As we move into the 2020’s, are websites still necessary for businesses?
YES, absolutely! They’ve never been more important, and there are no signs of that importance waning – even with the broader shift to social media and gigantic commercial platforms (think Facebook, Google, eBay and Amazon).
If you’re serious about getting your products or services out there, a fully-functional website built to today’s design standards is a no-brainer.
A website is an online home for your business – it can even act as a virtual storefront!
Need a bit more convincing? If you’re still unsure of how crucial it is to interact with today’s web, read on!
Why a Website?
Is gaining exposure to new customers a good enough reason for you? 😉
As one of the easiest (and best) ways to market yourself, impress customers, create buzz for your business, and sell your products/services, a website can operate as the perennial foundation of your digital life. If you need a platform that reinforces the rest of your web and social media offerings, a website will always be a fantastic place to start.
It’s a well-known fact that commerce has been moving online since the early days of the web – but in our post-COVID world, this process has further intensified. Everyday transactions are shifting from storefronts to webpages at a rapid pace, with no signs of slowing down.
To be honest, creating a website is not something that most businesses can do without for very long… the web has become one of the few ways to experience serious growth and an influx in clients, these days.
All kinds of businesses are using their web platforms to drive increased sales – the flip-side of this is that those who are choosing not to are quickly being left behind.
Your business can survive and thrive like never before by developing strong offerings in the virtual world..
Even if most (or all) of your sales are conducted in the physical world, it pays to have a foot placed solidly in the digital one – and a website is an excellent first step. Regardless of what your business looks like, there’s a good chance that you’ll need to create a website to establish your presence on the internet.
The Purpose of Your Website
The modern-day marketplace values a full-featured, appealing, and high-quality website. While it’s not a catch-all solution, it can go a long way towards making your company discoverable to consumers.
A good website will leave anyone who views it with a clear image of your brand – one that they may not have developed, before. Better yet – for those that are already aware of you, a website can help them further connect and engage with your business.
Websites are also infinitely customisable to fit your specific requirements. When it comes to the size, shape and structure websites, a few common structures and approaches have emerged over the years. Which approach is suitable for you will depend on your business objectives, as well as your ultimate purpose for being online.
Regardless of what you decide to go with, you’re going to need a clear idea of what you want in order to get started. When it comes to creating a successful website project, planning is everything.
Ask yourself: What kind of products and services are you offering your target market? Who is your demographic, and what are your aims and goals with this website? Is it important for your business to enable a sales process through the internet, or do you just want to inform your customer base that you exist?
These kinds of questions will help you define the scope of your project.
Simple Landing Page Websites
If you want to communicate something simple in a succinct way, and don’t have a lot of resources to expend, a singular landing page could be a great option. Landing pages integrated into an online calendar/scheduler are also fantastic for service-based businesses who require clients to set bookings.
Rich, Full Featured ‘Front Page’ Websites
If you need to communicate a wide range of information about your business and its catalogue, offer resources for your consumers, and/or become discoverable by rising to the top of the search engines, an SEO-optimised website with rich content offerings navigable across multiple pages may turn out to be the best choice for you.
eCommerce Websites (Online Stores)
With that said, if your main reason for getting online is to automate your sales processes and make it easier for any prospective customers to purchase your products or services while navigating your entire catalogue, you’re probably looking for a website with eCommerce functionality… though you may want to include other features, too!
The Significance of Lead Funnels
Depending on your objectives, you may also want to include content on your landing page that requires users to input their email address in order for them to access it (like an article, graphic, eBook, video, or other free offering).
This content can then function as a magnet that funnels high-quality leads – people who are actively interested in your products or services – into an e-mail marketing sequence. Creating your own customised funnels is one of the most effective ways to engage your demographic, capture leads, and generate new customers!
Support Your Website’s Success
Websites are a fantastic way of developing real brand presence – but at the end of the day, your website still needs to be effectively marketed, or it may not reach its audience.
Launching your website without a marketing strategy is one of the biggest mistakes a business can make… if you create a website without one, your project probably isn’t going to work out the way you want it to.
To optimise your chances for success, set up a plan to follow through with your website launch. Common strategies include high-quality content production on social media to drive organic traffic to your site, as well as running ads on platforms like Google, Facebook and/or LinkedIn. with site-wide implementation of SEO best practices once your website has launched.
We’ll be releasing a training video that covers this topic in much more depth, soon… so stay tuned!
Our 6-Step Guide to a Successful Website Project!
In the meantime, if you want to know more about how to nail your website project, we have created a step-by-step guide. Click the link to check out our free eBook!
Want to get online or improve your digital offerings, but don’t have the first idea of where to start? The Creator Club team are happy to help! We are professionals in establishing complete digital solutions for our clients.
What does that mean? Well, we can construct a full-featured website for you that fits your purpose and objectives for being online.
We can then create quality content to fill out your website and social media platforms, and all but secure your digital success with an online marketing plan that follows through with your website project.
If you’re interested, check out our offerings for website projects and get in touch to start your journey with us!
