Why local businesses need a website more than ever in 2020

 

Want to avoid losing great business opportunities in 2020?  Get a website. Now! Living in the digital world, a website is now a necessity for any business as it can be used to accomplish a number of different marketing strategies to help grow your business. 

 

By its very nature, the internet has a much wider reach than any other form of advertising. Increasing your visibility almost guarantees you successful and consistent lead generation – if done correctly. Simply put, as a local business, big or small, you need a website because the market demands it. As we said in a previous blog, before potential clients reach out to your business, they first check you out online. Your website and its presence is your calling card.

 

We’re now going to take you through our top reasons to have a website in 2020:

 

  1. Customer expectations and credibility

Want to know the easiest way to frustrate potential clients in this tech age? Don’t have a web presence! These days it is more common for businesses to have websites than it is to not. It is a medium for you as an organization to put yourself out there and signal “hey, do business with me, my value proposition is exactly what you’re looking for!” why would you not want to amp up your credibility and pluck the lowest hanging fruit on the advertising tree by creating and maintaining an optimized and intuitive website for your potential client base?  

 

With increased internet access and usage across all ages groups, more and more people are researching multiple providers of products and services online before actually contacting the organization. If there isn’t even a trace of your business online, or worse, if your website is ancient, clients will simply skip you if you choose to not meet their basic online needs. 

 

If you need additional tips on how to promote your local business in today’s evolving digital era, click here for a quick how-to.

 

2. Brand development

Branding is way more than just having a generic logo and throwing in some out-of-touch content on your website. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to create an appealing and long-lasting voice for your company and what it stands for. By using a website as the vehicle to define and articulate your business identity, you stand a much better chance of outshining similar businesses in your area. It’s as simple as that. Soulpepper’s brand strategists can help you develop a strong narrative about your organization, give it a personality, and in turn suggest proven channels to communicate this to the right clients at the right time. You will get a lot closer to achieving your overarching business goals by knowing what your brand represents and who it will appeal to both in-person and online.

 

3. SEO and competition

How can a local business compete with the big boys? Simple. Have an optimized website. By not having a website, or having one that people can’t find, you are ultimately giving your competition a leg up to generate more leads than you. 

As we’ve previously mentioned, consumers first research a company and its competitors before finally making a decision to transact with them. In order for you to stay on par competitively, you must, at the very least, show up in the top search results for what your business is known for. With an active Google My Business and Map Listing, strategic keyword research and an optimized website, your company is more likely to rank higher on a search engine results page. Find out how Soulpepper’s digital marketing specialists can help you optimize your website and generate more viable leads. 

 

4. Control

You’ve heard the saying, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” We know what you’re thinking, ‘what does this have to do with real-world websites and control?’ Simply put, with websites, business owners are at the wheel as they drive and control what people see about their business and how they are perceived. 

 

By creating a website, you as a business are responsible for the content and resources you house there. The more current and engaging this information is, the more traffic and leads you’ll be able to get. 

And, with the right tools attached to your website, you can have the power of insight. It is extremely valuable to have the ability to see where your audience logs in from, what content they are engaging with, how long they are staying on your website and what search term they used to get there in the first place. With the use of Google’s suite of goodies, namely Google Analytics and Google Keyword Planner, website owners lessen the guesswork in consumers’ online behaviours and patterns, and increase their ability to target the clients they want by tailoring search results and content to specific people.

 

Controlling the narrative about your business be it in the form of well-researched content online, participating in business-centred discussion forums or even using Soulpepper’s Review Plus Tool to solicit and manage business reviews, puts local businesses in a much better position to grow and increase visibility.

 

The bottom line is, it is imperative for every business to have a website. The more professional your website is, the more advantages you can gain. If you need any help giving your business its rightful competitive advantage in today’s evolving digital arena, connect with us and sit back while we work our genius for you. 

 

– Team Soulpepper