Starting a Small Business in San Diego?
If you’re on the verge of opening a small business in San Diego, or you already own one; there is one important question you must first answer before taking another step. Do you have a website?
It may seem shocking, in this day and age of Internet driven business, but according to multiple website surveys (including one by Internet search company Google and research company Ipsos), 55% of small businesses don’t have a website.
If you’re a San Diego startup just getting your business plan in motion, do yourself a favor and get your website project at the top of your list. Or if you’re a current small business owner and part of this ‘no website’ statistic, you don’t have to be intimidated; Creating a website doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. There are many domain and hosting options that cost as little as $1 a month, and there are tons of attractive, free WordPress themes. Here are the top reasons why small business owners need to set up a website now:
- Without a Website, You Are Missing Out on an Entire Audience of Potential Customers.
Small businesses who don’t have a website or any form of an online presence are missing out on potentially thousands of dollars in sales. So many people look to the Internet to find professional services and products, and if you don’t have a website, your consumer simply isn’t likely to do business with you. It is also important for small businesses to develop a social media presence and online directory listings, and a website is a great place to start. Links from your website can point to your Facebook business profile, Google plus business page or your Twitter feed, and your social media posts can take new visitors directly to your corner of the Internet.
- The Internet is Your Greatest Marketing Tool.
92% of consumers read online reviews before making their decision regarding a business (that’s a big raised hand from this web gal), and about 50% of consumers said positive reviews make them more likely to use a local business. Once your website is up and running, and your social media presence and online directories are inline with your website…your clients will start leaving reviews. You can let your happy customers help create your viral marketing campaign for you by providing them an online space where they can leave reviews and testimonials, declaring you as a credible and trustworthy source. With preference usually given to local businesses over online stores, a website is your chance to show your customers how available you are because for many shoppers, you are exactly what they’re looking for.Creating a buzz with content rich articles about your product or service is also a way to get established on the Internet. Do not belabor the huge effectiveness of content on your website and the wonderful marketing ramifications from it. When it comes to planning, put in some time into developing rich content for your pages and posts. This will be extremely helpful in marketing your services to the search engines and subsequently to the community around you. You are then able to publish your website pages as posts on your social media profiles. This is a significant way to network with others in your niche and cement your brand and authority.
- The Timing of Your Website Can Affect Your Business’s Success.
The Internet uses “search spiders” that basically crawl the layers of the Internet, indexing content and websites, and it can take weeks before your website even shows up in results. This means people may not even know your business exists for weeks or months from the date you created your website; one of the most important reasons to get a head start of website development. Also, if you finalize every detail of your business before setting up a website, when it comes time to choosing a domain name, your business’s name may already be taken, and you’ll be left with an irrelevant and possibly confusing URL.
Audience, Marketing, Timing…
The key point to take away from this article is that it is just as important for your business to create a website and social media presence as it is to create a quality product or service. Do yourself a favor, and get started today on your website project!
Contact our web consulting agency for any questions you have regarding website design and digital marketing. We are happy to assist the do-it-yourself entrepreneur with web consulting and WordPress help so you can set-up your small business website and take care of it yourself.
