Why You Need A Website… 11 Good Reasons

Here's why you need a website...

If you are a small business owner looking to grow your business, you must position yourself to get more
leads, clients and sales. There are many ways to do this that include both online and offline tactics. I'm
going to address the online tactics.

1. You must increase your visibility

Think of it this way... it's just like having a job. If you expect to move up in the ranks, people have to know
about you. You can’t sit quietly off in a corner somewhere (although many of us would probably prefer this...
especially the techie types) and expect to advance.

People have to know about you. They have to know what you do and what you have to offer. It’s no different
in the online space. In order for you to grow your business, you need to increase your visibility. The first place
to start with this is to have your own website. Having your own website can significantly boost your visibility
because you show up in Google search results. This leads to the second reason why your small business should
have a website.

2. Having a website positions you to reach thousands of potential customers.
This is pretty sweet because all you have to do is produce valuable content that your readers are searching for.

Speaking of valuable content, this leads right into the next reason...

3. Producing content that answers your readers questions or solves a problem show you as an authority in your
field.

4. It also increases your credibility.
Both 3 and 4 showcases what your business does, points out what makes you unique and why they need your services

5. Along with that, your site educates your potential clients about your products and services.

6. Increases lead generation
If you expect to stay in business you need a constant flow of leads. Your website can be a tool that targets those leads.
You should have some type of lead capture software in place to capture these leads or email addresses.

7. Allows you to attract your ideal client.
If you produce content that your audience wants to read then you will attract the right kind of clients. Be careful with
this one though because you don't want to attract the wrong kind of client. Keep your content focused on your ideal
client's needs.

8. A website can help you not only attract your ideal client but get sales from those clients as well.

9. Works for you 24/7 even while you're sleeping to make sales.

10. Your competitors have a website so why shouldn't you.
For your clients, your website is the first place they will go to... to do their research. If you don't have a website, they will
just go to your competitor and you've just lost a sale.

11. Legitimizes your business.
It let's your client's know that you are a real business owner.

So those are 11 reasons why your small business should have a website.

Websites these days have become fairly easy to create especially if you are not a techie person. However,
simply creating a website is not going to instantly get you leads, clients or sales if it is not designed the right
way. It has to be designed with your ideal client in mind. If you prefer to create a website on your own,
WordPress and SquareSpace are good platforms to take a look at.

For the small business owner I recommend WordPress. To get set up with that, you'll need a domain name
which you can get from GoDaddy or Namecheap. You'll need a hosting company to get your own hosting.
You'll also need a theme. You can check our where to get these on my resources page.

Once you have your website up and running, don't make the mistake of thinking people will come. LOL! A lot
of people make this assumption. Another simple mistake people make especially in the beginning is that they
don't do anything to capture visitor emails. Remember when I said you have to design your site the right way.
You can’t simply throw up a site and expect sales to start rolling in.

There’s more to it than that.

97% of visitors that come to your site will never return. That’s staggering statistics but true… so to capitalize
on the one time they visit, you need to set your site up to capture their information right from the start. Your
home page is the main page your visitors will frequent and this is a great page to have them sign up on.
Offer them something of value… something beneficial that will help them in exchange for their email address.
That way, if they never return to your site at least you have a way to connect, engage and follow up with them
on an ongoing basis.

For more on "Why You Need A Website", check out the sources below. Also, if you need a domain name, hosting
or a WordPress theme, check out our resources page for recommendations.