If you own a business but aren’t sure if getting a website is worth the hassle, I have some numbers for you. In the late 1800s, the telephone arrived and changed the way consumers shopped for products and services. By 1930, more than half of American households used the Yellow Pages every day.
Fast forward to 2011, and 70% of Americans had never (or almost never) used the Yellow Pages. More than half of consumers were not using the internet to find local businesses. Now, in 2019, 97% of American consumers use the internet to find businesses.
These numbers paint a clear picture of how modern technologies change the way we do business. They should also indicate to any business owner still on the fence about getting a website that without a website, they are restricting their market access and hurting their bottom line.
Customers Expect a Website
Not having a website doesn’t just mean you are going undiscovered among potential customers; it could also mean that you are losing out on some customers that have already discovered your business.
30% of consumers revealed that they wouldn’t consider using a business that doesn’t have a website. The average internet user spends 23.5 hours a week looking at their computer or mobile screen. For them, websites mean legitimacy. If your company doesn’t have a website, it doesn’t look professional or legitimate and customers might not be inclined to use your services or products.
Websites Generate Leads
63% of consumers said that they use a business’s website as their first point of engagement. In the modern world, customers don’t want to pick up the phone, they want to fire off a message via a company’s website or use an online portal to access products and services.
Without a website, you cannot reach the new generations of customers that use the internet as their primary means of communication with businesses.
You Can Control the Narrative
Without a website, you are relying on the customer’s word of mouth to pass on information about your business to other potential customers. In doing so, you rely on several factors to ensure potential customers are receiving accurate and positive information about your business:
- That the customer had a positive experience.
- That the customer remembers the name products on offer, opening hours, services provided and location of your business.
- Potential consumers are asking their friends for recommendations rather than consulting the internet.
By creating a website, you can control the narrative. You can ensure that potential customers receive accurate information about your business. You can also ensure they get a positive impression of your business, instead of relying on second-hand accounts which may or may not be positive.
Building a Website is Easy
Finally, building a website is simple, so there are no excuses for not having one.
No matter how small or large your business, how loyal your customer base is, how much or how little your industry uses technology, or how old your target demographic is, your business needs a website to ensure its future survival and sustained growth.