Why is a good website necessary for online success?

Why is a good website necessary for online success? We can all agree that building a business is not a walk in the park. It involves hard work, persistence and a lot of sleepless nights. Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges that an entrepreneur has to face is getting the word out about the business.

Mass media such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television dominated the advertising scene. But, in today’s digital age, these have become a thing of the past. The battleground has shifted to the online world. Large multinational corporations are scrambling to cement their online presence with digital marketing. They are racing to build the best online store front with website design services. You might think that this frenzy is exclusive to multi-million companies in their bid for the top. Yet, it is also very much applicable for micro and medium-sized enterprises. In this post we’ll tell you why a good website is essential in ensuring your business’s online success and we don’t just mean with PPC.

Why is a good website necessary for online success? Accessibility and Convenience For One…

Accessibility and convenience are only few of the reasons why the world embraced digital technology. Shopping is now possible while running on a treadmill or even during sleepwalking. A few clicks here and you have a freshly-baked pizza delivered right at your doorstep. A few taps there and you can be the new owner of Elvis Presley’s old toothbrush (you get the general idea).

Now, imagine traveling about a mile to get to your favorite ice cream shop then finding out its closed. Not a situation you’d want to be in, right? But what if before going there, you can check its store hours online. That would save you an hour or two of traveling. These are only some of the reasons why more and more people are foregoing visits to physical stores. They instead opt to do their shopping online. It can be done while at the comfort of your own garden, on the couch or in the bathroom at any time of the day (or night).

When you have a website, information about your products and services can be accessed by your customers 24/7 as long as they are connected to the internet. In short, you’re making sales even when you’re sleeping. Isn’t that just brilliant?

Worldwide Reach

The best thing about digital technology is that it traverses borders. A jewelry designer in Chicago can showcase their new winter collection to customers in China and vice versa. With this, a limitless possibility awaits. Physical location is no longer a constraint and the world, along with its 7 billion people, are now your prospective customers. It’s not called the “worldwide web” for no reason after all.

Your own website helps you reach out to billions of people from different countries. Likewise, it also helps people from around the world learn more about your company, products and services. In general, the more information there is about your business, the more “visible” it will be. This increased visibility translates to more customers and eventually better sales.

Image Building

A Roman writer once said that a good reputation is more valuable than money. This could not be truer in business. Think of those companies who have been around for decades or even centuries, what do they have in common? Credibility. They survived that long because they took great care in building a credible reputation among their customers. This reputation builds their brand in the long run.

Just like how a physical store reflects the company’s brand, a website does the exact same thing online. Thus, when people search for information about your brand, the first thing they will look for is your website. When that is not available, they may have to turn to online forums to try and find out more about your brand.

The problem with this is you cannot control what people say about you in this public forums. One negative comment from a dissatisfied customer can shred your reputation to bits.

With an optimized website, you have more control of how your brand appears online. You can choose how your products are presented and even which reviews and testimonials to highlight.

Cost-Efficient Marketing

Apart from connecting you to the world, your website can also serves as the center of all your marketing campaigns. Gone are the days where you need to pay people to stand outside your shop and distribute leaflets announcing a sales promotion or a new product. With a few clicks, your marketing campaign can be set in motion. Setting up a website is definitely a lot cheaper than running a full marketing campaign.

The process of strengthening your online presence does not end at setting up a website, you need to build a good one. It must be optimized, functional and interactive.

According to Forbes, the following features are must haves for websites:

• fast loading
• mobile-friendly
• analytics enabled
• supports SEO
• enabled Content Management System (CMS)
• conversion tools
• email marketing sync
• social media quick access links
• security and data protection protocols
• progressive web apps
• artificial intelligence (AI)

A very effective way of distinguishing your site from among competitors is adding a blog.

Adding a blog, and filling it with high quality content, helps you:

• increase search engine traffic
• give personality to your brand while building its authority in the industry
• promote social media campaigns
• convert traffic to actual sales
• generate inbound links
• ace ranking for long-tail search queries
• initiates discussion
• keeps your site updated with fresh contents

So why is a good website necessary for online success? It gives them an opportunity to promote their brand along with industry leaders at a much lesser cost.

The online market is a very tough and competitive place but once successfully navigated, the rewards are definitely worth it.

Hire The Digital Marketing Experts

We take online businesses and turn them into online empires by employing smart digital marketing strategies. Our team of experts are trained in a myriad of marketing skill including SEO to help you rank higher in search results, and ad management to ensure your message gets seen by the people you want. Need a business website that attracts business? We also specialize in website design and online sales optimization to help your business grow like never before.

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About The Author

Peter Heise is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, Florida. He has over a decade of experience in SEO, online advertising, website design, and marketing for small businesses. Peter is currently president of Correct Digital Inc. and advertising manager of South American Initiative (sai.ngo).