In this day, it can be surprising to hear that many businesses don’t have a website. However, more than a third of small businesses don’t have a website. Regardless of the business, having a website is always a benefit, and yet many workers in trade i.e builders, electricians, etc, believe that social media is enough coverage.
This can be an impediment to customers being able to find them and a lost opportunity as Trades people, such as electricians can pick up an additional 23 jobs a year (or about 2 a month)!
We’re going to outline some of the benefits of having a business website.
Reach more customers
More people have the opportunity to learn about your business. Over 90% of internet interactions start with a search engine. Google alone processes 3.5 billion searches per day in the UK. This is an opportunity for many businesses to get found by customers and not having a website could mean missing out on them.
Even if you only supply your services and products locally, a website is still a necessity. It is still an avenue for customers to find you, especially if they predominantly use the internet to find products and services they’re interested in.
And when you consider that each month 3.6 million people search online for a trades person specifically, it comes as no surprise that without a website you will miss out on potential customers.
Source of business information
There is a multitude of information people need to know about a business, such as contact details, opening times, address etc. For them to get this information it needs to be easily available.
A website can host this information and be a first port of call for people to find it. Your website can answer simple questions that would otherwise require a phone call or email to answer, saving you time.
You can also share the latest news and updates directly onto your website. These can be business announcements, important changes to how you operate, news about new products or services. Once added to a website, it won’t expire or stop being available to see (unless you want it to) and can always be available for customers.
It’s up and working 24/7
Do you know what one of the biggest benefits a website provides? It’s always up and running.
Your website is always up and working for you, whether it’s helping new customers find you, people having the ability to contact you with potential jobs outside of business hours, being able to provide updates to customers. Your website is able to do this all day throughout the day.
Coupled with the increase in mobile usage for browsing the internet, people can reach out from anywhere at any time. By having a business website, it means that no matter where people are or what the time is, you have the opportunity to be found by them.
Point of reference
A website can be a source of reference to point people towards who want more information about what you offer. If you hand out business cards, for example, adding your website to there can direct someone to get more information about the business.
Provides legitimacy
In this day and age, people expect a business to have a website. Not having one can actually cause more harm, if customer recommends you to a friend for example, one of the first things they’ll do is try to find you online, if there is little to no trace of you, they’re be more likely to end up on a competitors website. A website gives you the opportunity to make a great first impression and reassure people that you’re a legitimate business.
You can further demonstrate legitimacy by adding any licenses, awards or certification such as your BS7671 qualification or ECS gold card and industry level 3 qualification, which you need to operate. Being able to show these online is already a great thing, but by displaying these on your site, customers will be more likely to choose you other another tradesmen.
If you need an affordable business website, take a look at what we can provide.