With the proliferation of social media sites like Facebook, that have aggregated billions of active members visiting daily and a big push by them to get organizations to run their online activities through them , it sometimes seems that the need to create your own website to service customers and attract new ones is less important.
However, there continues to be a variety of great reasons for creating a quality website today, and no matter what happens in social networking or the business marketplace these reasons remain and even grow in strength.
The great news about quality website creation is that it has gone from the exclusive domain of high-priced, fickle experts who can often hold you hostage and constantly deliver less than you expect, to a now where companies like Wix, the top of the class website builder company, that provides all of the tools you need to create and maintain your own world-class website.
A few reasons why you need your own website:
It is a Main Discovery and Due Diligence Tool in the Business World:
The business marketplace has grown comfortable learning about a person or company before they engage for business. A website allows you to create an introduction that is solely designed to make you and your company look professional and effective. You do not have to compete for visitor’s attention with potentially conflicting forces or agendas, and you are in complete control of the environment. Also, visitors want to do due diligence and one of the first steps is reviewing your website. So having a quality website sets you and your company up for additional engagement with potential clients and others.
It is a Great Primary Marketing Tool for Most Businesses:
The website allows company to cheaply present products and services in a customized environment, to customers and potential customers. Before the introduction of websites companies had to invest large sums of money in creating and distributing marketing tools about their products and services or invest in retail marketing strategies which cost even more money. Today, they can put their goods up on a site and anyone can view at barely a fraction of the traditional marketing cost.
It Allows You to Present Your Skills Boldly:
A primary use for websites now are as a showcase for people with specific talents. Consultants, motivational speakers, artisans, and creative people looking to either sell their services or train others in their craft use websites to attract and provide their goods and services. People visiting your site expect you to boldly put forward what you do well, and you can do this is a way that does not come off as pushy or arrogant which might be the case if you delivered the same information in person.
Providing Updated Information about Your Business is Easy:
Your website gives you an ability to provide the latest information about you, your company and its products and services to interested parties in one easy step that is accessible to everyone. No need for re-printing things or concerns about there being different versions of your portfolio or other key business tools floating around.
It Can Level the Playing Field with Larger Companies
Unless you know intimate details about the company, with a quality website it is nearly impossible to tell how big the company is from their website. Many businesses with high quality websites are actually run out of bedrooms or garages and yet they compete with enterprises that are many times their size. A good website can help your company gain a comparable level of respect as much larger competitors.
To be effective however, you need to be sure that your website is created so that it attracts and keeps visitors who turn into customers and advocates. This means making sure it has all of the features and tools that your marketplace finds appealing. Here are some key features to include in any effective website.
- Video
Nearly 70% of the traffic across the web today is video and this percentage is increasing. Those on the web expect to view video when they go to a site and you need to make sure they do when they visit your site. So make sure you have video on your site.
2. Community Forum
The online world now mostly revolves around the concept of communities interacting with each other. This concept has been developed and commercialized by Facebook, Youtube Twitter and others simply because it works. You need to include community forum type tools on your website and generate and direct conversations within the forum that is beneficial to you. Although you need to tie in social networks to the interactions, your site should be the hub for these efforts.
- Cross-Platform Strategy
Those coming to your site must be able to engage with you in multiple ways. This particularly means via mobile and e-mail. So you need tools that allow you to integrate both:
A Mobile App – Every company today with an online presence should have a dedicated app that supports and enhances their website. In addition to it being very convenient for customers, it shows them how aligned you are with how business flows today. Everyone is on the move and needs to be able to access your site using a mobile device. In addition, because business happens anytime and wherever you are, you need mobile app based tools to manage your website activities.
Outgoing E-mail – You must be able to engage all of your customers, members and prospects consistently and elegantly with a focus on showing them they are special and appreciated. To do this, you need specific tools designed for speedy turnaround and to service large groups.
- Immediate Feedback
The Internet has positioned most to believe that they should be able to get immediate responses about things in which they have an interest. This could mean information about a product, feedback to a complaint, and other things. The default mechanism for this feedback is live chat, so your website needs to have a live chat feature so visitors and customers know you will always be responsive to them.
- SEO
Your efforts get greatly enhanced when you know that your site will be viewed by its target audience. To ensure this, your site must be built with a focus on SEO. This allows you to be positioned properly with search engines and gets you in front of those who want to know you. So having an effective SEO strategy for your website is paramount.
Wix websites are built with strategies and tools that focus on delivering these five key website features (and more). Their totally integrated and easy to use templates allow you to create stunning websites that are also highly functional and that get results for you.