By Julie Rambali
July 3rd, 2013 Edition
As of 2013, more than 2.4 billion people use the internet worldwide and 70% of them use the internet every day. 78.6% of those users are from North America and since the year 2000, the number of internet users has grown by 566%. 38% of media interactions each day are on smartphones. On average, 139,344 new websites go live each day. In an interconnected and interactive world, it’s now more important than ever to have a great website.
On a daily basis, more and more people are looking for products/services online than ever before. People move to new areas and often depend solely on the internet to learn more about their surroundings, and find out who to go to for what. Many people find their homes and jobs over the internet. It’s now understood that most people are coming to expect that any professionally operated business will have a website.
The more people know about your company, the greater the chances you have for attracting new customers. Maximize your advertising efforts by putting your website address on your business cards, letterhead, and other advertisements. This lets visitors know exactly where to go for answers and where to refer their friends. A website address can also save you on printing costs. Instead of listing all your products/services on your brochure, you can refer people to your website for more details where you can make an even better impression with more information and photos of your products/services. People will always easily remember a website address rather than a phone number.
With that said, it’s actually better to have no website than to have one that makes your business look bad. It’s not enough that you just have a website. You must have a professional-looking website if you want to be taken seriously. Since people now research online before making a purchase, your website may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a potential customer. If your website looks like it was designed by your 11 year old nephew, that good first impression will surely be lost. Your website speaks volumes about your business. With a well-designed website, your small business becomes competitive both on and off the internet.
Whatever the size of your business, there should be no doubt that you should have a website. A website presence on the internet keeps your business open 24 hours a day and 365 days of the year so that customers, potential employees, business partners and even investors can find out more about your business and the products/services that you offer. Depending on additional website features, it can be costly to get a website professionally done. However, instead of asking yourself if you can afford a website, ask yourself if you can afford not to have a website.
Next time, I’ll discuss simple and effective marketing techniques which can drive targeted visitors to your website. You can read my blogs on infinitelinx.ca and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Mention Toronto Caribbean Newspaper to receive a 25% discount on your first website.
