Why Do You Need A Website?
A guide to why websites are essential for business
Whether you’re a sole trader or a daring little start-up. Whether you are a barber, a plumber or run a window washing company. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been running for 16 years or 6 months. You really should have a website.
You may have already thought this yourself. You may have even set up a website a long time ago using a free service like Geocities (really digging into the past there). You made a site but never felt like it did anything. It just sat on the net like a historical relic of your business.
Maybe you built a website using Wix or another template web service when you set-up your business a year ago. Again, you’ve not really noticed an impact. And, while it looks nice enough, you don’t feel it does anything for you or your business.
According to a study – which was conducted as long ago as 2018, so the situation has more than likely increased by now – 76% of UK consumers research online before making purchases [1]. Think about all the ways potential clients are accessing that research.
Direct searches via Google. Suggestions when using Google Maps. Alexa, Siri and the other personal assistant apps. Even cars are now getting involved in the act as they become increasingly Wi-Fi enabled. Potential clients could be getting into their Teslas and asking the car to give them suggestions. It might sound like science fiction, but it’s not. This is the world in which we live. And this world is increasingly built on connectivity.
Wait, there’s more.
As of 2014, 67% of clicks on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) was on the first five results[2]. Forget the pages and pages of results Google returns. Two thirds of people either find what they want in the first five results or they change their search terms. And not just that. The average length of time on a website is 15 seconds before moving on or staying for the duration. This is bounce rate and session length.
Bounce rate is a figure indicating whether people stay or go. The higher the bounce rate, the worse the situation is. The target is a low bounce rate and longer session lengths. We explain this in another blog.
So now think about your business. Don’t have a website? Then you are missing out on at least 76% of potential clients. Can you afford to simply rely on walk-in trade? If it even exists for you anymore given that even pedestrians are being guided by Google Maps.
Or if you have a website, think about your search engine ranking. Get a friend to search for a service that you provide. Where do you come in the Google rankings? On top of that, do you have any idea of your bounce rate? Do clients like or trust your site? Heck, does Google? Did you know that Google searches also consider the construction and trustworthiness of a website?
So, yeah. You need a website.
Wait, I’ve got a Facebook business page!
OK you are making a step in the right direction! A Facebook business page is also essential for a business. Facebook are slowly making themselves into a business directory of sorts. Have you ever noticed that when you’re on your mobile app and click on a link that Facebook takes you to a page within Facebook?
Your Facebook business page is a great place to build a brand identity. It is an easy and quick method of sharing new projects you’ve worked on and perhaps sharing memes and funny pictures that given a sense of the identity of your business. Unfortunately though, when it comes to making a purchase decision think about your own practices. If you’re looking for a service or good, do you go to Facebook?
The vast majority of searches are through Google. Whether that’s directly through the search engine, through the Maps app or via a personal assistant like Alexa. Your Facebook business page is great, but it’s not getting you seen by the buyers.