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We all know that websites are an important way to connect with customers for all companies, but they are especially important for small businesses.
A small company needs every opportunity it can find to connect with its customers and get a leg up on larger competitors. Here’s how your small business website can help you excel, grow your company, and make an impact in your community.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategy that all businesses use in order to rank highly in Google search results for their industry, products, and services.
However, small companies have an advantage over larger businesses because they can use local SEO to be even more relevant to their target audience. Local SEO involves using relevant keywords with local landmarks included.
For example, a salon might not just use “hair colouring services,” they could use “hair colouring services in Scarborough.” Or, you could get even more specific and say, “hair colouring services on Birchmount Road,” or “Hair colouring services near Bluffers Park,” depending on where your salon is located and what your service area is.
Why does this matter? Google uses location information to understand where a user is physically located when they do a Google search. If the user is near you, or they use these location keywords in their search, your company will rank much more highly than larger national competitors.
Because you’re a small community business, you know the landmarks that are important to your area. Take advantage of this and maximize the reach of your website!
Small companies have to do more with far fewer resources than their larger competitors. That usually means you have fewer staff and less time to make your marketing work for you.
Fortunately, your website can make a big difference for you. When your website is properly optimized, it is your biggest asset and most effective salesperson. It works for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and never needs time off.
When your website is optimized, it will show up in Google search results exactly when someone is searching for your product, service, or company. That means you’re always in the right place at the right time. On top of that, an engaging website with the right content will help build a relationship with those visitors and turn visitors into buyers.
All without you having to lift a finger!
Getting your website set up properly takes an initial investment, but it more than pays for itself over time. That’s why a website is important for small businesses.
You might think that if you maintain a social media page on a platform where your customers spend time, that’s all you need. After all, it builds awareness, right?
It might build a little bit of awareness, but it’s not enough on its own. Firstly, you can’t easily share engaging content that educates people about what you offer. Long text posts are often overlooked, while a link to a blog can educate consumers and introduce them to other parts of your website.
There’s a limited amount of space for you to share about your company, your understanding of consumers’ pain points, and your solutions that can help. Your website gives you plenty of room to capture someone’s attention and describe what you do. From there, you can guide them to other pages on your site for more information.
Finally, social media is unreliable. For example, Facebook was down for over 6 hours on October 4, 2021. So were its related platforms, Whatsapp, Messenger, Oculus, and Instagram. Beyond outages, social media controls what can and cannot be said on their platform. If they decided to limit what your industry could share, or make getting your message out very expensive, there’d be nothing you could do.
Don’t let yourself be held hostage by social media and its ever-changing rules. Instead, have your own website that you control and can use to engage and educate your leads and customers.
The three reasons we’ve discussed just scratch the surface of why your small business needs a website. Your company site helps build your business’s credibility online, gives you an opportunity to showcase reviews, case studies, and testimonials, and gives you a way to show up in Google search results.
It’s not enough to simply have word-of-mouth advertising or a social media page. You need a platform you can control that has enough information to build trust in your audience.
If you’re ready to take advantage of the many benefits of a small business website, let us help. We can create a website for you or optimize the one you have for SEO and Local SEO. Contact us today to learn more!
