We believe all small businesses need to have a web presence. We can’t reinforce that if we don’t have one ourselves. But, we needed one that showcased not only who we are, but what we’re about and what we have to offer in terms of experience, expertise, services and resources.
So, why do you need a website for your small business and what should it do for you?
If you have wondered whether you should have a website for your business – then you need to keep reading.
For us, it’s simple: our website is not just a sales effort but an opportunity to give something of value to our current and potential customers. By delivering value to those who keep us in business, we give something back while building trust and growing our brand.
We love having a website. It is extremely cost-effective marketing. Launching and running a site is easier than ever before since user-friendly site builders and content management systems have become the norm. Plus, our business has a 24/7 global presence, without having to staff around the clock.
Here are the other primary reasons we have a website and why you should consider it for your small business as well:
#1. Our website is a key to legitimacy, even for referrals.
We get many referrals, and we understand how a business owner who gets many of their sales from referrals could think a website is superfluous. However, we have noticed that everyone goes to our site. While people who are completely unfamiliar with us are more reliant on the site, even personal referrals use it to verify who we are and see what we have to say about ourselves. In this way it is a key to legitimacy.
The extent to which credibility is built into having a website is evident in a poll from 2015. Online security firm Verisign surveyed 787 US-based working-age Internet consumers and 456 small business owners. More than three-quarters of the former (77 percent) and even more of the latter (84 percent) said a website demonstrates business credibility.
#2. It can be used for direct referral.
Our website is not just somewhere people can look once our company has been recommended to them. It also can be referenced directly, as an easy way for those who have benefited from our services to recommend it and give access to our contact information. Our partners are able to pass on our web address to anyone who is looking for a bookkeeping solution.
#3. It is the hub of our online bicycle wheel.
Our website is the central connector of our online presence. Picture a traditional bicycle wheel, with a hub and flanges drilled for spokes to connect from all directions. Our site is the hub. The spokes extend to our various social media profiles. The flanges are the integration of the social platforms with our site.
On social, we build out content to showcase our expertise, answer questions, and promote our business. We are also able to reference additional resources on our site. This model creates a much more robust online presence.
Thinking of our site as a hub allows us to go where people are to engage with them and potentially draw them to our site. After all, people who are on social media spend a massive amount of time in those environments: 2 hours and 24 minutes daily.
#4. Our website gives us better SEO.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is fundamental to online success, and having a website allows us to improve it for better visibility. There are many SEO tactics we use – such as keyword research, accruing high-quality backlinks, and enhancing our page speed. However, content is our foremost priority.
For more meaningful marketing, we try to connect with potential customers during “micro-moments” identified by Google:
- want-to-buy moments,
- want-to-do moments,
- want-to-go moments, and
- want-to-know moments.
We also strive to provide great user experience. As advised by the User Experience Honeycomb, our site aims to be useful, usable, desirable, findable, accessible, and credible.
Plus, we have taken steps to bolster our mobile-friendliness – a trait that is rewarded heavily by the major search sites. Mobile-friendliness improves search results ever since the Mobilegeddon algorithm update of April 21, 2015.
#5. It produces results.
We are convinced, because there is no arguing against results. Google referrals represent an average of 3 strong, solid, convertible leads per month for us. While that may not be an eye-popping figure, what impresses us is that we don’t put any additional marketing dollars into advertising. Many bookkeepers who rely on social ads or other online advertising to drive business do not get the same number of high-quality leads that we do.
Caring for your finances, online and off
Building a website is just one of the many challenges of a small business owner. While we greatly appreciate the power of an online presence, our specialty is finance – another critical piece of running a business. Are you a busy SMB owner with little or no internal staff to manage your books? At Carefree Bookkeeping, we take care of your accounting with the same care and attitude of a business partner. See our approach.
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