The power of a small business website

It still surprises me how often I hear solopreneurs and small businesses owners ask if they need to set up a website for their customers. My answer will always be yes. Did you know that only half of small businesses have a website? Yet 62% of customers say that they won’t consider a small business if they can’t easily find information about them online. And 48% won’t consider a small business if they don’t have a website. That’s a lot of potential purchases to be leaving behind.

You Control Your Website

Just like your email list, you are in full control of your website. You decide what content goes up, how it is laid out, how your website visitors experience and interact with that content and, ultimately, what the end goal will be for each visitor. Not Mark Zuckerberg, not Jack Dorsey – just you.

Your website is essentially the digital home of your small business. If you’re a service provider, it’s your online office space where your clients come to get to know you and decide if they want to invest in one of your packages. If you’re running a physical storefront or space, your website is an extension of that. It’s a place to offer extra value to your customers, exclusive deals and perhaps even bookings or extra sales for your business.

However you choose to use your website, the important thing to remember is that you are the one who is making those decisions. It’s not going to disappear if Facebook suddenly shuts down overnight.

Your Website Makes You Visible

The beauty of a small business website is that you can showcase all of your offerings in one place. Let’s say you’re a cafe that also offers bespoke cakes and your venue space is available to book for private events in the evenings. If a customer simply stops by your Tripadvisor profile, chances are they’re not going to know that you have these extra services. But if you use your website to showcase the different strands of your business, it’s going to be clear from the get go what your offerings are.

Of course, all your website visitors aren’t going want to book a venue or hire you for catering right away. But the next time they visit your website to check out your brunch menu, they’ll see what other services you have available. And when they need to order a custom cake for their best mate’s engagement party, it’s you that they’re going to think of.

Your Website Lets You Be Found

When I’m visiting a new town, or looking for a new product or service, my first port of call is always Google. In fact, it’s the first port of call for 83% of small business customers. Simply having a page on a directory, a Facebook page or a Tripadvisor profile is not going to be enough for you to show up in those search results unless you’re in an incredibly niche sector.

Having your own website enables you to optimise your website to be searchable, or SEO friendly, meaning that when your next customer types ‘health coaches in Durham’ into Google, you’re going to show up.

When new visitors stop by your website, their full attention is on you. If you’re sending them to another platform like Facebook, chances are they’re going to get distracted by notifications from Auntie Sue instead. Let them focus solely on you.

Being Authentic Online

Searching Google is exactly how I found my former health coach, Laura Agar Wilson. But I didn’t book her just because I saw her name in Google. I booked her because I was able to browse her website and get to know her as a person. I could read about her credentials and experience, and I could see the value that she was going to bring to my health and wellbeing. Her website added that extra stamp of authenticity that I was looking for.

The fact that you have gone out there, bought a domain and invested time, energy and money into creating a website for your business shows your customers that you are serious. It shows them that you are professional and committed to delivering the best possible service because you are providing all the information they need in one easily accessible place.

I think it’s important to note here that a website doesn’t have to be a big complicated endeavour. It could be as simple as a single page site that features your restaurant menu, a booking form and directions to find you.

Don’t overcomplicate it, it doesn’t have to be difficult. If you have the resources and desire to invest in a larger site, then that’s great! But if you don’t, then that’s fine too. There are a tonne of resources out there that can help you create a simple website at very low costs. Squarespace is a prime example, their out of the box templates and all in one service can help you to set up your website in just a few hours.

However you choose to create your website, the important thing is to just create it. As I always say – progress over perfection. Besides, the beauty of a website is that you can keep on tweaking it to your heart’s content!

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