Do I really need a website?

The short answer is YES!

During the pandemic, businesses have needed to save money more than ever. So often, we find ourselves explaining exactly why a website is essential, and better than just an Instagram account.

A good, informative website is an essential form of marketing for any business, whether it’s long established or a brand-new start-up. This is the digital age, and everyone’s online! Having a website for your business has never been so important.

Sadly, many businesses, especially in the retail and hospitality industry, are currently closed due to the pandemic. But there’s no reason why these businesses cannot adapt and flourish by offering their products and services online. And the best way to do this? With a website of course!

Running a café? Let people know you’re open for take aways. Retail shop closed? Offer online ordering and click and collect!

Make sure you’re not missing out on business!

Make it easy for your customers to find you!

There’s no getting away from it – if you don’t have a website, your customers will find it difficult to find you and you’ll miss out on their valuable business!

When you’re looking for a product or service yourself, what do you do? Type the key words into a search engine of course! If you don’t showcase your product or service, your competitors will win their business and you’ll miss out! Your competitors will show in search results and will gain brand awareness, ultimately “pipping you to the post”. Competition is healthy, but businesses that don’t try to compete will be left behind.

“But I’ve got a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linked In page…. They’re as good as having a website anyway, right?” Wrong I’m afraid! Of course, social media channels are a fantastic route to communicating with your customers, but if you limit your online presence to social media only, you’ll be missing out on new business!

Be available to your potential customers 24/7

You can’t work 24/7 but your website can!

Your customers will be able to find out who you are and what you do without even contacting you. Don’t fancy a call at 3am on a Sunday morning? Give your potential customers the opportunity to get in touch via email, or other communication methods that suits you and your business. Never miss an opportunity, whatever the time of day!

A website is the perfect platform to showcase your business and should contain exciting, informative, and interesting content relevant to your business to add value to your offering, such as:

- testimonials

- FAQ’s

- blogs

- videos

- case studies

Your website can be a great marketing tool to showcase your work and will make you look professional and legitimate which will instil faith in your potential clients.

NEW: COVID offer - small business package

Are you still running your business through COVID? This is a tough time, and we appreciate finding the money for a new website is tricky, despite the need for marketing being more important than ever. We want to help you get a new website for just £25 per month!

Introducing our Small Business Package, specifically designed for small businesses who don't need anything complicated for now. We'll set you up with a finished website with 1-year free hosting and 1-year free domain included. You can leave with something beautiful and bespoke so you can test the market. Easy! After 12 months you have the choice whether to renew your hosting for another year. It's risk free!

All of our websites include many features including:

Mobile friendly

It should be a given nowadays, but all of our websites are fully optimised for mobile, desktop and tablet, with the specific user experiences for each of these devices in mind.

GDPR compliancy

What’s that again? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation that requires businesses to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens

The customer management software built into the platform is fully GDPR compliant, and we're very happy to give advice and help to all small businesses.

SEO optimised

What is SEO anyway? …… SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. We have a proven track record in optimising our websites for search engines so that they have a good chance in ranking highly in the local area. We are also full of advice and tips for increasing this yourself over time.

Getting a new website should be straightforward, fun, and exciting! Your website will be a true asset to your business!

Get in touch with us today - Email hello@onlinedesigns.uk, call 01480 751175 or visit us online at www.onlinedesigns.uk. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Shaun and Kat