Hey everyone, welcome welcome welcome! Over the next few minutes we’re gonna discuss 5 reasons why you absolutely need a well made website for your small business and what a great website can and should be doing for you.

As a designer and entrepreneur myself, I built (and rebuilt) V3’s website in addition to building sites for my clients. I’ve seen the difference having a site that truly reflects your brand can make in a small business.

But before we hop into today’s topic, let’s make sure you’re in the right place because nobody has time to waste okurrt?

You’re gonna want to watch this if you:

>> Have a small business offline, but aren’t sure you need a website at all.

>> You’re ready to make your side hustle your full time and know you need to get online but don’t think you’re ready to invest in a site.

>> You primarily promo yourself on social media or with word of mouth and think that’s enough.

>> Or you just think it’s not that important to have an up to date website.

Between hosting, purchasing a domain, plugins, and site design (whether you outsource it or do it yourself), a website is a serious investment in your business.

I want to make sure that by the end of this video you’ll walk away able to make an informed decision about whether or not you’re ready to take the leap and set up your virtual home. Let’s get into it.

1. Your Website is Your Virtual Storefront

It’s your “home base” where potential clients learn more about what you can do for them. They interact with you via contact forms and comments, “sample” your expertise and ability to help them via content, and contract your services or schedule a meeting with you.

One of the first places people go when they discover a product or service they like is the company’s website. That’s because they know any sort of information they need can all be found there.

So if you don’t have a website, I can guarantee you’re leaving all sorts of money on the table. Just by having a site at all, you’re actually doing better than more than a third of small business owners.

According to a 2018 study by Clutch.co, 38% of small businesses don’t have websites as a part of their marketing strategy despite the fact that the majority of consumers look for websites before deciding to purchase.

2. It’s “Property” You Own

Unlike social media, where you can be suspended, shadowbanned, or deplatformed at any time, your website is an asset that you own and under normal circumstances, won’t be taken away from you.

You control what content you post, how your site looks, post as frequently as you want and can’t nobody tell you nothing *Lil Nas X voice*. It’s your site. You run it.

Which is important because even if you follow all their rules, at any time social media platforms can shut down like Vine or fade out of popularity like Myspace and now you’ve not only lost valuable content, you’ve lost access to your audience.

Which means you’ve lost access to potential income. You don’t want that. Once your site is up and running, you always have a personal and personalized platform to spread your message online.

3. It Encourages a Deeper Connection

It allows you to connect with your potential clients in a way you really can’t anywhere else. On social media you’re vying for attention along with millions of other people, friends and family, influencers, competing businesses, and brands with marketing budgets the size of student loans.

Attention spans are finite and you have to fight to stand out on timelines and newsfeeds that are updating every second with more and more material. Whew. Good luck.

But you know where you don’t have to fight for people’s attention? On your website! Yayyyy! When people land on your website you’re the only voice in the room and they’re ready to hear, see, or read whatever you have to say.

There’s no character limit so you can share in depth information on your blog posts, thoroughly explain your offers on your service or product pages, and sincerely express your personality, mission, vision, purpose, every important aspect of your brand on your about page.

Your website gives you the perfect opportunity to truly show the world what your business is all about without everyone else’s noise chiming in and serving as a distraction.

4. People Are Going to Judge You by Your Website (or Lack of One)

Imagine you’re online shopping, click on a link, and it takes you to a website. You see spelling mistakes, links lead nowhere, and the site looks like it hasn’t been updated since dial-up days. Are you going to spend any money with that brand?

When it comes to websites people judge a book by it’s cover. It doesn’t matter if you provide the greatest service in the world or sell products that can change people’s lives.

No one will know because they’re leaving your site as soon as they land on it. (You can tell this by knowing your site’s bounce rate but that’s for another video).

Point is, your website is a representation of your business. Focus on having clear persuasive copy, a quick loading speed, on brand images featuring you (preferably smiling), LINKS THAT WORK, and a simple path for your website viewers to follow.

This encourages people to visit your website, take the time to explore and learn about you and how you can help them, and consequently motivates them to purchase. Which is exactly what you want them to do.

5. A Well Made Website Helps You Scale Your Business

This might actually be the most important reason to have a website for your small business. Your site lets you reach beyond your immediate area to people nation or even worldwide.

Many of my clients live in different cities and states across the US and decided to connect with and contract me after looking through my website.

It gives you the ability to engage with, market to, and grow your audience consistently. When I’m asleep, my website is still working for me. When I’m spending time with my family, my website is still working for me. When I’m on vacation not thinking about work at all? You guessed it, my website is still working for me.

You see what I’m saying? It tells people exactly what I can do for them, how they can contact me, it encourages them to join my email list or schedule a consult call, and helps them for free because my blog is available 24/7. When I’m not on, it is.

Plus you can expand your offerings with digital products. This could be anything from e-books, to e-courses, audio or video downloads, workbooks, live or recorded workshops, multiday challenges etc.

These are the types of products that help create what everyone calls “passive income”. When people say they make money in their sleep, what they usually mean is that they have digital products for sale and an automated process to deliver them.

While you could offer your products on a number of great platforms, what’s more convenient than having them all in one place on your own website?

That’s it! Just to recap…

As a small business owner you really really need a well made website because:

>> Your website is your virtual store and the first place potential clients will look for you online.

>> It’s “property” you own where you can pretty much do whatever you want without fear of it being taken from you.

>> It encourages a deeper connection with you and your brand in a way that no other platform can.

>> And Let’s be real, people are going to judge you by your website (or lack of one) anyway and you need to put your best business foot forward.

>> Plus it allows you to scale your business beyond your physical location, the waking hours you have to dedicate to it, and opens up opportunities for additional passive income.

If you’ve been waiting on launching your website or you’re still on the fence about whether or not you need one, feel free to take more time to look around, find information, and keep waiting, but it’s messing with your money.

The great thing about websites is that they can get up and running asap and grow while you do. And if you’re looking for a designer to help you get started, look no further!

Click the link below to schedule a free consultation call. We’ll get to know each other and discuss your vision for your virtual home. You can ask me all the important questions about how I can get your website up and running and see if I’m the right fit for you!