When someone hears about your business, they will look for a website. It is your book cover and unfortunately, people will judge it. If your website hasn’t been updated since the early 2000s, or worse you only have a Facebook page, potential customers are likely going to decide against your product/services. This is especially true if they find a competitor who had put the time and money into their online presence. A good, modern website goes far to promote your business. If you’re still unsure if it’s worth the cost, here are five reasons why a good website is important.
5. Professionalism
In meeting someone for the first time, you dress to impress, right? It’s the same premise with your online presence. When it comes to a website, it’s crucial to get the best first impression possible. 0.05 seconds is all you get because that’s how long it takes someone to form an opinion on a website they have not seen before. You want the customer to continue scrolling through your site after that first fraction of a moment. In order to accomplish that, you need a website that looks like you know what you’re doing.
4. Personality
Customers can tell if you’ve used a templated website service like Squarespace. Although these are slightly better than having that cousin–who took a web class back in 1999–build it, such websites are still not great. Since so many other people use them the chance your website will look just like someone else’s is high. You want a website that matches the uniqueness of your business. It’s just as much a part of your brand as your business cards or anything else you put your logo on. Your website’s design will also paint how much people trust you. 94% of people said that poor web design was the reason they either mistrusted or rejected a website.
3. Excellent Content
Your website’s content has to be as good as its design. If not, then it’s just a pretty shell with no actual value. The text, photography, and videography that you on your site need to reflect your brand just as much as the layout and colors. 80% of people like to learn about a business through custom content. That means you shouldn’t fill it with stock imagery and cliche phrases. Give the viewer something to remember: great photos, sharp paragraphs, and stunning videos.
2. User-friendly UI (user interface)
The user interface is what your customer sees and interacts with on your website. Nothing is more frustrating when someone is looking through a website and have no clue where any of the important information can be found. 37% of customers will leave a website if the design or navigations is poor. Your customers will want to know where to click to get in contact with you. They will want an easy to use navigation bar. They especially, 86% in fact, want to see information about your products/services. Your website is not the place to play the dark, mysterious stranger. Who you are and what you can do for the consumer needs to be upfront and understandable, and so does your UI.
1. Responsiveness
Responsive design means that your website easily adapts to mobile devices. It used to be that you would have a desktop site and a separate site for mobile, but responsive design has made that formula obsolete. Having a responsive design is also important for SEO. A big factor is that Google prioritizes websites that are mobile-friendly in web searches. Most mobile users, 72% of them, say they feel it’s important for websites to be mobile-friendly. With more and more customers preferring to browse on their mobile devices rather than a desktop, it’s vital for your business to be aware of this trend.
As you can see, a good website is incredibly important. If your website is outdated, or if you try to go with the cheapest option available, the customer will find it lazy and–well–cheap. They’ll question the value of your product/service because of the lack of value put into your website. A well thought out, professionally designed website will raise you above your competition and earn the respect of your audience.