Why do we need a website anyway?

Deciding if you "need" a website or "want" a website is the first factor you should consider. Both are equally acceptable reasons to have a web presence and will decide the style, content and functionality you wish to offer visitors to your website.

You may "need" or "want" a website if any of the following are applicable to you or your business:

It has now become expected for a Business to be visible on the internet

Customers or prospective customers simply assume that you will have a website. They will use your website to gain more information about your business at a time convenient to them. They can browse your products and/or services, business hours and location to name but a few. In fact some people are now put off if a company does not have a website as it has now become "the norm" to have one. A website can become a key part of your business giving your company that extra level of visibility most people expect today.

A well designed, well optimised website can increase your business

We are now firmly in the digital age, most people have access to the web in some shape or form. Whether it is on a PC or Mac, an iPhone, Windows phone or an Android Phone, even iPod's and iPad's connecting via Broadband, Wireless or 3G. The internet is everywhere and it is not going away in a hurry. Having a well optimised website that is search engine friendly, which is also easy to navigate, informative and creates a positive image of your company can definitely increase awareness and subsequently increase interest in your business.

A website can save your business time and money

By making your website as attractive, easy to navigate and information rich as possible. Customer queries or enquires to your customer services or sales departments can be greatly reduced. Reducing or ultimately eliminating these unnecessary calls can ensure that the remaining calls are dealt with quicker and more efficiently.

Do you have printed brochures or catalogues? Are you left with many of these even after they have become obsolete? Offering a PDF catalogue download to your customers not only reduces your printing costs, postage cost and helps save the planet. It gives you the ability to update your catalogue as and when required at a much reduced cost to the business.

Visitors can acquire the information or products they need, when they need them.

A website is visible 24 hours a day, seven days a week even when your offices are closed for business. Many e-commerce purchases are made during the evenings once people have returned home from work or the children have gone to bed. If you have a product to sell then we definitely put you in the "need" a website category. Can you afford to be missing out on these sales?

Even if your website is purely there for informational purposes, having a website can be beneficial to your business as visitors will always be greeted with the most up to date information, pricing, special offers etc. Also many customer queries are easily answerable via a "frequently asked questions" section or a customer can send you a query out of office hours in the knowledge it will be dealt with once the office has re-opened.

The flexibility a website has over printed media is also an obvious plus point. A website can be updated on the fly and at anytime. This can be done by sHarper Design or in-house. Adding a content management system to your website can also simplify this procedure even further. The capability to change your information quickly and inexpensively gives your business greater ability to react to market conditions, ensuring that your business takes full advantage of any opportunities that may arise.

Reinforcing your company image

Your company's image is vital. You have spent money, time and effort building up your business, your product is great and your customer service is second to none. Having a well designed website can reinforce this by showing people that you are proud of your business and the image it projects. A website can make a small business look and feel like a company twice its size. This can lead to increased enquiries due to the confidence that is bred from the more positive perception visitors may gain from viewing your website.

Remember you are in competition, whatever your business, there is someone out there providing similar or the exact services or products you do at the same cost. When you are dealing with such fine margins you need to use every tool at your disposal to ensure you are the company getting the work. You could be losing business purely down to the fact that your main competitor has a website, or maybe they have a better website than you. sHarper Design offer a website consultancy service that can assess your current website or situation and offer suggestions on how it may be improved to better compete with your competitors website.

Make your website data work for you

By making use of statistical data generated from competitions, forms, questionnaires and surveys supplied by your website visitors. Your website can utilise this data to enable better customer service, keep customers up to date with your current products, promotions etc or just remind them you are there.