In recent years, we have seen the Internet grow exponentially, and at the same time we are witnessing a similar growth in the field of e-commerce. Every year, more and more businesses launch their own websites to stake their claim on the world wide web.
For the most part, people have accepted websites as a necessity, but there are still a few who don’t see the need. “Websites are expensive,” they claim. “I don’t know how to make it,” they say. “It can’t make that much of a difference,” they insist. Well, experience has shown us the following:
Let’s remember what marketing is?
Do a Google search and you’ll find the following definition of marketing or something similar:
“The act or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.”
That’s what SEO is here for: to promote a company and help sell products and services, including market (keyword/competition) research.
The first and most obvious reason for creating a business website is to open an online store. As long as you sell products that can be delivered reliably, an online store will greatly increase your reach. Why sell in your local area when you can sell to the entire country and even the world?
Customers today are in love with online shopping. The vast majority of Americans buy products through e-commerce websites and will often choose to buy a product online if they can get a better price than they could at a local store. Other reasons for shopping online include convenience, saving time and making it easier to compare options. If your business sells products and you don’t have an online store, you’re essentially leaving money on the table.
Not only is the website accessible from anywhere, but it is also accessible at any time. The website is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, making it ideal for supporting your customer support efforts with pages such as FAQs, a knowledge base, tutorials, download guides and more. They make a great addition to your usual customer support options, such as an email form and a phone number for inquiries.
You should absolutely include your business’s contact information on your website, but don’t think of your website’s help materials as a weak barrier to keeping customers until you can actually talk to them. It’s true that many customers don’t want to search for an answer and will wait until they get to you, but some customers prefer “self-help” anyway and would rather find an answer online than interact with someone directly. A website is the perfect way to keep both options open and appeal to socially inclined customers as well as those who are more laid back.
A website provides an ideal method for sharing news about your company, products, services and more. Announce new developments such as store locations, product lines, sales, recalls, new releases, products recently back in stock… you get the idea. By sharing this information online, you can reach thousands (or even millions) of people instantly, which is a huge improvement over the days of sending paper newsletters.
The front page of your website is a good place to include your most important updates, as long as you can keep them concise. New arrivals and sales events are perfect candidates for the front page, and some e-commerce platforms provide you with quick solutions for displaying sales and other promotions such as Daily Deals. For long-form writing, a blog is a great solution, and it will also help your SEO efforts.
An e-commerce website opens many doors marketing-wise. You can target search results through SEO and reach customers who start shopping online with an internet search — as most do. You can also share products on social media and even get your customers to do some of the work by enticing them with promotions that rely on the effectiveness of social sharing, such as group offers. In fact, if you use an eCommerce solution with a full suite of marketing tools, you can create as many flexible coupons and promotional events as you want.
Another great method is email newsletter advertising, which has proven to be one of the most effective strategies. With a website, a customer only needs to click inside an email to be taken directly to your store and the promotion in question – unlike without, they’d have to read their email and remember to visit your location within Time frame.
If you’re convinced that your business needs a website, you probably want to start building one as soon as possible. But how to start? To help you with this process, we’ve created a free e-book that you can download below. This guide will explain all the steps involved and give you a better understanding of what creating a website can do for your business.
