Websites aren’t just for high street names. For small business owners, a website is an investment in building your brand that can deliver results far beyond what social media marketing alone can achieve.
Don’t get me wrong, posting regularly on Instagram or Facebook can be brilliant for starting conversations and building connections but if you want to grow your brand you need a website to convert those leads into sales.
Creating quality website content will help you build brand awareness, showcase your products or services and encourage customer loyalty by showing your audience what makes your brand unique.
Here are four reasons why you should invest in a website for your small business.
1. In the driving seat
If Instagram or Facebook shut down tomorrow what would you do? How would you know who was following you? And how would you contact them?
Marketing your products or services on social media may be free but it isn’t without risk. You don’t own your business page so if your account gets deleted or hacked then all your wonderful content and contacts are (potentially) lost forever.
Using social media as a tool to connect and start a conversation is great for small businesses but having a digital presence that you’re in control of is vital for converting those leads into sales.
Big brands use social media for lead generation and brand awareness but they never put all their eggs in one basket. They always have a website to direct customers to – and you should too.
You can decide how you want your website to look and read. You have control over it without being at the mercy of social media algorithms and can update it whenever you want.
2. Build your brand
Having a quality website helps you to keep up with and – more importantly – set you apart from your competitors.
It gives potential customers a chance to learn more about your business and its products or services, read customer reviews, subscribe to your newsletter, read your blog or follow you on social media.
Having a website packed with quality content can help to:
Give your brand credibility
Maintain your reputation
Make your business look more professional
Position your brand as an authority
Build awareness of your brand and what you have to offer
Earn customer loyalty
Explain your niche or unique selling point (USP)
On a website, you can go into more depth than you can on social media and provide all the information your customers need in one place.
3. The nerve centre
A well-written and carefully designed website should be the digital hub of your small business and work hand in hand with your social media.
You can use it to:
Direct people from your social media to sign up for your email newsletter or mailing list on your website
Send your newsletter subscribers to your website to find out more about your services or to read your blog posts
Encourage your audience to follow links from your social media or customer emails to specific pages of your website eg to learn more about you on your About page
Potential customers will visit your website time and time again to discover your latest deals or services or to read your blog posts (get my help with blog writing).
A website also gives potential customers somewhere they can contact you or find out how and when they can visit you at your premises.
4. Be more visible
Having a website gives your small business the chance to be seen by a much larger audience through a simple Google search.
If your website copy is packed with SEO-friendly keywords, your brand can be found by potential customers down the road or on the other side of the world.
Use analytics to track how many people are visiting your site, where they’re coming from and what they’re looking for.
By knowing which areas of your site are the most popular you can market your small business more effectively, driving potential customers to the right products and services to increase sales.
Website analytics can also help you find out how well your content, such as your blog, is performing and tailor your content strategy to suit.
Over to you
Social media can work brilliantly for small businesses but investing in a quality website will help your brand make a fantastic first impression, keep up with the competition and convert those promising connections you’ve made on Instagram or Facebook into loyal customers.
Do you need help with your website?
As a freelance copywriter, I can write your website content for you to eliminate the hassle of doing it yourself. Take a look at my website copywriting services or book here.
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Further reading