Top 8 Reasons Why You Need a Website in 2022 [Infographics]
You might be wondering why a website is important to your business.
Some businesses still don’t realize the power and benefits of a website.
Well, check this out:
81% of shoppers research their products online before purchasing.
In this digitalized age, an online presence has become more crucial than ever. Especially during the covid-19 pandemic, a large majority of businesses are conducted online.
However, we know that there might be some reasons why you are not keen on starting a website:
- I am not tech-savvy enough
- I don’t know how to build a website
- I don’t know how to manage a website
- It is too expensive to build a website
Don’t worry. Building a website is not as hard as you think.
The reality is, not having a website costs you more time and money!
A website offers tons of advantages for every business.
If you’re still unsure whether your business needs a website, keep reading to find out more!
Here are the top 8 reasons for your business to have a website:
Curious about why these are the top benefits of having a website for your business? Keep reading to find out more!
#1 Attract More Customers
Every business experiences customer turnover.
If you want to sustain or even increase your sales, you need to keep attracting new customers.
One of the best ways is to let your business be visible to more people on Google (or other search engines, i.e. Bing, Yahoo). That’s why your business needs a good website!
With a website, your business has the chance to show up in the first page of Google Search results.
Let’s say, Mr Alex wants to find an industrial hose supplier located in Singapore. He might search for “industrial hose singapore”.
If your website is shown on the first page of Google Search Result, there is a high probability that you will receive a call from him!
A website increases the opportunity for people to find your service. You can also include contact details on your website to encourage them to get in contact with you.
#2 Enhance Your Credibility
Trust is vital in business.
People may doubt your credibility as a company if you don’t have a website. Having a website allows you to make a fantastic first impression and reassure customers that you are a legitimate company.
According to a web credibility research from Stanford, credibility refers to “perceived trustworthiness + perceived expertise”.
In simple words, if you have a well-formatted and professional-looking website, you gain trust from your prospects.
A good website gives a strong impression to its viewer. The credibility of your website influences whether or not a visitor contacts you, makes a purchase, or simply leaves your site and moves on to the next.
With a website, you can showcase tons of valuable resources and high-quality information that helps your business to stand out from your competitors:
- Blog posts
- Case studies
- Tutorials
- Downloadable e-books or pdf
- Infographics
- Images
- Promotional videos
- Reviews & testimonials
- Your unique portfolio (like this)
You might say that “I can use my social media accounts to showcase that too! Why do I need to spend money to build a website?”
The pros of the website are that your information is organized and users can access it instantly. Since social media uses a timeline framework, they will need to scroll endlessly to search for the information they need.
#3 Build Your Brand
One of the most crucial things you can do with a website is to show your brand to potential buyers. Customers are more likely to buy from you if you define exactly who you are, what you represent, and what you stand for.
According to Search Engine Journal, branding is crucial in gaining clicks.
If you ask a child, “Which fast food do you prefer?” What’s their answer?
McDonald’s.
Domino Pizza.
KFC.
See that? Specific brands.
But how should I build my brand if I’m new in the industry?
There are lots of ways to build your brand, but having a website is one of the best ways to boost your brand awareness.
Here are some interesting statistics:
- 92% of online experiences begin with search engines. (Search Engine Journal)
- 4 in 5 consumers use search engines to find local information. (Google)
- 18% of local searches lead to purchase on the same day of the search. (Search Engine Watch)
- 51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company through search. (HubSpot)
See the power of having a website?
If your company doesn’t appear in search results, you’re losing tons of benefits in building your brand.
A branded website will instantly build your credibility. Your clients will be more likely to choose you and trust you when your website reflects your best self.
You can position yourself in the market to attract the exact type of clients you want with a website. You can apply the most suitable styles that reflect your brand.
Take a look at how Nurture Digital has accomplished this on their website.
Another advantage is that you can leverage your website’s design and the featured photographs to give visitors a sense of what it’s like to visit your real location.
This is especially effective if your brand is inextricably linked to the “feel” of your location.
Take a look at how the TOP achieved this.
#4 Increased Your Leads
A website not only attracts your potential customers but can also increase your chance of getting more leads.
When people visit your website, they want to get information about your business, including your product/solutions, your business location and contact details.
Because of the information on your website, people will know how to contact you if they find you online, become interested in your product or service, and want to learn more, allowing you to increase your sales. This is especially true when the prospect finds that you can help him/her to solve his/her issue.
For instance, Mr Joe is searching for hotel telephone suppliers. Because he is new in this field, what he can do is perform a search on Google.
Let’s say, he found a website named AEI communication.
After he goes through their home page, he finds that they do provide the solution he needs. Then he goes to their product page to take a look. He found that they provide clear information about their product including product descriptions, specifications, prices, etc.
