As a designer, I get asked a lot by my clients, “Do I need a website if I have a Facebook page?” And the truth is yes. If you are in a service-based industry like me, maybe you think you don’t need one. Maybe you’re a social media guru and get awesome results with social media, in which case maybe you’re ok without one.
Most of your clients will expect that you have one, and your competitors will most likely have one. Businesses may be convinced that they own social media profiles, but the reality is different. The platforms make the rules, which are subject to change at any point.
Suppose your favourite social media platform announced today it won’t support businesses from next month. That can mean losing all the online clients or followers you have struggled to gain over the years. You will be back to square one — without an online presence.
Customer Expectation – Customers these days are technologically skilled and hence demand that you have a website that will provide them with all the necessary information about your brand and products. Your website can benefit your brand by helping you create revenue, improve brand recognition, foster goodwill among customers and your target market, and convey important marketing messages.
Improves your business branding – Business branding is one of the important reasons to have a website with an impressive social media presence and offline marketing efforts one can easily bring the potential customer towards the website and could explain to them about the services and products in a better way. This is one of the best advantages of having a website. It also makes you look professional
Improves Credibility – A website is the face of your business it talks to your customers on your behalf. 75% of people judge a company’s credibility by its website. Are you more likely to buy from a company that has a website or one without one? Websites show your clients you are a legitimate business. Fraudsters or scammers are everywhere, including social media. Considering it is free to set up a business user account, scammers find it easy to create fake profiles. Some even have pages with names of other people’s legitimate businesses. That’s why customers put less trust in companies with only a social media page.
Increase leads – When potential new clients are looking for your service they go to google. The simple fact is, when most people are looking for a service, they research and base their decisions based on multiple Google searches, not passively The only digital property you can optimise for search engine optimisation is your website. If you don’t have a website, there is no force driving leads and clients your way that isn’t already in your referral network.
Show your expertise – With a website, you can showcase tons of valuable resources and high-quality information that helps your business to stand out from your competitors:
Blog posts
Case studies
Tutorials
Downloadable e-books or pdf
Infographics
Images
Promotional videos Reviews & testimonials Display your reviews and testimonials, 92% of consumers read online reviews and testimonials when considering a purchase, Showcase the best reviews on your website
Stand out from your competitors – a website is the best way to increase the reach of your products and services and, in parallel, stand ahead of the competition. but this is one of the biggest reasons why your business needs a website. You are not alone in the market selling particular products and services. More than thousands of companies are already selling the same product and services, and most of them are on the online platform with a stunning website.
Having a business website makes sense, but there are a few exceptions. In some circumstances where you may not need a website.
1. Growth is not your main motive
2. There’s little to no competition in your industry
3. Your business generates more than enough leads
Social media is eroding each year they continue to drop in popularity, so unless you already have more customers than you can handle, the need for having a website is more important than ever. It makes your business look professional and helps to build that all-important trust.