Would you believe that despite the explosive growth of the number of people who have access to the Internet, the widespread availability and low-cost affordability of high-speed Internet access, the mainstream adoption of mobile Internet access through smart phones and public WiFi hot spots, we are living in a time when 51% of all businesses STILL don’t have a website?
Yes, while it may be hard to believe, considering everybody seems to have a Facebook account or at least an e-mail address these days, but it is the truth. More than half of all businesses in existence today still do not have a website that customers can come and visit.
So how are these small businesses surviving? Can they survive? Will they survive? Most experts agree that it is only a matter of time that those who fail to jump on the Internet bandwagon will be left behind, and will lose out to their competition.
Clinging To The Old Ways Of Doing Things
If you are old enough to remember the yellow pages, then you might remember that back in the days before the Internet, the yellow pages was considered the only means to get the word out about your business. If you did not have an entry in the yellow pages, customers might not have any way of knowing that you exist, or knowing how to contact you. For today’s modern generation, the yellow pages are an old, retired relic of 20th century history, from the period of the dark ages.
Sure, small business owners that still rely on the yellow pages, might continue to get customers from their local community, the local community of customers who themselves don’t know how to use the Internet to locate businesses. But by not having a website, you are leaving far too much money on the table. Today’s modern generation queries the Internet to look for local businesses.
If you are a small business owner for a local retail shop that does not have a website, you might have doubts about whether or not you really even need a website. After all, why would a local laundromat need a website, you might wonder. It’s not like you can do your laundry with a computer. You have to drive down there in person. But this line of thinking is exactly what will herald the demise of your business.
Benefits Of Establishing A Web Presence
Sure, there are millions of businesses out there where commerce can’t actually be transacted online. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t set up a website. If you are a restaurant owner, for example, you will want your menu displayed online. If you are an embroidery shop, you could display images of samples of your work. If you are a local pizza shop, you can have people place their orders on the Internet. Many times, people will use the Internet to comparison shop before they step out the door. If you don’t have a searchable website, then you have the potential of losing customers. Nowadays, if you don’t have a website, you are considered backwards, still operating out of the dark ages. If you want people to find you, and if you want people to be able to get instant access to information about your business, then it would be in your best interests to get a website up and running quickly.
If you still think having a website wouldn’t benefit your local business, because it’s not like you can sell to customers half away across the country, then at least consider this: Your web page can still serve as your virtual business card. It is a place where you can advertise your business, provide information to potential customers about your business, keep in touch with potential or existing customers, and persuade them to do business with you.
Make a Free Website with Free Website Builders
Many small business owners may feel intimidated by the mere thought of setting up a web page, especially if they have absolutely no computer skills to speak of. They also may harbor misconceptions about how much it costs to develop a website. But what they don’t realize is that what used to be a task reserved for high tech computer geeks, has now been brought to the forefront as a simple plug-and-play operation. Anyone with even the most rudimentary computer skills can now develop their own free websites using free website builders within a few minutes and get up and running on the Internet fairly quickly.
