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Any business would enjoy a low-expense showroom that is open to its customers all throughout the day and week. Having a website is akin to having such a showroom. These days, getting a website has become pretty cheap. It is a cost-efficient way to acquire a reliable and effective marketing tool. Listed below are eight benefits that a website offers a business no matter how small it is.
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It Signifies That You Care About Your Customers
Every business that has a website is doing so because of its customers. It wants its customer-base to know exactly what they’re about, the values they follow and the services they offer. A website allows customers of a business to get in touch with it, buy products, find out about sales/discounts at any point of the day, not just during the day. It is a fully operational representative of the business that functions 24×7.
Having a website makes it easier for the customers of a business to approach, engage and interact with it, without having to go to a brick and mortar store, call up a sales rep, speak to customer service, etc. All a customer has to do is to look up the website of the business. This where the importance of website design comes into play. When a business first designs their website they will have to ensure that customers are able to get answers to any and everything they want from the website itself.
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A Bearer Of Information
A website can be thought of as a full-time representative of a business, that never ceases to function (except in the case of downtimes, maintenance or malfunctioning). A website that offers customers of a business detailed product information, features, product comparisons, usage tutorials, etc, comprehensively serves its customers. This is especially important in this digital age when most consumers across the globe are making their purchasing decisions online. The majority of these consumers have already made up their minds about purchasing what they require from a website.
They don’t have to be sold on why they should be purchasing online. They only have to be sold on why they should not resort to a competitor’s website. Therefore, in this highly competitive eCommerce landscape, it isn’t only important to have an online presence but also be able to entice and allure customers.
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Establish Trust
While trust was something that could be overlooked in the digital landscape a decade or so ago, today, it has become imperative for a website to establish a level of trust between itself and its customer base.
However, for numerous industries having a website in itself is a sign of trust. In certain circumstances, a business that does not have a website can be thought of as a business that is not willing to put itself and its reputation on the line. This is because when a business creates a website it is opening itself up to criticisms and harsh reviews from its customers online. A website that is willing to do so, in turn, proves that it is not afraid of harsh feedback and criticisms from its customers, because it is confident of the reliability, quality, and efficiency of its services as well as products.
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An Exceptionally Designed Website Serves As A Revenue Generator
In the age of eCommerce, there are hundreds if not thousands of websites that offer the same products. But the thing that separates the less successful ones from those that are successful is a pleasant, user-friendly, and highly functional website design. Although they offer the same products, a consumer is bound to prefer the website that offers him/her the most convenience in terms of –
- ease of use, navigation, and product discovery,
- maximum security of personal data and info,
- interactive features,
- instant customer service, etc.
A business that makes sure to put this effort and care into designing its website proves to its customers that it values them. Businesses that recognize the importance of website design are bound to reap rich dividends. Consumers are naturally inclined to place their trust on such a website and return time and again to make purchases.
Maintaining and managing an eCommerce website however, comes with its own set of problems and headaches. Nevertheless, considering the unparalleled growth of eCommerce websites, a business (however small it is) can rest assured that it is bound to witness growth as long as its products are unique and of high-quality, and its website offers tons of features.
A business that has a decent website, with adequate products and offerings can be guaranteed to garner sales pretty much 24×7, as opposed to one that does not have a website. Such businesses will have to depend solely on sales reps to generate revenue for them.
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A Great Way To Secure Repeat Customers
Having a website is a great way for a business to generate repeat customers. This is owing to the fact that the website can be easily updated as and when new products and services are released. All a customer who would like to know what a business has been up to and what its latest offerings are since their last purchase can do so easily by simply checking out the website.
However, to do this it is crucial for businesses that already have websites to regularly update them with new information and content, in order to constantly stay a step ahead of their competitors. All it takes for a business to retain customers and keep them coming back is to keep them excited continually and keep alluring them with new offerings. To do this the extreme importance of website design has to be realized and taken seriously.
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It Serves As A Portfolio & Proof Of A Business’s Extraordinary Work In The Past
Not only do websites serve in informing customers about what a business is currently up to and has in the pipeline, but also of its achievements in the past. Any services based business can use its website as a portfolio to showcase all the great work that it has done for its clients in the past. An eCommerce website that deals exclusively with products can utilize its website to display testimonials/feedback from all of its customers who have loved its products.
Websites serve as concrete proof of the great work and quality of services that a business has been recognized for, by its clients in the past and present. This serves in establishing trustworthiness between it and customers who might approach it in the future.
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Makes It Possible For Businesses To Employ SEO Strategies To Boost Their Online Presence And Fuel Growth
Having a website also allows a business to take advantage of the SEO landscape, by devising and executing appropriate SEO strategies. When planned and executed in the right manner, a business can get ahead of its competitors by ensuring its prominent online presence and high SERP ranking.
Devising an SEO strategy involves having a comprehensive understanding of the ins and outs of creating content, link building, marketing via social media platforms, keyword usage, etc. A business can easily edge out its competitors by hiring an SEO agency that is well-versed with planning and putting into place customized SEO strategies/tactics.
However, it is important to keep in mind that taking advantage of SEO implies doing things in the right manner. This is because executing what are known as “black hat SEO strategies” can have drastic adverse effects on a business’s revenue and online reputation.
