Small business web site
Do you manage a Small Business and wonder whether it needs a Website or not?
Many Small Business Operators are faced with this dilemma, especially when they see everyone carrying an official URL on visiting cards and letterheads. The doubt is greater when most of your customers and clients are situated locally. You may ask yourself why your customers and clients would go to your Small Business Website when they can easily drop by at your office or outlet!!
A Website is not just a fad – it used to be a fad maybe 10 years ago but not anymore. Your Website can be as important as your telephone connection, or even your actual business location. We are not saying this because we are in the business of building Websites; these days whenever people have to make a purchase or hire a Service Provider they instinctively log onto the Internet and try to visit the Website of the business. They simply assume that every business these days has a Website – and businesses that don’t, don’t mean business. Irrespective of the fact whether you can directly sell from your web site or not, a Small Business Website can be an integral part of your Shop or Office.
How can a Web Site help Small Business?
• A Website can help you grow your Small Business: Why restrict yourself to a local market when you can do business with a global market? What about big contracts from other cities and countries? You can explore new markets, while new markets can reach you via your Website. It can prove to be a lot more expensive if you try to achieve this without a Website. Just imagine, suppose you want to expand your consulting business to five or six cities or countries, you will need an office or representative at every location. Instead, you can just have a single Website, and your clients can interact with you through your Website.
• Save on paperwork: If all the information related to your business is easily available on your Website then there is no need to print brochures and other marketing papers and posters. Whenever people want to know something about your business they can quickly go to your Website and get all the information they need.
• Make it easier for your customers and clients: When you have a Website all your contact details are always present on your web site. This means people who may have lost your phone number or E-mail can easily search for your name on Google (in case they already don’t know your URL), go to your Website and obtain the correct contact details. You can publish a local map that can make it easier for people to reach you. You can even have an online ordering system (E-Commerce) where people can place orders and make payments without ever having to call you (we don’t mean to say that personal contact is not important, but there is no harm in presenting different options to your customers and clients).
• Easy Damage Control: Unpredictable events can always tarnish your image and you need a means to reach your customers and clients and put your point across. A Website is a good tool to relay your message with speed and clarity.
• Introduce new offers: Each time you introduce a new product or a new service or make some changes at your workplace you don’t need to individually inform your customers and clients. You can announce every change through your Web Site. Of course merely having a Website does not mean that people will keep a tab on it regularly unless they really want to. For this you’ll need to continuously offer something to them so that it becomes a habit to visit your Small Business Website regularly.