No matter how small your business is, you need a website. In fact, the smaller your business, the more you need a website.
Here’s why.
- A website will instantly make your business feel bigger.
Your business will instantly be more credible, trustworthy and more professional.
It shows your customers you have put in effort into building up your business. It also gives a feeling that you’re less likely to be out of business tomorrow after you have invested time and effort into building up your business.
- Your competitor(s) have website(s)
If you don’t have one, and if they do have 1, you instantly lose out. It will just seem like your competitor is better because they are “bigger” and more reliable.
But if they don’t have a website and you have 1, you instantly get that plus point. It’ll be easier to win that customer over.
- Your potential customers can find out more about you
Your website is a place where your potential customers get to know you better. They can know your story, what you product offerings are, where you are located, how they can reach you, they can find out more about your products/services.
People like stories. And they know your story, your motivation behind your business, they will have a connection with you. This is what gives you the plus point if you have a website.
You might think they can also find out about you via your social media accounts but Facebook and Instagram have constraints as to what kind of content you can post. For Facebook, you can post longer form content and photos and for Instagram, you only have 1 square or even up to 10 squares where you can use to tell your story.
The difference is that, when your customers visit Facebook and Instagram, they are most likely looking to be entertained by the 4934239 other kinds of information/content out there but when they come to your website, it’s only you they want to know more about. And you can tell you whole story in whatever format you like.
- Your website belongs to you. Facebook and Instagram don’t belong to you.
You have complete control over your website. It’s your terms. It’s your customers.
Whatever that’s on Facebook and Instagram, belongs to them. Not you. Why would you wanna leave your business in the hands of these giants that might change their minds all the time?
How many times have you been affected by their change in terms and conditions, algorithms?
What if one day they decide they’ve made enough money or decide to sell these platforms away and close them down? (most probably not) but they might change the terms.
They might want to make you pay for ads all the time or make Facebook/Instagram for business a paid product?
What happens if they keep crashing? Does your business come crashing with them too?
As much as most people can come to know about your business through Facebook and Instagram, your website can still be your safety net for your business.
Even if they come crashing down, you still have your own website to fall back on.
Never depend on others 100%.
- You can use your website to get leads
You can offer your potential customers some freebie of real value so that can sort of have a “trial” of what you have to offer and be connected to them. These are genuine potential customers who are interested in your products/services.
- You can customise your website to fit your needs
If you need an ordering system, you can make one. If you want an e-commerce shop, you can get one. If you want a showcase for all your work, you can make one. If you want to allow customers to book appointments, you can make one. Your website can be anything you need for your small business.
When we first started our small F&B business, we too struggled with this question- Do we need a website or not?
The answer was always no because
- But we’re so small
- But we don’t need it
- But who will come to our website
- But we don’t have enough money
1-3 have been debunked and the main concern for small businesses is usually money. So many companies approached us to get a website for thousands of dollars. But is it worth it to put your money in a website when your business can still operate without one? And do we even have this kind of money to spare?
We can now tell you safely that websites don’t have to be expensive. Because we are small business owners, we have been through this, this is also the reason why we started Small Bosses- to help small businesses get what they need for their small business at a low cost.