The Benefits of Having a Website, Even if You Don’t Sell Online
Your website is like your store front online. For many of your customers it’ll be their first point of contact. These days more people than ever are researching shops before they choose where to take their commerce. Shoppers are googling shops in their area and if you aren’t in the results, you might as well not exist. Even if you’ve no intention of selling online you need a website. Because shops’ websites aren’t just about selling. Below are a few of the reasons why websites are an important part of every business, even ones without ecommerce.
Be Discoverable
Having a website can (in the case of google maps, quite literally) put your shop on the map. If you can’t be found online you’ll miss out on countless customers. Customers who are searching for your products online and finding your competitors, but not you. In this digital age, everyone’s looking online. Even if you sell products that wouldn’t fit the online world well, such as perishable foods or bespoke clothing, customers will search for your website before visiting you in person. They’ll want to see pictures of your products and read about your shop’s story, before they decide to pay you a visit in the real world. You need to make sure these customers can find you, or they might not visit you at all.
(Almost) Free Exposure
Creating a website doesn’t cost very much nowadays. Especially if you’re willing to learn some basic website development. With tools such as WordPress and Wix, you can build a professional looking website yourself, a choice many new businesses are choosing to make. It’s easier than ever to make a website and once its online, it’s there for everyone to see. Anyone searching for the products you sell, or looking for shops like yours, in their area, will be able to find your site. And when they find your site they’ll find whatever you’ve chosen to display there. You can have pictures of your products, testimonials from happy customers, a video tour of your shop, the list goes on. You can really advertise whatever you want, to frame your shop in the customer’s mind, so they’re ready to buy when they visit.
Increase footfall and sales
Every shopkeeper knows that more visitors means more potential sales. Well once you’re discoverable on google, you can increase your reach to countless potential customers. Most of whom might not have found your store in person. You can make sure that they find the best of your company online. Rather than googling your shop and finding nothing at all, or worse, finding a couple disgruntled reviews on yelp, you can make sure these customers are seeing your shop the way you want to be seen. This is a great way to grow sales and expand your base of loyal customers.
If you’re considering setting up a website, don’t forget to check out our special offer from the UK Domain, powered by Nominet, who are trying to help local independents get set up on the web.
If you have any thoughts or questions on the benefits of having a website, please get in touch with our team.
