This year the Office for National Statistics released that year-on-year sales online rose by over 60%. The bottom line is: if your website isn’t selling your products online, then you’re missing out. The longer you leave it, the more difficult it’s going to get to carve out a space for yourself online.
Many small businesses I know still have an old website built over a decade ago! If you have a high street business, your accompanying website can compliment your sales in store. If you’re selling more, you can buy at lower prices giving you better product margins. You have access to niche customer bases that are not restricted by geography. You can operate the business from your garage if you had to. If this year has taught us anything, it’s that businesses need to be flexible. Your website gives your flexibility and control to sell, even if your shop can’t open.
Why are Websites Important?
Your website is your digital shopfront. It’s the glue that hold all the information between your social media pages and your physical business. Your customer base want to support your business, but you have to make it easy for them to do it.
Getting a new website can seem like a huge task, but taking the time and money to invest in your future is only ever a good thing. You can increase your sales, brand awareness and leads by taking your digital presence to the next stage.
1. Your Website’s Not Mobile Friendly
This year mobile internet traffic well and truly tipped the 50% mark for global usage. Not only does this mean that customers expect a great experience on their mobile devices, but also that it’s increasingly important for SEO. If your online presence doesn’t give customers a good experience on their devices, you need a new website!
2. Your Website Doesn’t Drive Leads
If you’re only getting a few enquires from your website every month, you’ve got a lot of room for improvement. As your digital storefront, your website should be sending an increasing amount of business your way. A well optimised site can even out perform your in store sales and opens new niche markets you wouldn’t normally tap into.
3. You Can’t Easily Update Your Website
Modern websites use Content Management Systems like WordPress. This helps you easily update your website while keeping a consistent design style across the whole site. If your web developers are holding the keys to your website, it means they can charge you money every time you want to update it. This is convenient for some, but for others it’s a monetary cost not equal to the value it gives. New content gives Google’s search bots an excuse to come back more regularly and see what’s new with your site.
4. Your Website Has Slow Loading Times
You can see if your loading times need improving by using Google’s web development tools. If your site is slow to load, some customers won’t even wait around to read your content. They’ll be back in the search results and moving on. That’s why Google uses loading times as a ranking factor for their search results.
5. It Doesn’t Represent You Very Well
Your website is your home online. It’s a place to express yourself, your values and your organisation. If it doesn’t represent you to your customer base, they’re going to get a very different experience when they visit you in store. It’s also your chance to capture business online, so the personal touch, and brand values are critical to getting buy in from a customer.
Summary
Check your site against these parameters. If it doesn’t measure up, it’s time to think about how you can improve things. I can take a look at your current site and give you some pointers, and build a new website from scratch to really push your brand. Have a chat with me today about which option is best for you.
