2020 was a good year to learn about the importance of having a digital presence. Businesses that operated brick-and-mortar stores found themselves in a tight spot. Social distancing and stay-at-home orders made it impossible for people to visit such locations. Customers had no choice but to turn to the digital space for purchases.
Many businesses had to shift to the online space to reach customers. Having a website became more of a necessity than a choice.
Without a doubt, a website is vital for businesses. However, as an individual, you can get a lot of functionalities out of a website as well. It provides a fantastic platform to share your ideas and passion. You can have a blog if you enjoy writing. Monetize your website and create a lucrative income source.
Our article will delve into why having a website is essential in 2021.
1. It is No Longer a Choice
Having a website in 2021 is no longer a choice. Bill Gates captures the prevailing sentiment well. If your website is not on the internet, your business will be out of business.” It does not matter what business sector you are in; you need one.
Talk to marketers and then tell you the same. Part of their marketing budget includes an allocation for web development and design. Different niches are coming up with regards to website design.
There are those who, for example, there are website builders for nonprofits. They are different from a typical e-commerce platform. Nonprofits are about collecting donations and disbursing them to deserving causes. E-commerce, on the other hand, is about the bottom line which comes from conversions.
2. You Need It for Brand Awareness
One thing about the digital space is there is a lot of competition. Think about it like an open marketplace with everyone shouting at the top of their voices. The person who shouts the loudest stands a better chance of capturing the attention of the customers. One way of shouting is to have a robust digital presence.
The first step begins with a well-designed website. It is a fantastic platform to showcase products and services. It is also a platform where you can launch campaigns. Further, with the right audience targeting, you can craft messages that talk directly to the customers.
Implementing the right search engine optimization (SEO) techniques will give you good rankings on the search engines. It helps increase visibility. Most importantly, every time someone types in a search query related to your business, you stand high chances of coming up.
3. It Helps Build Credibility
Do you often find that you research a company before you transact with them? You will ideally not head to the local library to go through books. You will most likely use the internet to search for the company.
Now imagine they have no website. You can barely find their presence online. You may start to doubt their credibility. After all, in your mind, who in the 21st century does not have a website? Now put yourself in the shoes of your audiences or potential customers. We don’t need to go further, you get the point.
4. It Is an Excellent Marketing Platform
Before you spend your valuable dollars advertising on different digital platforms, start with your website. There is so much potential and opportunities you can use to create awareness for your brand and products. Best of all, you don’t even need to spend money to do it.
Launch product promotions and campaigns
Introduce new products and services to your target audiences
Generate relevant content that allows you to position yourself as an authority
Take advantage of link building to get yourself on high-authority websites. It is a fantastic way to grow your reputation within the industry.
Link your social media platforms to your website. It is an excellent opportunity to build organic audiences. Further, you get access to even more audiences. With correct profiling, you can target them with different marketing activities.
5. A Website is Essential for Branding
A website is a powerful branding tool for your business. It provides a way to differentiate yourself from the competitors. By incorporating branding elements like logos, you can create top-of-mind awareness amongst target audiences.
The fact is your competitors have websites. You can best believe that they do all they can to make them stand out. The modern customer has a lot of choices. They will not go out of their way to find a business that does not have a digital presence. You could be losing out on a broad audience base without a website.
6. Enhance Customer Experience with 24/7 Accessibility
If you are running an e-commerce platform, you know the importance of accessibility. The digital space has opened up markets beyond our physical borders. You could be having customers in different geographical locations. What it means is while you are asleep, others could be waking up.
Businesses that depend on opening and closing hours can lose a lot. You cannot position yourself like a brick-and-mortar store in the digital space. The customers should be able to access your services any time they need them.
Your website can provide 24/7 accessibility. You don’t need to have human agents manning it all the time. Chatbots, for example, are becoming quite popular concerning customer care.
7. Access to a Broad Audience Base
A website exposes you to a broad audience base. Statistics indicate that 59.5% or 4.66 billion people use the internet globally. What this means is you have the opportunity to reach millions of customers with the right marketing tactics.
As we have already stated, there are no geographical limitations. Your customers can be in any part of the world, and you can still get to them.
Final Thoughts
Any business operating in the current environment cannot afford not to have a website. With more people shopping online, you need to have a robust digital presence. A website increases visibility and is vital for brand building. It is also a fantastic platform to market your products or services.
The platform is inexpensive, and you have complete control over it. Invest in a web designer who will ensure an excellent user experience for your audiences. You could lose traffic if the experience on the website is not good.
what an amazing article !