Does your business really need a website? I think most of us would agree that the answer to that question is yes. But what can a website really do for you as a business owner? For the past 8 years I’ve been working with mostly small and medium sized businesses in all different types of industries to try and answer that question. Ideally your business’ website will make your life easier. Think of your website as a digital asset that can act as an employee working 24/7.

Listed below are a few different things to think about while building a new site or auditing your existing website. I hope these thoughts will help your digital marketing strategies to perform better.

First things first, here are some benefits of having a website:

• Websites are cost effective.
• Your website will be accessible around the clock.
• It is convenient for customers to find information and share information with you.
• A professionally built website will build credibility and can help establish brand loyalty.
• You can increase sales by offering products or gathering data with your website.
• Websites allow additional digital marketing strategies.

If you already have a website maybe it’s time to consider an audit. If so, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is your website mobile/tablet friendly?
• Has the website been optimized for search engines – including keyword research?
• Assuming you have analytics, what is the bounce rate?
• Looking at analytics, what are the current conversion rates?
• How fast are page-load times?
• Is the content relevant and up to date?
• Have you identified any broken links, 304’s, 404’s?

What can a website do for your business and how can the website free up your time? (These are just some basic ideas to get your wheels turning.)

• Sell products
• Schedule appointments
• Display events calendar
• Lead generation
• Newsletter signup
• Customer Relations Management
• Informational
• Locations
• Educational

In Summary

Yes, your business probably needs a website, 3.77 Billion people use the internet worldwide. There are many benefits of having a website. Take a little time and brainstorm some ideas about how your website could help your business be more productive.