Importance of a Professional Website
If you’re one of the business owners who isn’t sure if they need to build a website or bother to update your current website to ensure it looks professional, you may be in for a rude awakening. Word of mouth and dollars spent on social media advertising simply won’t cut it in 2020.
Whether you’re new new entrepreneur on the block or slightly more seasoned, it may be time to recognize the real value in having a quality website. A good professional website can allow you to reach your current and potential customers effortlessly. If you’re worried you can’t afford a professional website, try to reevaluate your finances and recognize the importance of a professionally developed and designed site. The design and functionality of your site is more important than they’ve ever been in previous years. Website credibility judgements are 75 percent based on aesthetics. Which is why we have put together five reasons your business needs a professional website.
1. Visual Appeal of your Professional Website
People make snap judgments. It takes only 1/10th of a second to form a first impression about a person. Websites are no different.
It takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they’ll stay or leave.
A website is your personal avatar.
Websites are the equivalent of sales representatives in a physical store. Both are in place to represent your business and to be the face of your company. Additionally, when people visit your website in the search for information or purchasing, it’s vital that their first point of contact with your company is a positive experience and makes them want to engage more with your brand.
When customers visit your site, they see it as a reflection of your business. If your site looks professional and is loaded with useful information readers will see you as a professional and expert in your field. Likewise, if the site looks poorly designed and structured or out-of-date they’ll make the same assumptions about your company. The website should highlight your product or service and the layout should look balanced and consistent.
2. Technique & Coding of your Website
Is your website multi-browser compatible? Is your source code valid (HTML and CSS)? Does your website meet the basic web standards? Is the technique and/or (version) programming language outdated?
An important factor you should consider is the increase in usability in web development. Every year web standards change radically and techniques to build websites become more advanced to comply with the latest standards. If your site was developed several years ago, it probably has a lot of unnecessary HTML code and may be slowing down your website loads speeds – which may, in turn, impact your ranking in the Google search results. Including modern techniques such as CSS coding will allow your web pages to adapt to all smartphone devices.
3. Boost Your Credibility with your Site
Candidly speaking, many businesses, especially small ones, can do without a website. They can easily connect themselves with the web presence offered by social networks like Instagram or by business listing and review sites such as Angie’s List and Facebook. So online business without a website is possible…
However, one will need to think of an advanced brand identity as well as a professional look and feel of the company as the business grows. A professionally built website is an essential part of the modern business’ brand and one of the most important tools that help entrepreneurs use the full potential of their ventures. Additionally, today’s websites can be equipped with features that add value to your business and help better convert the internet traffic into sales.
In 2020 many people turn to the web to find businesses, whether they’re shopping for things they want, solutions to problems, comparing prices or simply trying to learn more about businesses before they make a purchase. If you don’t have a polished, informative website, your customers will go to your competitors who do.
A professional website will provide information with what customers need to know about you, allow you to share your personal message and add credibility at the same time. There are several ways to boost your business, and a professional website is one that will act as a game changer when it comes to your success.
A professional Website shows that you care
By having a professional website designed, you show that you care about your business and reputation. Adding more functionality to the site will make your company stand out from the competition.
So social media may suffice for new small businesses, but sooner or later entrepreneurs will have to consider having a commercial website or online store designed to professionally represent their companies online. It is about how the online face of the business looks to customers living in the digital world.
In 2020 a business without a website cannot project a compelling and trustworthy image. A reliable brand cannot be built with only social networks or with some drag and drop website editor. It’s hard to find a successful company that does not owe at least a part of its success to its professional web presence.
4. Reach a Wider Audience
Websites are accessible from nearly every place in the world. Meaning more people have access to the internet than ever, allowing you to target a much wider audience with the help of your professionally done website. Every business, no matter what is has to offer, benefits from this alternate location to sell.
A website offers a plethora of benefits allowing you to better serve your customers and showcase your products and services. Don’t underestimate the power of a professionally designed website. It will save you time and money — and there’s no denying it will boost your bottom line.
When targeting potential customers on the world wide web, the key to success could be search engine optimization (SEO) that can help you gain traffic from search engines like Google. With that being said, It is really difficult to succeed with search engine rankings without content marketing. Meaning, entrepreneurs (such as yourself) have to publish as much relevant content on their websites as possible to offer Google and other search engines enough content and information about their products or services to outrank their business rivals.
The more content site owners publish, the higher chance he/she gets to receive links back to their sites from other websites which will add to their domain’s authority in the eyes of Google. Most site owners integrate blogs into their sites to compete for search engine traffic. Furthermore, SEO is considered to be one of the best marketing methods in terms of ROI but it can only be done effectively if you own a professional website.
5. Offer Better Customer Support
Professional websites can provide the 24/7 support for customers. They work like a relentless salesperson. With a professional website there are several ways to keep customers informed and updated on the business activities and offerings:
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- Live online chats
- Integrated maps and driving instructions
- Downloadable product user manuals
- Request forms
- Online price calculators
- Newsletter subscriptions
- Tutorials
- Expert articles and videos
Just like the appealing look and feel of a website, the 24/7 customer support that comes with a website can create a positive impression of the business. And, as a rule, a positive impression is the first step in acquiring loyal clients and new leads.
A professional website can bring lots of value to the business as well as project a compelling and trustworthy image. A professional website is a business’s online center of operations that is always there for customers to get information and buy products. Ignoring to invest in a high quality site can lead to losing business to competitors. If you are looking for an expert help with designing and developing a professional website or online store for your company, our team of professionals can assist you with building your online presence that includes cutting-edge design, branding and marketing capabilities.