If you own a small business, you likely know that having a website is essential to your success. However, you may not realize that not all websites are equal. It is worthwhile to invest in building out a high-quality, professional site sooner rather than later. By doing so, you can prepare for growing your business effectively.
Understanding Why Your Website Matters
Having an internet site means that your customers (and potential customers) can easily find information about your business. Producing a website is relatively easy. What is more challenging is creating one that can achieve your business goals. There are lots of other websites out there. If you want to cut through the noise, you need a website that is competitive.
To begin with, your site should achieve a good search engine ranking. According to a BrightEdge Research report, 68% of online interactions start with a search. It takes time and effort to help a business show up consistently in relevant searches. In other words, if you don’t take the time to build a high-quality site, you could be leaving many sales on the table.
Building a More Attention-Getting Website
Have you ever visited a website and felt underwhelmed? It may have caused you to visit another business’s site instead. Similarly, you may have found some sites difficult to navigate. Again, this can lead to visitors going elsewhere. A simple, informative, and pleasant-looking user experience helps you to earn more visitors and sales.
Building an eye-catching and well-designed web presence can require more time and money than producing a simple, barebones site. However, you earn a greater return on investment because the upgraded website will be more effective at converting sales.
Integrating Your Website With Your Business Processes
Another way you can improve your website’s effectiveness is by integrating it with your business processes. For example, you may have a customer relationship management tool. Using your website to deliver leads straight into your CRM solution is a great way to improve your efficiency. Importantly, as your business grows, this pipeline will be scalable as you add new team members.
Similarly, tie your website into your enterprise resource planning system. You can use this to share relevant information with your customers such as inventory of your products in stock. Plus, you can collect data on on-site visitors and customers to help you make informed decisions about your audience.
Accepting Payments Through Your Site
Consider integrating a payment system with your website if you sell any kind of goods or products. If you can accept payments from your customers online, they will be more likely to buy from you. Online payments are more convenient and streamlined. Just make sure to research your options. You want to find a solution that is secure, scalable, and not overly expensive (credit card transaction fees can add up). One with a built-in balance API is also beneficial both for yourself and your customers as it guarantees that they have enough funds to pay for their purchases and avoid overdraft fees, while you, in turn, are guaranteed payment.
Keeping Your Business Secure
Low-quality websites can be vectors for cyberattacks. Investing in building a website with good cybersecurity is worthwhile. This doesn’t need to be a huge undertaking. However, as you grow your business, you get the peace of mind knowing your site is ready for potential cyberattacks, and your customers can be more confident being on a secure site.
Get Started Building a Better Website Today Discover more about building a great website today. With the above ideas in mind, you can create a website that continues to serve your small business well as it grows.