Why does my business really need a website? My customers are all local I don’t see the value in a website. How can it possibly help me?

This is a common question that comes up time and time again for many small business owners who have only local customers. Instead of asking if you need a website ask yourself “Would my business benefit from exposure 24-hours 7 days a week, 365 days a year?” The answer should now be a little clearer. No other medium allows you to expose all the benefits of your small business to your target market at their convenience and provide a source of direct communications from them to you?

Any business that is currently in the yellow pages should also be online. And any business that isn’t currently in the yellow pages should consider going online first before the yellow pages. The internet is where your customers expect to find you. The internet is where your customers are.

Having a website allows your potential customers to gather the information they need from their own computer monitors. Are there questions your potential customers ask daily? Are there typical items that help sell your products or services, a list of features, or a bulleted list of services? This is the information that needs to be available 24/7 on your site.

Customers prefer to gather information anonymously. They simply like to gather information before they put themselves in a position where they’ll likely be asked to answer questions. The majority of your customers prefer to know what they’re coming to buy before they walk in your door and will appreciate an informative site that functions as an expert salesperson during all those hours you’re not open for business.

Think about how many times you have used a search engine within the past week to research a product or service that you were considering purchasing. The benefits of a website are innumerable.

Have you ever found yourself searching for something online and came across a site that just didn’t leave you with a good impression? You know the kind, hard navigate, not very visually pleasing, maybe be a bit shady looking. If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation did you stay on the site or leave only to continue your search?

More than likely you left and kept searching. A 2002 Stanford Guidelines for Web Credibility study shows that people quickly evaluate a site by visual design alone.

Having a website is a reflection on your company. If your site looks horrible this will reflect onto your products and/or services, in turn visitors will assume that your products and/or services are horrible.

As the old adage goes, “You may never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” This is even more important with your website. The impression made on your visitors will greatly determine whether or not that visitor becomes a customer. Having a professionally designed website might mean the difference between just another visitor and a qualified lead.

Any designer can design a website. Finding a designer that understands how to align your business goals with usability best practices and design theory is where the true talent comes in.

Having a professionally designed website really does matter and is well worth the investment.