Why a website should be at the center of creating your new business

So maybe you’re thinking about creating a new business in the near future.

Maybe you have a hobby that you want to turn into extra income for you. Or maybe you’re finally scratching that entrepreneurial itch and breaking the proverbial mold. Or maybe you’re somewhere in between.

Of course, creating a new business has a lot of steps in the process. There are state and maybe federal forms to fill out. Taxes to worry about. Creating a business plan so you know what you’re doing. And maybe even scouting out a location for your business.

But there’s one step that can get overlooked, but can set your new business up for success: creating a website for that business.

Let’s face it. Your business does not exist unless it’s online and can be found in Google. So creating a website is paramount if you want your business to succeed. And if the price you’ve seen for other websites scares you before you have a steady stream of income, you can start with something simple and grow from there.

Being online is a requirement for every business in today’s world.

The world has moved online

So just as a spoiler alert, the world has really moved online, especially the past two years.

According to the Nasdaq, 95 percent of purchases will happen online by the year 2040. But you don’t need to wait until then to see the effect that’s having in today’s world of ecommerce.

According to Safari Digital, 97 percent of users searched online to find a local business. Also, they report that 70 percent of consumers will visit a business because they found their information online.

And to top it all off, 78 percent of local searches on mobile result in an offline purchase. So even if you don’t have an online store or someone doesn’t purchase from your online store, you still give yourself a good chance at making a sale just by having a website.

Oh, and on the flip side of that, Safari Digital also found that 62 percent of customers will not visit a business that they can’t find online. That’s a staggering amount of potential customers you’re missing out on if you don’t think about creating a website for your business.

So meet people where they already are

With all of those stats, it’s extremely easy to see just why a website is so important when you’re creating a new business. Because if you’re not, you practically don’t exist to a lot of people.

Instead, you need to create that website so that you meet people where they already are — online.

Having your own website, and no, a Facebook page only doesn’t count as a website, allows you to get found in those Google searches that are becoming more and more important to growing a business today. Plus, it’s a great place to point people who you meet offline and away from your physical store (if you have one) so that they can learn more about your business.

Having a website in today’s world is no longer optional; it’s a requirement for creating a new business.

Allows people to see and visit your business without going there

Another thing a website does is allow people to visit your business without having to go to your business.

With COVID still unfortunately a thing that we’re having to deal with, people might be a bit hesitant to physically visit your store if they aren’t sure if they’ll buy anything.

But a website can help them virtually visit your store and browse through your products. They can see everything that they have to offer. And maybe perusing your digital shelves will convince them to come in. Or if you have a buy online option, they might just buy the product while they are online.

Or if you have a service, you can use this website to show off what you do. For example, if you install pools for houses, you can show every part of the process off to potential customers. They can learn exactly what to expect when they buy from you, which might give them peace of mind that they’re selecting the best option for their new pool.

Never underestimate just how much a website can help convince people to buy from you, on or offline.

Local SEO is key for every business

So from the ecommerce stats I pointed out earlier, it’s pretty obvious how much local search can matter for small businesses. And if you want more statistics, according to WebFX, 46 percent of Google searches are local searches. So local search will matter as you’re creating a new business.

And finding success in those searches requires the work of Local SEO, which in turn can only work if you have a website. With your new website, you will need to add in Local SEO schema that will tell Google that you’re a business and where you are located. Also, you’ll need to make sure that you have local keywords in your content throughout the site so that you can rank in those searches around your area.

Another thing you’ll need to take care of as you create this new business is to add your business to Google Local Profile (formerly Google My Business). This will get your business directly into Google, so it’s easier to get found in local and map “near me” searches. But that doesn’t replace creating a new website.

Creating a website and optimizing it so that you get found in those crucial “near me” searches is going to be incredibly important as you start to create your new business. If you can nail this aspect, you’re going to be in very good shape online.

Allows you a home base for all other online marketing you’re going to do

In today’s world, you’re going to be doing a lot of things online. You’ll be doing social media marketing, maybe run some Google Ads, start an email marketing campaign and potentially start a content marketing strategy (which oh by the way 1000 percent requires a website).

And your website is going to be the homebase for all of those efforts. Your social media posts and ads will point right back to pages on your website. Your Google Ads will direct people to landing pages you’ve set up for them to take the next step in your sales funnel. And the same will go for any email marketing campaigns you create.

If you can’t point people back to your website with all of that marketing, where exactly are you going to point them? What then is the point of doing any digital marketing (and arguably any marketing) at all?

This website is your home for everything you do online and maybe even offline. It will be the anchor for everything and all links should drive traffic there where you can show them more things and hopefully get them to buy products or sign up for a service.

Selling online is pretty popular (and easy) these days

Also, if you’re worried that trying to create an online store for your business is going to be a really long and expensive process, you don’t have to be concerned.

With today’s tools, it’s extremely easy to create an online store at a price that fits practically any budget. All of the major content management systems have plugins or extensions that allow you to add an online store.

I know with WordPress, you can use WooCommerce (which is a free plugin by the way) to turn your website into an online store for your business. It walks you through the setup process through an easy-to-use setup wizard.

Then you can add in all of your products, set up the payment gateway you want to use, install a theme that supports WooCommerce and then you’re good to go. Plus, you can also add addons that allow you to do things like print shipping labels, send invoices and basically anything else.

If your main concern about a website is it being too complicated to do, that’s no longer an excuse. Creating an online store is extremely easy in today’s online world.

Doesn’t have to be a fancy website

Now, if you’re just starting with a small business or maybe a hobby for extra money, you might be concerned about the price you’ve seen for other websites. And it is true. There are some websites that cost $10,000 to build.

But you don’t need to worry about that. Those websites are large, enterprise types of websites. They need a lot of time for design and development and require a lot of custom parts.

You don’t need all of those fancy bells and whistles. For creating your new business, you just need something simple at the very least. It needs to have your business’ information, talk about what you do and what you offer and contact information as well. And you need to make sure that Google is indexing your website so you can get found in Google searches.

If you want to sell products, there are plugins and extensions, like WooCommerce, that can help you create an online store on a tight budget. And with an open source content management system, like WordPress, you can even add in a blog without too many problems.

Don’t let the fear of having to pay an arm and a leg website keep you from creating a website. You can always find a way to get started online for a price that fits your budget. I promise.

You can grow from here

Finally, you can grow from that small starter website as time goes on as well.

In fact, your work on the website will never completely stop. You’re always going to be working to improve it, whether it’s through small changes, like updating content, or bigger changes, like redesigning the entire website.

And as your business grows, you can add on to your website. Maybe right now you’re not sure about having an online store for the website. But maybe a couple of months down the road you realize that you need or want to sell online. That’s not too hard of a change to make, especially with content management systems today.

Also, if you decide later on that you want to start a blog to create a content marketing strategy, that can easily be added on to your website.

Or maybe you need to create another (or first) landing page for a new service that you offer. You can add that on to your website fairly easily.

Your website can and will grow as time goes on. So even if you think that big website can wait until you have the money and time for that big website, create your website today, keep it small and go from there.

The key when you’re creating the new business is to get it online with a website as a start and grow from there.

Let’s get started on building your new website

Ready to create a website for your business today, but want professional help in doing it? No worries. I can work with you to create your first website for your business to get you online and found in Google searches. Your website will be built with WordPress to give you an easy way to manage your content and grow your website. And it will be built with accessibility, security, SEO and more in mind.

It’s the perfect way to get your business online in less than a month for a price that will fit your budget.