Since the era of the dot-com bubble almost twenty years ago, over 1 billion websites now exist on the world wide web. So, even if you are not planning on selling anything online, should your business have a website? The answer is emphatically, yes!
Why you need to have a Website:
Customers will be able to find you
Instant access to important information such as what services you provide, plus your contact details
Sell directly to the customer, cutting out a distributor
Use SEO to send people to your site
Google Maps, Social Media and business listings just don’t work as well without a website
Represent your business the way you want
Be mobile-optimised and seen by everyone with a smartphone or tablet
Collect user information and use it to your advantage
Gain credibility and improve customer relations
Brand awareness
The Internet is the Place to be
The Office for National Statistics recently released figures stating that 86% of adults (44.7 million people) in the UK had used the internet in the last 3 months. Plus, there are 2,725,740,473 internet users in the world according to the BBC. With adverts now on mainstream TV for websites and even online payment system Paypal, never has it been more important to realise the potential inherent in being online.
Deciding on the function of your website is a good place to start, what do you want your website to do? Are you looking for new customers? Are you trying to spread the word with new information? Are you selling something? You need to be clear on your message and your goals. When we set up our Cambridge web design business onespacemedia.com we wanted to enable businesses to achieve their full potential. Having a bespoke, data-driven website allows your business to do this.
Just having a website is not enough: you must have a good website! Beautiful, intelligent web design doesn’t have to cost a fortune. But it does need to be done well. Even if you own a brick-and-mortar shop, many people will use the internet to research your business (and judge your business) before going there. So you need to make a good first impression. Your website must look professional and be functional if you want to be taken seriously.
