The Internet is a Fad and Will Soon Be Irrelevant
To this day, I still hear this myth from small business owners, and it still makes me smile. I know I may be going out on a limb here, but I think I dare say that the internet is never, ever going to go away. It is time that all small business owners pull their heads from the proverbial sand and realize, that ignoring it or being naïve to its importance is costing them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in sales.
Over 89% of consumers search online before purchasing. Studies on certain industries report that the number is closer to 97%.
The fact is, if you do not have an online presence, you are already behind the eight ball. Your competitors have a web site that gets them traffic. They are winning. We are not just talking about your competitors within your industry; we are talking about every business that is fighting for every American’s diminishing disposable income. Can you compete with Best Buy or Honda or Home Depot without a website?
Let’s be honest with ourselves, most purchases are emotional purchases even when we do some research. John Doe just sat in his neighbor’s hot tub last night and loved it; he is now online searching for a local hot tub dealer. Not only does he not find your store, he starts to search the internet randomly and finds another product online that he had “forgotten about”. He mentally has set the money aside, but instead of a hot tub, he now has a 53”, 3D, LED flat screen TV, all because of a silly YouTube video that showed up on his search, played on his emotions, and was actually found online. He could have been in your store with money in hand that day.
Is it too late?
Well, better late than never. You can “should’ve, would’ve, could’ve” yourself all day long, never get an online presence, and be further behind the competition each day. But now is the time to recommit yourself to success and put one foot in front of another down the right path. You aren’t leading the race but remember who won between the tortoise and the hare. To begin this trip, it’s easy as following this website. We have broken down how to get a domain name and how to get web hosting.
Overcoming Obstacles
“I don’t have time.” “Websites cost too much.” “I have no idea what it takes.” “I don’t know a computer language.” These are all great excuses, but they are all still just excuses. We all have to prioritize our time, and money is tight everywhere. Recently, a small business owner came to us for help. He understood that he needed a website, but like many small business owners, he wore many hats that occupied a lot of time. He had no money to outsource, and knew that this task would be his responsibility to manage, and this intimidated him. However, with just a little bit a consulting, this small business owner was able to build his own website, secure his own hosting and domain (web site name), and build his own working website. His website ranks high on search engines for important local keywords, has converted to traffic and sales, and has paid for itself 100 times over in less than a year. Now, this small business owner is not a graphic designer, his site is by no means as flashy and cool as www.nike.com, but for the small amount of time and money he has invested, his return has been at least a hundredfold. This small business owner now has created multiple sites, to drive traffic to his store and build brand awareness in his area.
We Can Help!
Many small business owners do not have a website. If this is you, contact us now to find out how we can help you!