WEBSITE
DESIGN
Website design is at the heart of what I do at Codeless Creations - it is my bread and butter. Having a high quality professional looking website that is easy to use and navigate will almost certainly benefit you and / or your business. In fact, I would go as far to say that anyone that is serious about making their venture a successful one, must invest in a website.
A website is a superb way of advertising what you offer as a business to a ready made audience who are likely already looking for what you offer. The proof is in the data - as of March 2023, 81% of shoppers today choose to research a business online before they buy a product or service (source: Zippia.com - small business website statistics 2023).
You may appreciate the need to have some web presence but you might not believe that an effective website is going to make that big of a difference for your particular business — especially if you’re already plenty profitable and successful. Many small business owners are of the opinion that if they operate a small enough business with a small workforce and aren't necessarily looking to sell anything online, they don't need a website. Wrong! If you have a business, you should have a website to, at the very least, avoid losing business to competitors that already have one.
Furthermore, are you sure you can’t sell your product online? COVID-19 altered the retail landscape, with millions of shoppers online looking for everything you could possibly imagine. So while you think about whether or not you need a website, your competitor has likely seen how effective a website can be for their business. You definitely don’t want to be left behind. So, why do you need a website? Why not carry on using social media for example?
I can save you a lot of reading by simply listing the reasons why you should have a website designed by me here. However, rather than just take my word for it, consider the below...
Do I Need a Website If I Have A Facebook Page?
It’s common for businesses to rely on Facebook or other social media platforms as their main way of advertising. Don't get me wrong, things like Facebook and Instagram are great as they help build a larger audience and even help you carry out market research for little or no cost at all. However, a Facebook page should not replace your business website. Here are some reasons why:
1. You Don't Own Your Facebook Page
For a start, you don't actually own your Facebook page! If Mr. Zuckerberg was to suddenly decide that Facebook was no longer going to support small businesses, or introduced costs to continue using Facebook for business that your business
couldn't afford, all your customers would disappear if Facebook was your only means of being visible online.
In fact, not too long ago back in October of 2021, Facebook and its subsidiaries went down across the globe for over seven hours. Could your business afford to be down for that long?
To be truthful, Facebook isn't likely to stop supporting businesses like yours, but at the same time, you have no say at all in any changes Facebook (and other social media platforms for that matter) choose to implement or when. However, with your own website, you are in total control.
2. Facebook Isn't Where People Will Look For You
Facebook also has limitations when it comes to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Don't just take my word for it though - where do you go when looking for a business locally? Facebook or Google? The 3.5 billion daily queries on Google illustrates that almost everyone favours search engines over social networks to find information. A business website allows you to position yourself so people will find you when they make search queries concerning the products you sell or the services you provide.
3. A Website Is More Credible
A business website is like a badge of trust, and people only buy from businesses they trust. So while it might be quicker to create a Facebook page, you would be able to command more authority and trust with a business website. How many cloned or hacked accounts do you see on Facebook? How many fake pages are out there pretending to be legitimate businesses when they're not? It's a bit of a problem.
4. Attention Is Fleeting On Facebook
Facebook is massively competitive. Having your business listed on Facebook means that you’re constantly fighting off competition from companies just like yours. What’s more, you have to compete with your potential client’s Facebook friends. Many people find advertisements annoying, especially when they want to interact with friends, meaning there is a very real potential for your business posts or ads to be completely ignored.
To be clear, I'm not saying you shouldn’t have a Facebook page for your business. But, instead, your Facebook page and other social media should support your website - not replace it.
Having a website boosts your credibility, increases your visibility, and improves lead generation. It’s your property; therefore, you have absolute freedom about how you want it to look and what you want to promote. It’s an excellent place to highlight positive reviews and answer any questions potential customers might have about your business.
Unlock your businesses potential by letting Codeless Creations design and implement a custom website
Benefits Of Having A Website
Regardless of whether you're a small sole trader or a small to medium-sized business, owning your own website offers plenty of advantages.
1. A Business Website Is Professional
Anyone can create a company page on Facebook; it’s free and can be done with very little effort and knowhow. This low barrier to entry takes away much of the credibility of a business social media page. Customers don’t know who’s behind a Facebook page, where they are, and whether it’s all a scam. On the other hand, creating a business website is not free and indicates that you’re relatively serious about your business. Therefore, a business website makes you look more professional and credible.
2. It's Where You Want Your Customers To End Up
A good quality website designed by Codeless Creations is where you want your customers from different channels to end up. Your website is comparable to a shop window - people walk by it until they come in to look at what you offer. So even if they don’t buy something the first time they walk in, they might buy something on subsequent visits. On a similar vein, customers come across your business via different channels like social media feeds. If the social ad is interesting, they’ll expect to visit your website to find out more about the business. If there isn’t a website, they might not take the next logical step or look elsewhere.
3. Increased Visibility
As of January 2024, there were over 4.5 billion active internet users worldwide, and over 90% of them accessed the Internet via mobile devices (source: Statista.com - Number of internet and social media users worldwide as of January 2024). Without a website, your business is virtually invisible to these people. As well as the overwhelming numbers, the effects of COVID-19 saw many businesses of all shapes and sizes become more digital. Without sugar coating it for you, your business will become invisible to those that matter unless you invest in a website.
4. A Website Is Good For Validating Your Business
What people say about your business can have a massive bearing on whether others patronise you or not. Your website is the best place for people to gather more information about your business. Displaying testimonials on your website is an effective way to help establish trust and validate your business with others. Publishing testimonials on your own website rather than relying solely on review sites, like Yelp for example, makes sure that third party review sites don't promote a negative image about your business - there's always that one person who finds something to moan about! With your own site, you can choose your best testimonials.
5. A Business Website Provides Lasting Value
One of the best things about investing in a website is how it continues to generate value and potential new leads for you years after it has been created, When you pay for ads on social media, for example, your potential customers will only stand a chance of seeing your ad(s) for as long as you run them, which ultimately means spending more money. However, when compared with a website, even if you don't receive much return after the first twelve months, you have time to tweak things until you do with no extra cost.
6. Sell On-line!
Even if you are not currently offering products or services on-line, having an on-line storefront can help attract new customers and help you continue selling even if you don't have a premises or your physical store is closed.
7. Take Control
Since your website is your property, you get absolute design freedom — unlike with social media platforms.
You can share user reviews, videos, images, and whatever else you desire.
Also, you don’t have to follow the constantly updated rules of social platforms. And if there’s a social media blackout, like when Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp all disappeared for several hours, your website and its content remain safe.
8. Improve Your Customer Service
An effective website will contain plenty of important information your customers need. Therefore, there’s no need for them to call about location, hours of operation, and other simple questions. By helping customers, a website improves the overall customer experience.
9. Edge Out The Competition
Even as a one person start-up or a small business, an effective website can offer you the chance to compete with existing competion. Providing your website is properly optimised, it’s possible to outrank bigger websites, and get quality leads organically from search engines.