After his research and obtaining enough details, he would like to contact them for more information, so he drops a message on the contact us page.
Although this sounds like an ideal scenario, I’m trying to depict that a website is like a virtual store where leads and purchasing decisions can be done effectively. Don’t worry too much about the cost because it provides a favourable return on investment if you do it correctly.
#5 Display Your Best Reviews and Testimonials
According to Big Commerce:
- 92% of consumers read online reviews and testimonials when considering a purchase.
- 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- 72% of them say positive reviews and testimonials make them trust a business more.
I bet you know that customer reviews are crucial even if you don’t know the statistics. 😉
The reason why reviews are so important is that it conveys the voice of the real customers. When you look at a testimonial, you are hearing the experience of a real customer after buying the products. This helps to create a deeper, more emotional appeal for your branding.
Bear in mind that customers trust each other more than just marketing collateral. So you can display your happy customers’ reviews like what Imani did, this may encourage more purchases and create more happy customers.
By highlighting your awards, best reviews and testimonials, you are providing an opportunity for your loyal customers to become brand advocates.
They help you to build more trust, credibility and emotional connections than you could ever do on your own. Take another look at how FLT Engineering involves testimonials in their first web page using three languages.
#6 Integrate your website with Google Maps
According to Google, there are over 1 billion Google Map users.
This means that if you have a brick-and-mortar store and you have claimed your free Google My Business Profile, chances are your business location will be displayed on Google Maps.
Google Map allows you to include your business, location and reviews. A Google pin with a view of the details will be shown.
This is a great way to allow viewers to get an overview of your business in a fraction of seconds.
Here’s an example of how Rompin Park includes Google Maps on its home page.
With embed Google Map, you save the customers’ time to identify your business location and the direction to your location. If they don’t know how to see the map, they can contact you directly because you have included your phone numbers.
Google Maps will link to your website , encouraging more people to visit your site and understand your business.
Another great benefit is Google Map shows customer’s reviews.
Yup, you know the importance of a review. 😉
Having difficulties in embedding a Google Map in your website? Read this.
#7 More Sales, Less Time
We can’t open our business 24/7.
But do you know that Google receives 5.6 billion searches per day, and approximately 63,000 search queries every second?
Imagine, with such a huge search volume, there might be someone online right now looking for your service!
Having a website helps people to learn about your business anytime, anywhere. If your business gets to know more people, chances are your sales will increase.
If you have an e-commerce website, consumers can even make purchases around the clock without contacting you.
Not only that, it also saves both customers and your time.
If you can include Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on your website, like how Benova does, viewers can immediately get the solutions they need without contacting you.
Many businesses get calls to ask simple questions about their business. If you miss it, people will have a negative impression of your business.
With a FAQ section, you reduce the number of calls from customers. You also save time to answer common questions and inquiries from customers, thus increasing your internal productivity.
#8 Stand Out From Your Competitors
There are too many competitions in this digital area.
Take a look at how many “smartwatch” products there are in a marketplace like Shopee.
More than 20,000!
How do you stand out amongst the competition?
You might provide various batik clothes, give more discounts or sell at a cheaper price to get more customers.
But if you have your own e-commerce website, you are draw attention by building your brand. This is because there is very limited room for personalization and branding in a multivendor marketplace.
Most of the time, visitors and consumers assume your product belongs in the marketplace and are unaware that you exist. To put it another way, consumers who buy your product will remember the marketplace rather than you.
Branding is crucial if you want to be successful in your marketing strategies.
With a standalone e-commerce website, you can utilize all digital marketing strategies you have without any restriction:
- Create your email marketing system to solidify your brand’s name
- Add various product images, infographics, animation, videos
- Customized your website theme, layout and colour to fit your style
- Write informational blogs and articles to promote your brands
- Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to boost your visitors
- Running Google Ads
- Link to your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
- Showcase your offers, discounts or downloadable freebies to increase your email subscribers like how Islee did:
Another benefit is that you don’t have to worry about any strict rules and regulations which you must comply with. You don’t need to worry about:
- New changes in the marketplace that may impact your conversions
- Pay a fixed commission on every sale
- Pay fees for keeping your stock at their warehouses
- Being banned by the marketplaces as you can also use your site to redirect your clients to other sources
Sounds good.
Building a website is not that hard or expensive
You may think that you need a lot of money to build a site.
The truth is, investing in building a web page is worth the initial cost.
Websites have become essential to businesses today.
If you want to continue thriving in the long run, you need a web page. It is the best investment any business can make for its future.
Need help to build a stunning and professional-looking website?
Our Singapore SEO team is ready to help you! Contact us today!
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