Does a Small Business Need a Website?

Your website is your digital home, so make it count.

If your website isn\’t operating properly, it has an acknowledged adverse effect on your visibility in search. Your website is where the rubber hits the road; it\’s where you gather leads and make your sales. The world has gone digital and if you don\’t have a web site, or when your site is stale and uninspiring, you most likely are digging an early grave for your company.

Your website will be the hub for all your online and offline marketing efforts. Your company website should become the focus of your marketing strategy. When potential clients go to your web site and view the information about your product, it must be effortless to determine the central benefit of what you’re offering.

Most prospective or current customers will check out your web site to inquire about your products or services, to obtain basic information regarding your business, and ultimately to buy your services or products.

One of the more challenging areas of marketing and advertising is getting your website up the Google rankings and let’s face it if you aren\’t somewhere on page 1, or possibly page 2, you\’ll be losing out on a great deal of visitors. (Research indicates that most people will not view more than three search engine results pages when looking for a product or service.)

Creating a professional-looking web site has never been simpler, because of Word Press as well as other do-it-yourself on-line design tools. However, be aware that there is a big difference between a good-looking website and a properly functioning one. One that is easily found by those that would be looking for your goods and/or services. This area of website design known as SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a complex process and is best outsourced for maximum effectiveness. It is unlikely that as a small business manager that you have the time required to be effective in this area.

Your website should be easy to read and should get right to the point with the unique selling propositions and benefits of your product right up front on your website. Don\’t make your potential customers have to go looking to find the information that they are looking for. They may get bored and go to your competitor\’s site.

Having a blog on your website allows you to share your knowledge and expertise with your visitors and is important for keeping them engaged. Content articles enable your prospects to get to know you far better and have confidence in your recommendations.

Do all small businesses need to have a website? Perhaps not — but many people now look for products and services online. Your website is a unique part of your marketing in one really important respect: it alone has the power to either kill or to supercharge the response rates of all your other marketing and advertising activities.

Your \’About Us\’ web page content is one section of your company web site where you really have the opportunity to tell your story, who you are, what your company is all about, precisely what makes you unique from your competition.

A mobile website is a mobile optimized version of your regular website. Some smart phones do not support formats such as flash. It is wise to test your website by viewing it on targeted smart phones or other devices, such as tablets, to ensure that the increasing number of mobile visitors can view your website. In some cases flash enabled drop-down menus are not a wise choice.

A web site is definitely the center of a small business\’s marketing and advertising campaigns via other media such as print, SEO, SEM, email, direct mail, etc.

Remember, your website is a unique part of your marketing in one really important respect: it alone has the power to either kill or to supercharge the response rates of all your other marketing and advertising activities.

Roy Leahy has an extensive career in marketing in North America and he now focuses his time on marketing for small and mid-sized companies, designing and implementing their marketing strategies. http://www.vancouvermarketingconsultant.ca

Roy Leahy has an extensive career in marketing in North America and he now focuses his time on marketing for small and mid-sized companies, designing and implementing their marketing strategies. http://www.vancouvermarketingconsultant.ca

Author Bio: Roy Leahy has an extensive career in marketing in North America and he now focuses his time on marketing for small and mid-sized companies, designing and implementing their marketing strategies. http://www.vancouvermarketingconsultant.ca

Category: Internet
Keywords: Vancouver marketing Consultant, Small business, Marketing Strategy

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