Search engines (Google in particular) are like poker tables, there’s always a shark lurking amongst the group. You may win a couple of hands, but in the long run, the shark will always clean up. In saying this, if you don’t have a strategy or the resources to compete against the shark, move to another table.

 

From the many thousands of website we’ve analysed, some businesses just put up a website for the pure sake of having a website. Generic sites, incorrect grammar, lack of effort, lack of content to arouse user engagement are just the tip of the ice berg. But I guess you get what you pay for right? In these circumstances, your better off not having a website.

 

In saying this, if you don’t have a website, or have a website that resembles some of points listed in the previous paragraph, here’s four factual reasons why you should have an engaging, professional and optimised website:

•  It’s the cheapest office space you will ever rent, guaranteed.

For most businesses, their website is their office space online which is generally found through search engines. Your website should be in place to engage prospects about your services and to ultimately generate new leads and business. Traditional businesses spend thousands on offline methods, which do work but the best in the business today invest heavily online. It comes down to reach, cost and return. Your website will work out cheaper, expose your business to a larger audience and marketed correctly, will generate more leads more consistently.

•  82% of people search for local services online.

If you don’t have a website, well, in that case it’ll be extremely hard for people to find you through search engines. To put it simple, you need a website that ranks across search terms to be accessible to local searches.

•  Consumers research prior to making a decision.

Here’s the common dilemma. Two local businesses service the same product. An online prospect is going to enquire to either you or your competitor. At the end of the day, your website, your rankings and reviews are what will separate the business that gets a lead and the business that receives a unique view. Most people trust reviews online, for example, when you search for a restaurant locally, do you read reviews? And is your decision easily skewed in favour of positive reviews? Most people say yes…… Bottom line, if you’re a local business and your losing local customers, something’s not right. This is not to say that the entire local community will enquire to you, but there are many measures to improve the likelihood of your business converting these searches, it comes down to conversion strategy.

•  Your website is accessible 24/7.

As efficient as you might be, you’re generally not contactable 24/7. On the other hand, your website is live 24/7 and is available to consumers at their convenience. Ensuring your website provides informative content and answers the questions of prospects, it’s a great platform to engage people even when your fast asleep.

 

These are four simple reasons why every local business should have a website.