Studies show that 81% of consumers research companies online before visiting or making a purchase with them.

With a website, you can help stand out against your competition.

However, without a website, how are you supposed to be a part of their search pool? Can people even trust you?

Keep reading to learn the top eight reasons why the answer to “Do I Need a Website?” is a resounding yes.

Why Do I Need a Website?

You’ve probably been told many times that you need to have a website, but probably weren’t told why you need a website.

If you don’t have a website by 2020, it’s time to understand why this is an absolute must.

Your Customers Expect You to Have a Website

If a customer hears about you and is considering purchasing from you, they’re going to be looking for your website. However, merely having a website doesn’t increase your credibility. You have to have a website that’s well-designed and loads fast.

Take a look at some of these statistics to prove this point:

• Eighty-five percent of adults think that a company’s website, when viewed on a mobile device, should be as good or better when viewed on a desktop.
• In 2018, 63% of retail website views were on mobile devices.
• If the content or layout of a website is unattractive, 38% of people will stop engaging with the website.

These statistics alone should be enough to convince you to build a website today.

Your Competitors Have a Website

As of January 2020, there are 1.74 billion websites on the internet. With those kinds of numbers there’s no guessing whether or not your competition has a website, they do.

Once a customer has an idea of what they want or need, they start to research to buy it. Seventy-two percent of those people go to Google to find their product or service. If you don’t have a website, you won’t show up on Google.

Don’t let your competition win without you putting up a fight.

You’ll Show up in Google Search Results

There are 3.5 billion searches per day on Google. Without a website, you will never have the opportunity to show up in those search results.

When building and maintaining your website, keep the best SEO practices in mind as well. It’s not enough to just build your website and expect them to come. You need to be optimizing your website so you’re able to show up in search results.

Once you start ranking for Google, you’ll have the opportunity to start winning over new clients.

Show off Your Product or Service

A website is your chance to brag as much as you want about the product or service you offer. This is where you get to talk in detail about the benefits of your product or service.

You can have written content to explain your products or services, or you can create videos or downloadable PDFs to show off the benefits you have to offer.

Don’t be modest, brag about everything you can do using your website.

It’s Not as Hard as You Think

When looking at building a website, you may be thinking about how long it’s going to take to build, how much it’s going to cost, or how complicated it will be to update it.

Now with WordPress and other content management systems (CMS), it’s easy to edit your website after it’s built. If you can create a Facebook post, you can update your WordPress website.

With 62% of websites online built on WordPress, it won’t be hard for you to find someone to build your website for you either.

Stay in Control of Your Brand

You’re in charge of the content that goes on your website. This means you’re in control of what you put out there for people to see. You decide the tone, messaging, and design that people will recognize you for.

With a website, your business is always available.

If you don’t have the best online reputation, a website can be the perfect opportunity to fix that. You can’t control what others say about you, but you can control what you say about yourself.

Available 24/7

A website is always there to give your potential clients information. You may not want to work at 2 AM, but your customer may want to shop at 2 AM. With a website, your business is always available.

Increase Your Sales Opportunity

If you’re a retailer or sell a product that could be shipped and sold and you don’t have a website then you’re missing out on potential revenue. With an eCommerce website, you could be selling your products digitally to people who otherwise would never step into your store before.

This digital space gives you room to promote, explain, and sell your product. All you need to do is make sure your website is up to date and you have products in stock.

Eight in ten Americans are shopping for something online at any given time. You need to have your products available online to even be considered for the sale.

Build Your Website Today

Hopefully, by now we’ve answered your question “Do I Need a Website?”, and you’ve come to the conclusion that yes! You do need a website.

Now that you know you need a website, check out our 10 tips for creating an effective website.

If you need help maintaining your website, be sure to check out our WordPress Maintenance & Support page to learn more about how we can help you.

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