Whether you’re nurturing a startup, have owned a small business for years or are an SMB owner who thinks a stellar business website is just a costly extravagance and clients are better served face-to-face, the fact is that the consumer-world is now an online-world…and the world waits for no-one.
If you find yourself doubting the importance of maintaining a dedicated business website, consider these 2019 statistics:
- 4,388 Billion people currently use the Internet, that is 60% of the world’s population
- The number of connected devices will exceed 50 billion by 2020
- Users spend, on average 6.5 hours online per day, that’s a lot of time to look for you
- Google alone registers 5.6 billion searches per day, many of which are brand, product and service related
With that said, let’s demystify some common small business myths and cover a few of the leading reasons why, in 2019, your small business or startup deserves a dedicated website more than ever!
Your SMB can’t be ‘too small’ or ‘too local’ to need a good website:
Among the many reasons why small business owners might choose not to boast a dedicated business website; might neglect their existing website or might ‘not have a website yet,’ it’s safe to say that most will fall-short under scrutiny.
…and it makes no difference if you operate locally, with no more than 5 employees:
- Digitally engaged small businesses experienced revenue growth over the past year that averaged 400% that of ‘offline’ brands
- 87% Of all shoppers begin the purchase process online. Hence, it would be fair to assume that without a website, your business may be losing out
- 50% of people conducting a local business search (online) will visit that physical store within a day
Truth is, for SMB owners and managers in 2019, the reasons why you need a well-tended business website outweigh and completely outshine any reasons why you don’t!
Your potential customers are online, regardless of whether you are:
Amongst the least digitally engaged SMBs, 40% feel that digital tools are simply irrelevant to their business; these SMBs may be in the manufacturing or B2B sector, perhaps they are medical practitioners, for example, who rely on walk-ins and word-of-mouth.
Regardless of your industry, however, the idea that ‘your business is offline’ may not be quite as accurate as you think, at least where scalability and sustainability are concerned. Consider this:
- 70-80% of people research a business online before visiting it
- 75% of B2B buyers say their decision is impacted by your digital presence
- 74.6% of people have searched online for medical services, in spite of the fact that these are not ‘online businesses’
Brings things into perspective a little, doesn’t it?
Building and maintaining a state-of-the-art, high-conversion website will no longer break the bank:
Many SMB owners who’ve been hesitant to take the digital leap are under the impression that decent websites still cost a fortune to create and maintain. Let’s bust that ugly myth right here.
Services like WordPress hosting for business have eliminated the need for tech-unsavvy SMB owners to hire budget-busting teams of experts to build their perfect websites from scratch.
WordPress is an affordable, simple and especially popular way to create and maintain a beautiful, contemporary website with the style and functionality that’s relevant to your business, without the need to understand coding language or lose yourself in a quagmire of technical stuff…and without the need to hire anyone!!!
Options like WordPress hosting in Yahoo are the reason why, in 2017, 71% of small business owners were able to do their digital marketing themselves, instead of leaving it to experts.
The miracle? It starts for as little as $6.49 /month!
Without a website in 2019, your credibility is at stake:
The vast majority of consumers in 2019, whether their end purchase will be online or offline, will judge your small business by the design, content and functionality of your website.
Even if you’re not as IT-adept as the average millennial or generation X consumer, having a website is crucial to creating and sustaining a product that will appeal to younger generations and consumers at large, into the future.
They understand that, since the advent of WordPress hosting in Yahoo and a wealth of other streamlined, affordable and layman-friendly, DIY website creation and hosting services, anyone…and I mean anyone, can boast a world-class, well-maintained brand or business website.
In recent years, scores of business owners, like yourself, have come to realise that starting and maintaining a state-of-the-art website on Yahoo, with WordPress hosting for free, can be done without the help of hired experts who charge budget-breaking rates.
In 2018, WordPress page views hit the 15.5 billion mark. The internet is where the consumers of the now and the future are living, planning, and doing business.
Regardless of whether your website will focus on online product sales or building interest with an inspiring, creative blog…
…your chances of appearing credible or competitive will drastically thin if you don’t dedicate a little energy to creating, populating and maintaining a sleek and helpful website.
Being on Facebook or listed on Amazon, Yelp or Linked in can never replace a dedicated website:
In 2018, 50 million less hours were spent on Facebook than in the previous year. Social media engagement is not only dropping, consumers also have a growing mistrust of advertisements, with studies indicating that at least 69% mistrust advertising completely.
Consider also that, while advertising on such public platforms imposes a flurry of limitations on both your creativity and your reach, a dedicated website allows you the freedom to express, evolve your brand-voice naturally and creatively extend that reach.
It’s true that Yelp or Merchant Circle listings are well received and appreciated by potential consumers, as they value the public reviews and ‘heads-ups’ that platforms like this generate.
Yet, most consider these listings mere road signs, directing them to your business website so that they can more properly gauge who you are and what level of quality your business adheres to, before they choose to support you.
Your website is the equivalent of your business shopfront or reception room, in 2019; it is your SMB’s ESSENTIAL marketing tool, designed to establish your identity, analyze, educate and entice potential clientele, expanding your market indefinitely.
Flourish online with WordPress hosting in Yahoo:
Tailor made to give SMBs like your own a global reach, Yahoo Small Business and Yahoo WordPress Hosting allows you to select a domain and create a stellar website based on the template of your choice, in just a few clicks and for as little as $6.49 per month!
Your business may be a small one but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got time to spare on DIY site creation or regular maintenance and content updates. That’s why Yahoo has come up with the perfect, affordable solution for SMB owners who, frankly, can’t fit any more on their plate.
Yahoo Website Design Service will give you access to a team of experts who will not only build you the site of your dreams, they’ll also maintain and regularly update it for you for as little as $99/month.
For over 20 years we’ve been helping entrepreneurs like yourself set up shop, attract customers, build their business and flourish online, with full 24/7 support.
