Reasons to get a professional website
![web design designburst ireland-02-02 Man holding tablet looking at new modern website design](https://b501168.smushcdn.com/501168/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web-design-designburst-ireland-02-02.jpg?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
If you plan to sell products or offer services this year you must get a professional website. If you are not online people will not see you and will choose another business over yours. Here are the top reasons to get a professional website for your business in 2021.
1) Lockdowns changed how customers interact with businesses
Social distancing and social media have changed how we do business. Overnight the world had to trade online. Businesses struggled to open their doors if they didn’t have a professional website. Customers demanded an online store or a click and collect service.
Many businesses suffered huge financial losses in 2020. Local customers were still interested in buying but they could only buy online. Overnight millions of small businesses stopped trading. All because they had no website and no online presence. Local customers yearned to return to their local stores, cafes and hairdressers. Over time the financial losses caused many businesses to close.
![lockdown-affected-business-in-2020-and-201-in-Ireland lockdown 202 caused local business to close if they didnt have professional website](https://b501168.smushcdn.com/501168/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lockdown-affected-business-in-2020-and-201-in-Ireland-edited.jpg?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
A professional website will help your business get more customers in 2021.
- Are you sitting by your phone waiting for that dream customer to call? They will struggle to find your number if you do not have a website or Google presence.
- Have you reopened your store and are waiting for passers by to pop in and buy your products? STOP waiting and change your strategy today. How do your customers know that you are open?
- Do you wish people would choose your business over overseas competition? Make it easy for people to do that by being open for shopping / booking 24/7.
Your new website is a great way to let people know the best way to contact you. You can specify days, times and can even offer them a free call back if you like.
Make it easy for people to get in touch with your business
If you are not on Facebook and Instagram get on them today. Make your business profiles and add your contact details. Then in your new website you should include your social media feeds. Now your website visitors can contact you via their preferred social media platform. This will improve your monthly reach and will enhance your customer engagement.
You can also let people know on your website the best way to contact you based on the query. For example a hairdresser might say;
- Book a haircut via our website
- Chat to us anytime about your hair challenges via our Facebook page
2) Digital advertising was a mystery to many small businesses until they had no choice
As a small business you can get yourself in front of your ideal customer for free if you are online. Using Social Media and your Website to show off latest offers..etc can be very effective.
Say no to Junk Mail. Leave flyer drops where they belong – the 90s!
Before 2020 many small businesses printed flyers and paid for newspaper ads. Between lockdowns and Covid-19 safety measures, most businesses stopped this dated practice. You should not do physical advertising without a strong online presence. It is a costly way of doing business with small return on investment.
![Junk_mail_collection junk Mail and flyers - leave then in the 90s as they are old advertising](https://b501168.smushcdn.com/501168/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Junk_mail_collection.jpg?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Using Google this way will improve your organic rank
In your professional website you can prepare it for SEO (search engine optimisation). This allows you to tailor how it appears in Google. You will define who your target audience is and write for them. You will include keywords to ensure that you rank in Google. These are words and phrases typed into Google by potential customers.
Google has made big changes to improve visibility of local businesses. Google My Business allows you to set up a profile for your business on Google Maps. This profile allows you to share opening hours, latest offers, contact info and links. It is a fantastic resource and has been working really well for my clients in 2021.
You can use Google Ads to show up first in Google for the keywords you used on your website. When you are a new business website Google does not know you exist. So using SEO and ads can help you list in organic search. If you sell wedding dresses you could pay Google to list you 1st when people search for “wedding dresses”. As you can see in the image below many Ads show first. These ads include text ads, photo ads, shop ads. It is likely that people will visit these links as Google has deemed them relevant.
![Dontpay-for-ads-until-you-have-a-good-website advertising on facebook google and youtube does not work without a good website](https://b501168.smushcdn.com/501168/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Dontpay-for-ads-until-you-have-a-good-website.jpg?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Using Google this way will improve your organic rank
In your professional website you can prepare it for SEO (search engine optimisation). This allows you to tailor how it appears in Google. You will define who your target audience is and write for them. You will include keywords to ensure that you rank in Google. These are words and phrases typed into Google by potential customers.
Google has made big changes to improve visibility of local businesses. Google My Business allows you to set up a profile for your business on Google Maps. This profile allows you to share opening hours, latest offers, contact info and links. It is a fantastic resource and has been working really well for my clients in 2021.
You can use Google Ads to show up first in Google for the keywords you used on your website. When you are a new business website Google does not know you exist. So using SEO and ads can help you list in organic search. If you sell wedding dresses you could pay Google to list you 1st when people search for “wedding dresses”. As you can see in the image below many Ads show first. These ads include text ads, photo ads, shop ads. It is likely that people will visit these links as Google has deemed them relevant.
Social Media Ads can compliment your Website
You can also drive traffic to your website through social media ads. Using the keywords again enforces the same message to a new audience. Many people are time poor. They struggle to find time to research or find things online.
These same people could spend up to 8 hours a day on social media. If you share the problem you solve on their feed through Ads then your website can convert their visit into a sale.
3) Build trust with social media followers
Anybody can create a business page on social media. To show that you are a legitimate business you can add a link to your website. Only Irish businesses can register .ie domains. This helps you rank in Ireland and it helps people know they are shopping locally. When you have a professional website link on a Facebook page you build trust with your fans. This encourages them to contact you or take action on your website.
Make it easy to buy from you with Landing pages
Social media has transformed how we do business and how we connect with people from all over the world. A landing page helps your fan take action with your business.
Instagram users are very visual. They scroll through content and then click to read comments. It’s all about the eye candy. You only have one spot to put your website link on Instagram. This can affect your chance to close a sale. If you share a post of a new product then a landing page can pull that product to the top of your website link. This increases sales and improves your social media interactions.
![social media icons 2019 Social media icons oncubes for professional website design](https://b501168.smushcdn.com/501168/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/social-media-icons-2019.jpg?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1)
Your professional website should showcase
- what your business offers,
- a proven track record of the business,
- how people should contact you.
All this information should be easy to read across a variety of devices. People using their phone will be your most frequent visitors.
If your website is difficult to navigate I recommend removing it from Facebook. You need to spend some time making your website responsive. Otherwise you are wasting your time promoting it through social media. If you do not have time to update your website then get somebody else to do it for you. It will be the best money you spend this year as you will see a dramatic increase in engagement.
4) Get more business through Google Maps
You can attract lots of new customers by adding your business to Google maps. You can display the Google Map on your website to help people navigate to your business.
Add your business to Google Maps to increase traffic
Google now ranks local businesses via Google Maps. When you search for a product or service it shows a map with suggested local businesses. This listing is at the top of Google Search. It is free to list your business here. You add your business to Google maps through submitting your info to Google My Business. This is an incredible way to increase footfall in your store or get bookings for your service.
5) Get better return for your advertising spend
When you advertise online you can choose to pick a specific niche to target. Targeting niches is an excellent way to reduce your advertising costs. It improves your return on investment.
Advertising through google and social media can be cost effective for business
Getting your website online can take as little as 2 weeks. With the right advertising strategy you could rank number one in your niche in as little as 6 months. This will increase your sales and in turn improve your cash flow for 2021.
Don’t delay considering a new website today. We would love to connect with your business. I am happy to answer any questions you may have – please leave a comment below. I hope that you enjoyed this article and it helps you structure your new website.
Hi Andrew McCormack here. Would love to speak to you about a website. Many thanks Andy
Great Andrew. I will send you an email now and maybe we can chat this week about your website – Marianna
I copuld not refrain from commenting. Exceptionally well written!
Cool – thank for the comment 🙂