01 Jan No Website in 2020? Here’s What You’re Missing
It’s officially the end of a decade. We are no longer in the 90s or early 2000s, and you probably spend more time per day accessing content, emails, and news in a digital format than reading newspapers or opening letters. While there’s nostalgia about paper products, and we would never advocate for ditching paper copies of your favorite books, there’s no excuse to not invest in digital marketing.
If you started the 2010s without a website, you started off on the wrong side of a growing trend. But if you’re starting the 2020s without a website, you are officially losing customers.
How can we be so sure?
Almost 80% of customers shop online, and that percentage increases as your target demographic gets younger. With younger audiences gaining more and more purchasing power by the day, there’s no better time to bolster your online presence. And if you don’t have an online presence, it’s time to get one.
If you don’t have a website, that means you’re missing out on customers in other states, or even in another part of your same city who aren’t aware of your product or service. With businesses from brick-and-mortar storefronts to work-from-home mompreneurs, customers look for your website first before making a purchase.
Being able to find information about your product or service gives your business credibility in the eyes of customers who may not know you personally. When customers can’t find out more about you and your business, they will go elsewhere. In an age of readily available information and multiple competitors only a click away, it’s crucial to establish trust with potential customers. And one thing in business that hasn’t changed between the 1990s and 2020 is trusting who you buy from.
So how do you establish trust, stay relevant, and reach new customers all at the same time?
The answer lies in web design. (Surprise, surprise)
When websites are well designed for user experience with SEO best practices, customers can find your business online, learn about your products or services, and trust your brand. And with trust comes conversion.
“Well-designed” can be subjective, but in 2020 all websites should have these characteristics:
- Responsive for all screen sizes with fast load times
- SEO optimized
- Multiple ways to contact or purchase
- Full-width and visually appealing
- Secure or https://
Websites can also evolve alongside your business. So when you decide to pivot the focus of your company in 3 years, your website can change too.
Ok that’s great theoretically, but give me an example.
Have you ever searched for something online, only to come across a website that looks like it was built in the first years of the internet? Maybe there’s a rainbow text banner that scrolls across the screen. Maybe your browser prompts you to allow Flash to load a clunky homepage video. Maybe you’re on your phone and have to zoom in and out to read content. Or maybe the website never loads. All of these things distract and impede you from finding the information you are looking for. When you get frustrated enough with subpar design, you exit the website and try another search to find the information elsewhere.
If your website sounds like the one described above, it’s time for a redesign. And if you still don’t have a website halfway through this blog post, there’s no better time than now.
Artificial intelligence is within reach for small businesses, and automation in manufacturing is the norm. There’s no going back to life without technology, so it’s time to embrace the internet instead of fighting against it in 2020.
Most small businesses don’t need to invest in a robot to interface with customers. But if you’ve been deciding whether or not to build a website, don’t debate too much longer. How long can you afford to lose trust and customers?
Need more convincing? Check out our website redesign case study here.
Get three free tips on how to improve your current website by contacting us here, or reach out to chat about a custom web design quote below.