I don't have a website, is my business at risk!?
All businesses will need a website to compete with their competitors in 2020. But why is that?
In general, small businesses can compete with small businesses and even larger businesses. Heck, larger businesses compete with larger businesses or smaller businesses too. It's very much like a continuum race track that never ends. Look at all the most successful businesses. What do they all have in common? All of them have a website.
Websites don't just provide information about the company or sell you products. They have a purpose and that is to compete with their competitors. Particularly, this can be by listing special discounts, providing new products by different suppliers, providing greater quality services or products, and the list goes on. This is just the front end that most people would see. There is much more.
In fact, there is a back end to all websites. These can include the search engine results pages, keywords, backlinks, referrals, affiliations, pay per clicks, and the list goes on. I'll talk about this in detail in a different article. See, websites are not just more than information to your website but can allow you to compete against your competitors at a greater level. Many companies don't realize this when it comes to having one up and running.
That is why a website is critical to stay on top of your competition. Without a website you will not be noticed. Your pricing and what you offer will be questioned by potential customers. Clients won't be able to find your business information. In the long run you will lose business. You will not get that traffic increase, brand credibility, level of competitiveness, consideration, and conversions. Your competitors will out rank you easily if you don't have a website. They have one less competitor to worry about, which is good for them. Definitely not good for business owners without one.
"I really don't need a website, I just rely on Word Of Mouth"
We know word of mouth is the best marketing technique for any business. Local businesses often rely on this. The reason being is that it's easy to spread the word around if your business is local and have a location accessible for customers.
Second, it does't cost money. Businesses don't like to spend money when it comes to the idea of advertisement. So why not, right? It's free. Word of mouth is highly effective, but the downside to it is that it takes a while to kick in.
Still, this doesn't give businesses to skip on having a website. Word of mouth is highly more effective if you have a website up and running. For example, let's say a customer bought your services and then recommended them to their friend. Their friend considers your business and Google's your company name.Your company comes up on the map but not on the search results. The other company that comes in search results can potentially be stealing your business. In other words, they are taking your word of mouth marketing.
Okay, you convinced me. I want a website for my business now.
Moreover, I'm glad we are in the same boat now. I'm sure you read this far to know how to proceed with your own website. You can let me do the work for you, contact me or keep reading.
Choose a domain?
Significantly, it' critical to pick a great name for your business website. You may include keywords in your business that describes what you sell or your services. If you decide to choose a unique domain name you must have reputation or grow your users to know what your company does. Example, no one would know what the company Apple does if it wasn't for their popularity.
Domains can have alternative endings that end in .com, .org, .net, .info, .io, .live, and the list goes on. Google domains started offering an extensive amount of domains that can be bought. These include .academy, .healthcare, .company, .store, .news, .cafe, .studio, and so on. This can be helpful when advertising your website. Your customers can automatically remember your domain if you were to say apple.store, instead of store.apple.com or www.apple.com/store.
Think about effective ways you can use these endings to your advantage. In addition, it would be a good idea to include a state abbreviation or name of city if you are just a local business. It's not required to do so, but it's recommended. Especially if you are just starting out as a small local business. Or if your domain is already taken.
Design Cost?
Website cost and website design cost can range in price. The more higher the price the more quality you will be getting in most cases. I know designers that charge 15,000$ per website and there work is incredible. They offer one to one client interaction, solve the business problems, meet their objectives and goals. I do know other designers that charge 100$ for a website and it doesn't really function how it is supposed to. Designers who charge low usually don't want to spend that much time with their client.
Think about, your business has high value to you. Wouldn't you rather pay a few extra bucks and achieve greater results for your business, rather than have a designer poor quality designs for your business. I myself do quality work for your website. I want what is best for my clients and their business. I want them to have an effective user experience website for their users. I want to hear them succeed, grow in traffic, sales and conversions.
What is web hosting and why is it needed?
Basically web hosting is space for your website in a server. Servers are difficult to maintain. They have to be in the right climate, precise temperature, and be powered on 24/7. Moreover, you are paying for what it takes to maintain a server running plus the space and their service. As well allowing other users go to the same server and visit your website. It's definitely a requirement.
Without web hosting you can't run your website. You will need to pay according to the type or features a web host company offers. For example a company may offer up to 10,000 visitors certain plan but 500,000 visitors in another. They also can offer processing speeds, number of websites allowed, and other features. This all depends on the web hosting company.
Pay only for what you will use. If you believe you will be needing certain features, don't overspend. Remember, once your website starts getting more visitors in the future. You will most likely need to upgrade your plan.
Why is a blog platform so important?
Blogs allow businesses to write new content. New and quality content allows your company to rank better on search results. Although, quality and quantity do defer when writing content. Remember it's more beneficial to write better quality content than it is to write more with less quality content. Doing both quality and quality will allow your company to be seen more on search results. This overall helps an increase in traffic to your website. This is why it's critical to build a blog.
How to start a blog?
It is important to realize that before you start writing content. You need to search on Google and see which article ranks number one. This will give you the idea of what to write about. You may even combine articles from the first three results pages. It is important to use your own words or else it will be considered plagiarism. Your blog article won't rank and it will be pointless. In addition, make sure to include pictures or infographics. This allows users to stay more engaged in your blog and decrease the chances of your user leaving your page immediately.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all businesses in 2020 must have a website. The main reason is to compete with your competitors. Word of mouth can simply not be sufficient and give you a reason not to have a website. Technology is advancing and more levels to compete are arising. Furthermore, choosing the right domain name can heavily influence your audience. Plus, the design and cost of a website is practically priceless. Your business will thank you for having a quality website. Your business will have an increase in traffic, compete with your competitors, brand credibility, considerations and conversions.