Background: It’s no secret that having a website is important to establish credibility, relay information and communicate with potential clients or customers. Digital marketer Thunga MM compares a website to the sails of a ship that help propel the vessel forward. In her previous article she explained the six digital marketing mistakes to avoid. Here she makes a compelling case for having a business website.

This era is rightfully known as the digital era and having a website is no longer an option, it’s a dire necessity.  With 80% of urban and semi-urban India now having access to one or more internet-enabled devices the World Wide Web has more outreach now than any other kind of advertising medium. Traditional businesses that are still considering the use of a website as a marketing tool should be aware that they are fast losing ground to their more internet-savvy competitors. Here is exactly why you need a smart, responsive and well-organised website for your business.

If you don’t have a website in these digitally advanced times then you appear as a digitally unaware business that lacks resources and a basic focus on customers.

Also read: How SMEs can succeed in a digital world

Website is your digital address

If you really want an answer to your question ‘how important a website is to my business?’ then the answer might turn out to be very simple.  A business website is as important to your business as your home is to your personal life. Just like people form a first impression of you based on how nice your home looks, the quality of your website gives potential customers and clients an ancillary idea of how efficient your business is. And if you don’t have a website in these digitally advanced times then you appear as a digitally unaware business that lacks resources and a basic focus on customers. The web is the first place where customers and clients are going to research on your business, so that is definitely where you should have a solid presence.

Website propels you like the sails of a ship

A great chief executive officer is like a rudder to the ship of your business. S/he brings years of experience, well-tested marketing strategies, a long-term vision and a unique pool of experience to your enterprise and fuels its growth. However, a website in these digital times is like the sails of a ship—it’s the only way to push your business forward in these fiercely competitive waters.

A website is a great equaliser as it allows your business to appear more successful and more unique than it actually is. It makes the most of your presentation skills and creates an image of your business that has all the ideal values and parameters that you had always wanted your business to represent.

A business can survive for some period of time without the tutelage of a CEO but it’s impossible to exist in today’s business world without a website. Of course, there are trillions of websites on the World Wide Web now but the ones which get a better ranking are more valued.

Also read: A free and vital marketing tool your are underutilising

Website is omnipresent

Your marketing head and indeed your entire team is available to customers, potential clients and associates for only a limited period of time i.e. the formal working hours. The information sharing, marketing and customer interaction abilities of any enterprise are usually served by their live staff for only fixed slots of time. However, a well-developed, smart and responsive website is available 24x7 each day of every year.

Customers and clients can visit it at any point of time and good digital enablers will teach you how to use the website to create a continuous engagement model with customers. You can market your business from your home, your holiday destination and even the subway if you have a website as your specific geographic position ceases to matter.

There are still hundreds of companies today who don’t have a website and without it, they will remain exactly what they are—small businesses with a limited future! A website, especially a smart and responsive one is a gateway to your success!

Also read: 7 web design practices you can't ignore

Image courtesy: shutterstock.com

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