If the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taught business owners anything it’s that without an online presence your business can quite literally cease to exist at a moment’s notice. With doors closing and social distancing measures put into effect, businesses across the world scrambled to create an online presence and website.
Yet, there is still a large percentage of businesses that choose to operate without a website. They feel that they “don’t need one” or that their “Industry doesn’t require one” or our personal favourite, “it’s a waste of money”. If you are one of these people, here are 3 things to consider.
1. Missed Opportunities
With accessibility to search engines becoming easier by the minute, more and more consumers/businesses are going online to find suppliers, retailers, manufacturers, and service providers. In fact, there are over 3.5 Billion Google searches performed every single day…. Let that sink in for a minute. Also consider, that as the world population and online dependence grows, so do Google searches. On average, Google searches increase by 10% every year. With these statistics in mind, do you think that no one is searching for your business name or service? The harsh reality is that there is 100% someone on the internet right now looking for the product or service you are offering. If you choose not to have a website or online presence you are consistently going to miss out on opportunities from intent driven customers surfing the internet.
2. Brand Awareness
When someone Googles your business, what do they find?
From the example above, you can see the amount of real estate our website takes up when a keyword like “Imperium Kingston” is searched. The more space we can take up in the search engine result pages (SERPs) the better awareness we will have in the Kingston community. This also goes for keywords like “website design Kingston Ontario” and other niche specific keywords. When you do not have a website, this provides your competitors with a wonderful opportunity to take your place in the SERPs. Google does a fantastic job of finding other relevant content to display when a search query is not fulfilled due to no direct matches. So if someone searches for “company X” but they do not have a website, then there is a good chance that “company Y”, who is also in the industry and has a website, will show up instead. This then helps build the brand awareness and validity of your competitors, which is the opposite of what you’re looking for.
3. Help Customers Find Essential Business Info
Picture this: You heard about a business through the grapevine and turned to Google to find their location, store hours or contact info. Yet, you were sadly disappointed to have your search yield no results for the business….
This happens every day to local businesses. The vast majority of the time people don’t continue searching for that business anymore and decided to find another business in the area that is easier to locate or contact. Don’t be this business!! There is nothing more frustrating than trying to find simple information that should be readily available on the internet and it is impossible to find. Make your location, store details and contact information readily available so you don’t miss out on business opportunities.
Navigating the internet may seem like a daunting task for some, but for the vast majority of the world it is a way of life. That is why you need to have a website for your business. It will help eliminate missed opportunities, increase your brand awareness and make your essential information easier to find for potential customers. If the internet is a scary or foreign world to you/your business and you would like some help navigating it, allow Imperium to be your guide. We offer competitive pricing, exceptional customer service and add value to our customers businesses. Check out our website design page for more information!
