As a busy business owner myself, I know how hard it is to keep up with all the market demands AND develop a successful business at the same time. Oftentimes the two overlap and you might find yourself wondering how to prioritize each.
“Why should I bother with a website for my business, anyway? We are operating through word-of-mouth!” – you might say. But here’s the question: is that all you wanted out of your business? Word-of-mouth is great for maintaining a business but will never be sufficient for growth.
A website can be a great passive lead-generator. While your salespeople might go home at 5 pm or slack off during a 2-hour lunch on Friday, your website will always be there, quietly entertaining visitors – your potential customers.

So What Types of Leads are You Losing Without a Website?

Do you stand out of your competition? (Image credit: Fc Nikon on Flickr. CC-BY-SA 2.0 – no changes were made)

1. Businesses, businessmen

If your clients are other businesses and businessmen who may want to use your services, they will be disappointed if they realize that you do not own a website. People like learning about a company before they decide to sign with them.

2. Clients on the go

Not having a website is one thing, not having a mobile website is a whole other problem. Nowadays, when everyone is on their smartphones, people prefer to look something up and inform on the go. If they can’t find a single trace of your business online, they will not wait until you set one up – they will sign up to your competitor.

3. Clients shopping around

There may be people who know that they need a certain service, but they don’t know yet who performs that service in their area. This is when they turn to Google. If you appear in the Google results, that means to them that you are a relevant company that they can trust.

4. Referrals

Having happy customers is a great thing and extremely happy customers will be glad to refer your services to their peers. But many people may get discouraged if they learn that you have no web presence. It makes forwarding your company information that much more laborious.
 
Top featured image credit: “foam” on Flickr. (CC-BY-SA 2.0) No changes were made.
 

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