Do small businesses need a website?


There are many businesses that simple do not believe in the web as a business tool. A website does not have to sell your products, it can be used simply to let potential customers know you are there. For small businesses particularly those that rely on a local customer base this can be an invaluable source of additional customer enquiries.

For companies who are now considering gaining a web presence I would say go for it. You have nothing to loose and a lot to gain. You do not need to sell on the web to have a meaningful website. In many cases a business website can be used purely for lead generation.

Many businesses rely on customers from the local area. Typically these businesses would advertise locally and in doing so would receive a stream of local customers. In this situation I believe this business is loosing out on an additional extra stream of customers by not having a company website. Just imagine how many people go to Google or any other search engine and type in [townname service]. If a local company was to have a website and it was to rank for that term then they would be able to attract many new leads through the website.

A website like this does not need to sell the product or service, is simply there to gain search traffic for the preferred search terms. On the actual website you would provide some basic information about the company. and contact details. This will allow users to establish

  1. this is the sort of company I am looking
  2. I can give them a call.

Because the business is aimed locally it is not entirely difficult to gain good search engine ranking for the exact phrases you are interested in. The business can promote it’s website in a number of ways such as web address on company vehicles, stationary and leaflets ect. If the company is local many people may know the company name. It is however a lot harder to remember a phone number.

If people are exposed to marketing material with companyname.com printed on it then it will probably be easier for them to remember as opposed to a phone number. Another Point to take into consideration is people who know of the company but don’t know how to get in touch. They may know the company by name but have no idea where they are located or their phone number. These sort of potential customers may already be typing your company name into search engines and finding no results. By simple having a site on the web it is possible to capture these customers.

Choosing a domain name.
The domain name you chose for your company should ideally be companyname.com this makes sense. In some cases it may also be worth while buying a number of variations of this domain name to ensure you catch all typos. If companyname.com is not available then you may want to look into the legalities of the current owner.

Because of the international nature of the web there is very often not a lot that can be done about this but it is always a good idea to investigate this. If you are unable to secure your business domain try to find something as close as possible.

Developing a website
If you have experience of building a website then you may be able to achieve this part on your own. If not then you would be best to leave this to a web design company. Developing a website is not something you do half hearted. You do want to convert as many users as possible, an unprofessional looking website is not going to achieve this.

Homepage: An introduction to the potential customer. Very general information and a phone number

About us: Go into a lot of detail about the company. Give the customer a lot of information about the company.

Contact us: Let the user get in touch. Email, phone, postal address. It is also a good idea to use a feedback form so the user can contact you directly from the webpage. Another idea that can work well is a “call me” feature. The user supplies their phone number and a time. Someone then calls them back at the time specified.

Is is important to follow up on all leads that are generated. People do not want to be left hanging about. Act fast and secure leads.

Web hosting
A web hosting company is somewhere that allows you to host your website on their servers for a fee. Choose a web hosting company that has it’s servers in your country. This can help greatly when you want to rank well for your own countries index. For example Google has country specific search indexes that allow users to search for results from a specific country. Do a comparison on a wide range of hosting companies before you decide. Don’t just go with one because it is cheap. You get what you pay for. Shop around and compare the features and services.

Marketing your website
In simple terms you need to point people in the direction of your website. Get in touch with other local companies and ask them to link to you. Include your web address in any marketing material that you distribute. Get your website listed in as many web directories and local directories as possible.

Having a business website can work out very well for small companies who are looking to attract some extra customers. The web can be a great tool not only for selling but also for letting people know you are there.

2009
08/21
POSTED BY
Amit
CATEGORY
Website Design
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  • Comments (46)
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    • August 21st, 2009

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