10 reasons why your small business needs a website
The world of business has changed. Fewer & fewer small business owners are opting for bricks and mortar stores and instead are running their businesses entirely online. With so many amazing, free tools to promote your business online like Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin, do small businesses even need a website these days?
Absolutely yes! Small business owners deffo still need a website.
And we’re not just saying that because we’re web designers. A website is a crucial tool for any small business owner, here’s 10 reasons why.
1. It’s a digital space that you actually own
Facebook, Instagram, Linktree, Medium etc are all fantastic tools to use to promote your small business. But you don’t own any of it, and if your entire business is built on those platforms then that should scare you… a lot! Say you have built a following on Instagram. You have 10k followers, the link in your bio leads to a form, you get loads of leads through it, you’re perceived as an industry expert and all that good stuff. All sounding amazing so far? But you don’t have a website because you felt that you never needed one. And now your account’s been hacked and you’re not able to get it back. What can you do but start completely from scratch?
Same applies in the (admittedly, unlikely) event that these social networks decide to close their doors for good. Or change the algorithm so much that it’s no longer beneficial to your brand. This will never happen to your website because you own it. The domain, the content, the structure, it all belongs to you! If your Instagram goes down, at least people will know where to find you and you’ll still have SEO working for you. Which brings us to…
2. Strong SEO means consistently increased visibility through Google & other search engines
Content on your website doesn’t have a 3 day visibility shelf-life (looking at you, Instagram) but instead will be crawled, indexed and used in searches forever. Or at least as long as it’s online, anyway. Creating a website with good SEO is easier to do than you may think, especially with the tools available to you through Squarespace. You can spend less time worrying about creating content and building engagement on social media because organic searches will be bringing in plenty of new leads for you.
3. You can have complete creative control through builders like Squarespace
You’re no longer obligated to hand the bulk of the web design work over to a designer if you’d rather regain creative control. Online builders like Squarespace offer an intuitive and straightforward way to create your own website and continue to manage it over time. You won’t be limited to poor functionality or boring design either, especially if you opt for a premium theme option like ours. You can still take creative ownership and management responsibilities for your site, but with a little more guidance and support.
4. Websites show credibility & build brand trust with consumers
In this digital world, it’s an expectation that any reputable business will have a website. If you don’t, that can put a lot of people off buying your products or services through fear of getting scammed or ghosted. Having a clear & well branded website, however simple, will calm those concerns for the vast majority. This means more sales, more enquiries and an improved reputation.
5. Your website acts as a digital brochure aimed specifically at your dream clients
Through your website you can easily showcase exactly the type of work you do, who you do it for and why people should choose you to work with - all in one place! You can gear every section of your website to speak exclusively to your dream clients which in turn will influence your SEO & attract even more of them!
6. Having your own website will improve your lead generation
Your own website gives you somewhere to store files, create enticing pop ups and create landing pages. All of these features can be used to grow your email list (another online asset that belongs to you!) and generate more leads for your small business. We all know more leads = more sales, so collecting as many warm leads as possible is crucial to biz success.
7. Your own site allows you more service flexibility e.g the ability to sell online
Putting off committing to your own website because you’re not 100% sure the direction you’re going to take over the coming months? A website of your own (particularly one you have control over like through Squarespace) will actually give you far more flexibility and freedom to try new things, offer new services and change the way you work. Want to set up a shop? You can do that with your own site. Want to try offering a course? Set up a landing page on your own website!
8. You can use blogging to tell more of your story & attract a wider audience
We all love to get to know the people and processes behind small businesses (check out behind the scenes videos on Instagram if you don’t believe me). Why not share more of your unique story and values through blogging? This will improve your SEO, get you discovered by more potential clients and make existing followers feel more connected to you.
9. Be more strategic in your marketing by using website analytics
Analytics sounds like a scary word, but tools like Google Analytics or the Analytics tab within Squarespace make it super easy to navigate. Having information on which pages perform well, which don’t, where your users are coming from and where they’re bouncing off can improve your marketing and targeting tenfold.
10. Creating your own website is fun and easy to do with a Lucky Night Squarespace theme!
You don’t have to struggle through a completely blank slate in order to get your website off the ground. Our custom Squarespace templates are gorgeously designed, super-simple to customise and full of useful guided content prompts.
Create a stunning, strategic and simple-to-use website in just a few days.
Free 10 page guide: Craft Your Unique Brand Statement
Work through this guide to create a statement that captures the unique essence of your brand. Differentiate yourself from the competition and carve your unique market position with this in-depth free guide.
Get clear about your strategy by properly defining your USP. No more copying what everyone else is doing, instead craft effective assets that your audience love and that will make you money!
