For some businesses, it’s easy to see the connection between their website and their sales numbers. After all, in today’s world of e-commerce, there are many companies that make all of their sales online!
But if you don’t make sales directly through your website, it can be harder to see how it can affect your sales results. This doesn’t diminish the value of your website — in fact, a good website can still dramatically improve your sales.
A Quality Website Increases Your Business’s Discoverability
An astounding 98% of customers use the internet to look up information about local businesses. And according to Google, 76% of smartphone users who look up nearby businesses will make a visit within 24 hours.
With these statistics in mind, it’s easy to see why simply having any kind of web presence is key to helping potential customers discover your business. With an online search being the first route most people take to looking for a product or service, a website ensures you are discoverable to digital audiences.
With strong SEO, you can even get your website to rise to the top of search results (particularly for local searches), making your brand the first one people discover when they perform a relevant search.
Build Trust in Your Brand
Ninety-three percent of people read online reviews before they make a purchase — and 94% say they will avoid a business based on negative reviews. While you can’t control what people say about your company on third-party review sites, you can post testimonials, reviews, and case studies on your own site to build trust and drive sales.
Your testimonials could be something as simple as a brief quote from a satisfied customer, or you could write a more detailed case study explaining what your business accomplished for a client (these are especially impactful for B2B sales).
Showing the positive impact you’ve had for other customers is a powerful way to build trust and make them more likely to reach out to you.
Provide Information
What’s the motivation for people to look up businesses online? More often than not, it’s because they want information about the types of services a business offers, or how a particular product works.
Your website can be the ideal resource to give prospects access to the information they need to make their buying decisions. For example, a landscaping company could provide a detailed list of the types of services they offer. A business consultant could include a FAQ page that covers the information most of her prospects ask during the sales process.
Giving website visitors useful and relevant information through your website will bring serious prospects closer to making a purchase — and help you avoid wasting time with prospects who want something different from what you offer.
Use Your Website Wisely
Your website can make all the difference in getting people to visit your brick and mortar location or call your office for a sales inquiry. Of course, getting these desired outcomes ultimately depends on the quality of the website itself. By ensuring that your website provides engaging, accurate content and an attractive design, you can make a positive first impression that convinces visitors to do business with you.
