Why Do You Need A Website?
A website offers five critical elements:
- Validation
- Verification
- Conversions
- Information
- Efficiency
Getting your site to show #1 on Google all of the time is something we cover in in our page about SEO.
You may be wondering why you need a website in our current times. With online places like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter you can certainly get a lot of exposure. While these other accounts should absolutely be used and maximized don't let those underestimate the power of a website.
Validation
When you are engaging with a new prospect or client, that prospect goes through natural steps to further educate themselves about your products and services. Regardless if we agree with it or not, we all make judgements about other people and businesses. Often times these judgments are swift and conclusive, and we'll act upon them. At the very least, you need a website to validate your presence as a reputable business. It is said if you go to court and you wear clothes that don't fit you'll loose credibility, because it is clear those are not your clothes. Your website is like a online outfit, a presence that speaks for you and represents you 24 hours a day providing a ton of validation for those seeking you out. Make it look as good as possible for those extra points of credibility. Think about it, you are looking at two different companies to make a purchase decision. Company A has a website and company does not. Which company validates their existence more?
Verification
After you get a prospect excited about your products and services, it is important that your website echos exactly what your are saying. This serves as verification, that you are who you say you are, and that you will do what you say, a once common attribute that seems to be quickly eroding. Your website should help the user at least verify your:
- Business name
- Business address
- Business phone number
- Product or service offerings
Letting users verify you through your website increases the chances other areas of your website will kick in, like conversions through your contact form for example. Your website stating what you say simply reinforces your offerings and builds rapport.
Conversions
In today's online world conversions come from many different places. Social media networks, word of mouth, Google reviews and many more. You can even purchase ad space on Google and Facebook and get some good results. Even with that being said, your website is still responsible for a large amount of conversions and new business. If it isn't then you are not utilizing this asset properly. Even if user's reach out to you through Facebook, chances are they checked your website before they did. Even in that case, your website was part of the conversion equation.
A conversion is the primary action you wish for a user to take. It often takes the form of a user calling or contacting you. But a conversion can be other things as well. Perhaps you want a user to watch a video, or download your brochure. Maybe you have Google Ads offering a focused offering and need a dedicated page on your website. Point is, your website becomes a fantastic tool to not only harness and harvest conversions, but also a great way to measure the performance of many marketing efforts. Without a website you are loosing a certain percentage conversions you otherwise should have, and missing out on leveraging marketing data for higher returns.
Information
We go to the Internet to do three primary things:
- Entertainment
- Buy something
- Get information
Often times all three can occur in a single session. Needless to say your website should offer users a great source of information. The information on your website should speak to your target audience with vocabulary they expect and understand and be unique and equitable. After all, even if they are validating and verifying your business that is all done through the information you present. Offering the correct information a user needs and expects leads us into the efficiency aspect of a website.
Efficiency
A website makes a great tool to achieve certain administrative efficiencies. For example, a very common section on websites that speak to both Search Engine Optimization, saving admin time and offering a value to users is a Frequently Asked Question section. Often times FAQs represent actual search terms and also saves you time answering common questions. It also gives you a central place to always direct users for the answers they need and let's you answer common questions thoroughly and consistently. But this is just a FAQ section and really just scratches the surface. To learn more about how you can maximize all the benefits a website affords you, just reach out. We are here to answer your questions.