What does this mean for small businesses? It means 74% small businesses are missing out on a wide range of opportunities for new customers and ultimately missing out on increased profits.

What’s the point?

It’s simple really, a website is a shopfront – only online. It acts as an interactive brochure that your potential clients have access to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Websites help potential customers learn about your services, get to know your team and drive sales enquiries. They are proven to not only generate new business but retain existing clients by providing them with access to information at the click of a button.

Increase your credibility

A website is an accepted way of showcasing your skills, services, specialisations and instilling confidence in your business. It provides a place to demonstrate credentials by including testimonials, results, articles and case studies – anything that will help you position your business as an expert.

You need to remember that first impressions are important. To make sure your business does in fact come across as credible, your website needs to be designed so that it is professional, clean and simple, to make sure people stay longer.

Easier accessibility for customers 24/7, all around the world

Unlike your business’s office or shop that may be open from nine until five, Monday until Friday, a business’ website is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

A website opens your business up to not just your local community, but the whole world. You have the potential to be seen by millions across the globe. A website helps you deal with different time zones. It provides a potential customer with immediate information at a time when they want it.

Get in contact

People often use the internet to find contact details for a business; to find out where you are based, how to get to your business, or find a phone number. The contact details section can also include a map and directions to your business as well as a ‘contact us’ form to allow people to get in touch with you straight away.

If you don’t have a website and your potential customer can’t find you, your competitor probably does and will end up getting their business as a result! Another way to make it easier for customers to find you is by listing your website on an industry specific online directory such as Infolink. This will boost your Google ranking and increase your online visibility.

Widen your scope for business and sales

Gone are the days when people bought all they needed from their local general store. Research shows that more and more people are buying online to save time, avoid crowds and provide them with a greater variety of products or services.

Rather than thinking of your potential customers as those within a short drive from your business, you now need to realise that it is possible for people from half way around the world to buy your products or have access to your services.

Providing secure online ordering through a website is not difficult and is very affordable. Who knows, it might be so successful that you can base your whole business online and say goodbye to expensive rent and overheads.

How to make a great website

1. Pleasing to the eye and easy to read – Make sure you include plenty of white space and a consistent theme throughout your website.

2. Easy to navigate – Your visitors need to be able to find their way around easily or they will leave your site. Include links to your important pages such as contacts on all pages and an easy to use menu bar.

3. Fast loading pages – Nobody likes to wait. Make sure your website pages are fast to load. Graphics often slow this process down so make sure you split your graphics across pages.

4. Well written copy – The content of your website is critical. Make sure you keep it short, choose your words carefully, use subheadings and dot points to make it scannable and make sure there are no spelling mistakes.

5. Make it friendly – Make sure you include team photos and contact information to add more of a personal touch and make your business appear friendly and approachable

What are you waiting for?

You realise you need a website, but don’t have the funds to employ an expensive web designer? Don’t worry; there are plenty of cheap alternatives out there to help you create an effective website for your business.

Hopout is a service that will build your site and host it for free. The websites created are professional and easy to update and will help generate great leads for your business and increase sales enquiries. Blogging sites like WordPress and Blogger also provide free blog services that can be used as websites.

What are you waiting for? Start a website for your business today!

Infolink is one of Australia’s online directories for the architecture, building, construction and design sectors. Owned and operated by Catch, an online division of Reed Business Information Australia, Infolink provides a central online source containing the latest product, company and industry news updates.