The Importance of a Website for any business?

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ll have noticed the profound impact technology has had on society. With an ever-increasing number of people almost “glued” to smartphones, tablets, or laptops, we are becoming increasingly reliant on technology for communication. The key point is that as more consumers spend time online, it has become equally important for businesses to do the same.

There are various benefits to owning a website, such as enhanced credibility, advertising opportunities, sales potential, information exchange, or simply reducing costs, especially for businesses that cannot afford a physical “shopfront.” However, all these perceived benefits mean little if the website does not perform its intended function—getting in front of people’s faces.

On the Edge of Europe…

With Brexit looming, there is real uncertainty about how this will affect Ireland, but what is certain is that we are in for a bumpy ride over the next few years. Small businesses are generally in the firing line, so much like the banking crash, it would be prudent to get online, expand your audience significantly, and, depending on your business, start selling your products online and internationally.

Less than 20% of Irish businesses are selling products online or even have an e-commerce store. It is alarming to think that an Irish person looking to purchase something affordably—since retail outlets often charge premiums—may have little or no choice but to turn to online outlets abroad. This sends money out of the country at a time when keeping money within the country for “rainy days” is crucial.

Reasons for Having a “Professional” Website

Hiring a web designer who promises the moon and stars might seem fine, but have you done your research? By examining their website, their clients’ sites, and the general ranking of those sites, you can get a fair idea of where you might end up.

A website is the cheapest and most effective promotional tool available, yet for some inexplicable reason, it sometimes doesn’t resonate with people as seriously as it should. This isn’t just a plug—it’s the truth. Cheap websites never work because it is not commercially viable to build a quality website without investing time and effort. DIY websites are fine if you know what you’re doing because you will be the one left with it when you realise it’s not fulfilling its potential.

So, our advice is to think long and hard about what you want your website to do and, most importantly, how and who you get to develop it.

At iBrutes, we are a startup company, like many others, and like all startups, our intention is to deliver something valuable. Otherwise, if the product holds no value, the business will earn a bad reputation, and this is one of the reasons so many startups fail within the first three years. We don’t want to be one of them, and we are steadily approaching our third year—fingers crossed.

Whether you are considering hiring a web designer to build a new site or upgrade your existing one, consider these points before you take action:

Savings

A website is probably your best employee. It costs very little (perhaps equivalent to one month’s salary for an employee) and is the best sales representative you could find. It works 24/7 and never argues back.

Competitors

Perhaps your competitors are online and taking business away. How is their website performing, and how many competitors do you have? The increasing online population means that each time someone looks for the product you sell, they might be going to a competitor instead. Consider this carefully.

Customers

As you read this, someone, somewhere—not just in Ireland—will be looking for your product. You can have international versions of your site to market globally or to specific countries. The world is your oyster.

Online All the Time

Your business website is on call, selling while you sleep, 24/7. It might help you sleep better at night, knowing that your business is always striving to do more business.

Online Stores

It is estimated that it costs a business eight times more to sell a product from a physical shop than it does from a website. Why? Shop rental, wages, electricity, water, etc. Selling online is the most cost-efficient way of making money. The payment is made directly into your bank account.

Advertising

We recently examined the cost of advertising in a local newspaper. A full-page advert was priced at €1,600 for one day, with a potential reach of less than 100,000 people. Are local newspaper adverts that effective anymore? How do you even quantify the return from a newspaper advert? It is truly becoming an obsolete form of marketing.

Google Ads advertise for a fraction of the cost, and your ad could reach hundreds of thousands, depending on your target audience. Analytics will also inform you of how successful the ad has been. Your website is there forever, always working, promoting, and selling for you.

Adaptable

A website is flexible and can be changed at any time. In fact, it is beneficial to have a dynamic site because it boosts your SEO, unlike a static site, which does the opposite. With traditional marketing mediums such as flyers, leaflets, catalogues, and price lists, it is difficult to make changes once they are printed. With a website, it is easy and quick to make changes, and in most cases, you can do it yourself.

Image

How you want to be perceived is important, and your website should reflect your business professionally. It could be the customer’s first impression of you, so you’d better make it count.

Marketing

Email marketing can be a great way of driving customers to your website. Special offers and discounts can help boost sales, and again, email costs very little in terms of hosting.

Cost

You can get your website up and running fairly cheaply these days, and in the long term, the cost is insignificant compared to its value as your best employee. If you wish to have a brochure site, it is very inexpensive, but your expectations will determine the final cost.

Getting to the front page of search results can be difficult, depending on your business and competition. However, once you are there, you will reap the rewards.

Sales is a skill, and not all of us are cut out for it. Long hours, telephone calls, meetings, and meet-and-greets—all require a particular flair for closing deals. Having a great product doesn’t mean much if you can’t convince customers they need it. But just for a moment, consider: why am I trying to find them when they can find me?

Wouldn’t it be better to just sell to people who already want to buy your product and are actively looking for it? With proper Search Engine Optimisation, we make it easier for customers to find you.

If you are not yet online, consider having a chat with iBrutes.