20 Reasons You Need a Website

by EileenDreams | Mar 26, 2022 | Website Stuff

20 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Website

Having your business is even more critical since covid. Covid dramatically increased the number of people shopping online and buyers have embraced the experience wholeheartedly. According to Forbes: Globally, 49% more consumers shop online now than before COVID-19. (Bazaarvoice) and they are not rushing to return to retail.

Research shows that Google is the first place people search to find what they want. 63% of shopping begins online (Oberlo) and according to Big Commerce; 43% of global shoppers research products online through social networks. People buy online, do business online, and get entertained online. With statistics like these, your business can’t afford not to have a website.

Your website:

1. Proves that you are a legitimate business.
• Your website is your virtual storefront.

2. Increases your business visibility.
• Using Google My Business offers many paths to reach your ideal client.

3. Helps your branding become recognizable.
• Your logo, colours, voice, & brand elements help build your brand identity which develops credibility.

4. Saves you and your customer time with questions you answer repeatedly every day.
• Questions like hours and location are easily accessible within seconds.

5. Provides images and information on your products.
• Go into the minute visual details of your product.

6. Gives detailed information about your services.
• Information your ideal client might not otherwise think to ask about.

7. Positions you competitively in your field.
• An up-to-date, visually appealing, and responsive website puts you on the playing field.

8. Targets search engines so you can be found.
• Both locally and globally, direct your SEO to your ideal client.

9. Places you everywhere in the world.
• The internet has no geographical limitations.

10. Connects all your platforms to one location.
• Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, Snap Chat… can all be linked centrally from your website.

11. Is owned by you. No one can shut it down but you.
• Remember when Facebook shut down last October? Only for 7 hours, but businesses who relied solely on Facebook were panicking, with zero control over the situation.

12. Is easily accessible and always open. Different time zones don’t matter.
• Not like when I was a kid and I had to wait for CBS to come online.

13. Provides customer reviews and testimonials.
• The most powerful sales tool is what people are saying about you. Place reviews on your website and in Google Reviews.

14. Google maps shows where you are located and give directions.
• How often have you Googled “Fast food near me”, or “local computer repair”?

15. Gives you website traffic insights for SEO.
• Stay informed about what works with your marketing plan using Google Insights, trackers, and split testing to learn more about your ideal client.

16. Allows your client to get to know you and build a relationship with you.
• People want to do business with people. This is your opportunity to show who you are and share your story. When they are ready, they will buy from you.

17. Connects your client to you through contact buttons, email, phone, and chat.
• Your website can offer multiple ways for people to connect with you.

18. Your customer can purchase your product and service directly from your website.
• Imagine making money while you are with your family on vacation or asleep.

19. Brings your customer to you instead of you trying to find them.
• Thanks to SEO, social media, and your online community all funneling to your website.

20. Avoids losing business to a competitor who already has a website.
• 63% of people start their buying journey with an online search. What happens when they search your business, and you are not online.

A website is fundamental to a comprehensive digital marketing plan to compliment your social media platforms and enhance traditional forms of marketing. You need a trustworthy and experienced professional to guide you through the process, answer your questions, and suggest ideas you may not have considered.

If you are ready to create a website that attracts your perfect customer, click here to schedule a conversation about how you can elevate your online presence.

5 Things To Know Before Hiring A Web Designer

by EileenDreams | Mar 19, 2022 | Website Stuff, WordPress

5 Simple & Helpful Things You Need To Know Before You Hire A Web Designer.

Websites vary greatly in price, and for the most part – you get what you pay for. As a small business owner your budget is tight, but there are more things to consider than just price when choosing who will build your website.

1. How will you communicate?

- How available are they?
- What time zone are they in?
- How can you meet? By phone, over Zoom, in person?
- What is their turn around time to respond to your questions?
- Do they charge extra for questions and edits? How much?
- Do you understand what they are talking about?
- Do you like them?

Many clients have turned to me after they have hired an off-shore company with a time-zone difference. Your site might have been cheap, but if it goes down, how long are you willing to wait to get help? How much will that cost you and your business? Personally, I have always found it beneficial to form a local partnership with a business.

This is a collaboration where you form a relationship with your web designer while developing your project. The journey should be enjoyable.

2. Do they have a portfolio?

- Do you like their style?
- Do all their websites look the same?
- What is their website like? Does it have typos, poor grammar, and bad practises?

When researching your perspective web designer, make sure their website portfolio includes legitimate businesses and not simply templates already available. I’ve seen this on Fivrr; they have “examples” of their work, but the websites are cut & paste templates and not live working websites or real clients. Unfortunately, if you don’t know what you are looking for, you might not be able to tell the difference.

3. What platform do they use?

- I use WordPress Divi for the parent theme and customize it. Besides being the gold standard now for business websites, you also want a platform that can be easily edited if you loose touch with your web designer.
- There may be instances where you want Wix, Weebly, Square, Shopify, Joomla etc… Just make sure they understand what you want, and why you chose that platform.
- The platform must be modern enough that responsiveness is part of the deal and not an extra feature.

Whichever platform your designer uses, make sure it isn’t so proprietary that no one else can edit it unless you have a technology team or plan to pay them to manage the edits, updates and maintenance.

4. Do they have a policy for maintenance and perpetuity?

- What happens if they go out of business?
- Do you have enough information that you can take over the management of the site yourself or hire someone who can take it over?
- Who will keep the site up to date?

Once a website is complete, even if it is perfect, there will always be changes on the internet that will affect your website and force it to be updated and maintained.

5. Can they provide references?

- Are they on Google?
- Does their website have a client and testimonial page?
- Are they willing to share that information if you want it?

I get frustrated and even embarrassed when I have to bail out a small business owner who got ripped off by a web design company. Chances are, if you have thousands of dollars to spend on a website you will be going with a large reputable company. But, even in that arena I’ve seen poor business practices.

Just like the old saying:

Measure twice,

Cut once.

Take care choosing your web designer. It will save you time, frustration, and money in the long run. If you have questions about this, give me a call 604-308-0137 or email me at eileen@eileendreams.com

Please let me know if this is information is helpful to you.