business out there that doesn’t want to stand out from the competition? No. The question is – how? Small business websites not only set you apart, but they help you look like a bigger business. A study by GoDaddy shows that 60% of UK micro-businesses (5 employees or less) didn’t have a website. Of those businesses, 54% were afraid of experiencing no growth within the next 3-5 years.

If the majority of your competition isn’t online then that’s where you need to be. The same study found that 60% of small businesses with a website were expecting as much as a 50% increase in revenue. The growth is even better if you sell at least some of your products online or offer special discounts or promotions for services.

6. Stay In Contact

Even when you have customers, it’s sometimes hard to keep them coming back. Don’t always be so quick to blame yourself. Outside of bad service, one of the top reasons customers don’t come back is they just forget to. For instance,  a hair salon might remind customers to come back in for a trim every 6-8 weeks. With a website, customers can sign up for reminders, special offers or a weekly/monthly newsletter. Better engagement with your customers helps keep your business on their mind.

Small business websites also allow you to stay in contact by providing contact details. Providing a contact form, an address and phone number makes it easy for customers to ask questions or find out more about when you’re open.

Small Business Websites Help You Grow

Small businesses websites help your business grow. By having a website and updating it regularly, you’re showing the world you’re just as important as the big businesses out there. Go ahead and get online, build your brand and boost revenue.

Are you ready to introduce your small business to the world? Contact Darren today to get started. 

Image: Rob Sarmiento

There are numerous reasons why using a WordPress website for your small business is a smart move.

You’ve already worked hard to start your business, so you want a platform that works just as hard for you. This is where WordPress comes in.

It’s the most popular content management system available and for good reason. If you’re ready to take your small business online, here are eight reasons to pick WordPress for your site.

1. Room To Grow And Change

A surprising 60% of small businesses in the UK don’t have a website with a third of them saying they’re too small to need a site. The truth is, you’re never too small. The sooner you have a website, the sooner you introduce your business to a worldwide audience. The great think about using a WordPress website for your small business is it’s easy to scale it to the size of your business.

With numerous plugins and themes available, you’re able to easily change your site to grow with you. Start now and learn the ropes of using WordPress. As you grow, your site grows too and you’ll have already starting building an online audience.

2. Easy To Manage Content

The same study on UK small businesses found that a fifth of participants thought building a website took too much time. The initial setup for a basic WordPress site takes only minutes on most web hosts. Of course, it’s easier to hire someone to handle the initial setup and design, but after that, it’s easy to upload and manage your own content. Want to publish a blog post or change images on your homepage? All it takes is a few clicks and you’re done.

The ease of use is why 59.6% of all content management systems worldwide are WordPress. Everyone has the few minutes necessary to learn to use and manage their content on WordPress.

3. Powers Over A Quarter Of The Web

Yes, you read that headline correctly. WordPress now powers over a quarter of the web. As of June 2016, WordPress powers 26% of all websites. As a small business, you don’t want the hassle of trying something unproven. WordPress has proven itself time and time again and even powers some of the top websites in the world, such as Forbes and eBay.

4. Security Is A Priority

Using a WordPress website for your small business means you value security as much as your visitors. While WordPress offers security plugins for additional protection, updates are released to keep your core WordPress installation as secure as possible. This is without installing any additional software. WordPress developers are serious about security and do everything possible to keep sites safer.

5. SEO Friendly For Everyone

Trying to figure out SEO is sometimes more complicated than trying to develop a website with zero experience. Don’t let this stop you from taking your small business online. WordPress understands the struggle and has developed the platform with SEO in mind. Many themes are even responsive, making your site mobile friendly without any special coding. By adding plugins, such as Yoast SEO, you’re guided through optimisation step by step.

6. Integrates Well With Other Services

WordPress plays well with other services. If you want to accept payments, WordPress integrates with payment services, such as PayPal, easily. Want to send out newsletters? Integrate WordPress with MailChimp. Usually all you have to do is install a plugin to start using another service with WordPress. If the service you want to use isn’t available for WordPress yet, it probably will be soon.

7. Ideal For Local And Ecommerce Stores

Whether you’re a local business or selling products online, using a WordPress website for your small business is the ideal choice. It’s simple to set up a few static pages to provide more details to consumers about your business. Want to sell online? Many themes and plugins are designed specifically for ecommerce stores. Whether you need a simple information only site to drive more foot traffic through your doors or a full-fledged online store, WordPress has you covered.

8. Easy To Find Support

The vast popularity of WordPress means you’ll never find yourself without support. If you’re trying to do something on your own, the WordPress forums are filled with helpful people. Need technical support? You’ll find no shortage of experienced developers, like yours truly, to help you make changes or perform regular maintenance.

Using WordPress Yourself

A website is a must for any business and using a WordPress website for your small business is the perfect choice. Managing your site couldn’t be easier, no matter what your experience level. Give it a try and you may just see your business grow as a result.

Ready to give WordPress a try for your website? Contact Darren today to get started.

Image: Remy Baudouin