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Makes It Possible To Keep In Touch With Customers 24×7
If there is one thing that should convince a business about getting a website it is the fact that doing so will help them stay in touch with customers pretty much 24×7. Staying in constant touch with customers is paramount to the growth and increase in revenues for any business. Less successful businesses strive to get consumers to pay attention to them let alone stay in touch with them.
For a business to have a window for its customers to get in touch with them at any point of the day and at any time of the week is a blessing. This helps a business in offering its customers a certain degree of convenience to its customers which is what customers seek the most in brands that they wish to shop from.
Having a contact form, a 24/7 chat facility, or a comprehensive FAQ section that offers easy-to-understand solutions to common questions and queries, are all made possible by websites. Realizing the importance of website design will help any business nail its ability to keep its customers engaged constantly.
At Open Designs India, we are a well-recognized web design company (among other things) renowned for our ability to craft and design stunning websites. We understand the importance of website to the success of a business, that is why all the websites that we design are completely customized as per the specific industry and niche that a company is involved in.
FAQ
Is Digital marketing the future?
Digital marketing is one of the ways in which you can boost the business sales like never before. Having said that, considering how reliant everyone has become on digital marketing, it is all set to rule the future. Here is why –
- The extent to which people these days are using the internet throws light on how increased internet usage would be in the days to come.
- Digital marketing is an excellent way of building brand awareness among people.
- All the digital marketing strategies put forth by the companies can be monitored as well. The expectation vs. reality picture becomes way clearer now. This further helps in opening up doors for improvement, if any.
Is digital branding the same as digital marketing?
No. Digital Marketing and Digital Branding are different from each other. Digital Marketing focusses on promoting a particular product or service, highlighting its benefits and how useful it would be to the consumers. Digital branding on the other hand is much more subtle and highlights the personality of the company or brand as a whole. Products and services will come and go. Digital marketing strategies will change to suit the seasonal needs or are tailor made for the product in question. However Digital branding is like a long tern digital marketing strategy to bolster the reputation of the company. It communicates what are the core values of the company and what they do to upkeep those values to give the best customer experience.
What are the most important principles of web design?
By now a lot of businesses have realised the importance of good web design. However there are some important principles that need to be followed to ensure that your website turns out perfect.
- Ensure the website loads fast, as this reduces website abandonment.
- Show your intent on every page so customers landing on any page are aware of what your business does.
- Keep it simple so you don’t distract visitors from their purpose, with too many elements.
- Make the navigation as easy as possible, with any part of the website accessible in 3 clicks.
- Maintain the hierarchy in the layout. You don’t want your customers to keep scrolling back up each time they want to refer something.
- Use simple, attractive and value adding content that can convince visitors into becoming customers.
- The site must be mobile friendly for customers to access it on the go.
What is the purpose of website design?
Your website is the first impression that an online customer gets of your business. It is important to make a positive impact on your clients. The website design has the potential to convert a random visitor to a customer and boost organic sales. A great web design will keep customers loyal to your brand as they find the platform comfortable and convenient to use. It provides a good UI/UX to your clients and nurtures your leads. Better the website design, more the engagement with it, bringing in more traffic. It improves the accessibility of your website to a wider audience. It has a significant influence on the brand image and it is important that you get professionals to design your website.
What are the benefits of having a website to your business?
It has come to a point that a business is only considered successful if they have a strong online presence. This is evidently done by creating a dedicated website to the brand. The benefits of owning a website for your business are,
- A credible repository of information on your business
- 24 x 7 customer access to your business
- Boosts interaction with the brand
- It helps expand your market reach
- It improve brand awareness to a global scale
- Provides you with valuable consumer insights
- Helps you beat other competitors with online presence
- Access to all digital modes of advertising
- Makes information exchange easier
What are the new SEO trends of 2021?
SEO is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to boost traffic to your site. It can open the gateway to new customer pools, even on a global scale. The top SEO trends of 2021 are,
- Core web vitals : Loading, Interactivity and Visual Stability
- Google’s BERT: Using Machine learning and natural language processing for intent matching.
- Keyword research: To identify high ranking keywords.
- Original content: Value adding content that attracts traffic organically.
- Voice search: Voice activated searches that include colloquialisms in global languages.
- Artificial intelligence: Using AI to personalise the customer journey.
- Video marketing: For visitors to better relate to the brand with audio visual stimulation.
- Featured snippets: Elevate reputation of the business with features snippets on Google.
- Influencer SEO: Partner with social media influencers to get their following as customers.
- EAT & Branded SEO: Build expertise, authority and trust by building brand awareness.
What is the difference between website design and website development?
When searching for a web developer, it is important for you as a client to know the difference between website design and website development. The difference is quite distinct but a web developer is capable of doing both if they are skilled enough. Web design is the initial ideation and planning of a website’s layout, appearance and content. Web development is the actual process of developing code for creating the site and its subsequent maintenance. Web design is about creativity, while web development is completely technical. You need to engage the services of web developers who can help you with both, as they know how to recreate your brand personality on the website.
Why every business needs SEO?
For anyone who wants to implement digital marketing for their business, Search Engine Optimisation or SEO as it is commonly known should be the first priority. It is more than the misconception of just adding keywords to your content. When done right, SEO can do the following for you.
- Send quality traffic your way.
- Boost the business reputation
- Get results with inexpensive methods
- Increases customer engagement with the site
- Help you understand your customers
- Help you beat the competition
- Continuously evaluate and boost performance of the site
