The Importance of Having a Website

So its been a little while since I put up a blog post, I know, I've been bad. It my defence its mostly because I was over in Europe on vacation for most of October, and for the past week I've succumbed to the dreaded h1n1.

Anyways, this blog post is going to be about the importance of having a website for a small business. Seems like a no brainer doesn't it? Well a recent poll of 200 small and medium sized businesses in Canada found that of those surveyed, 26 percent of businesses smaller than 49 people did not have a website, while 16 percent between 50 and 99 employees did not have one. If you stop and think about how big a company actually is to employ 50 people, then think that there are any companies out there that size that don't have their own spot on the web, its pretty astounding.

For many non-tech savvy entrepreneurs the thought of a website can be intimidating. But its important to realize that the website is the centre of your marketing strategy and all media should lead back to your home on the web. Whether a potential customer is looking at brochure, a business card, or a print ad, they'll be looking for your web address to find more resources to educate them on their decision on where to take their business. And with that sort of bare minimum set, if you don't have a website, chances are your competition does.

Content should be king on your business' website. When someone enters www.yourwebaddress.com they are looking to find more info on your business, so give that to them. Be excited about your website and think of your website as a magazine and your business is the story. Then put a lot of time into the strategy you want for that story. Think about why you love your business and what you offer, think about your brand, and think about what you want viewers to walk away with from your site.

Setting up a website can be a lot easier than you think if you have the right help. A lot of web designers and marketing companies target big businesses for their clients since relatively speaking its easy to make a nice big site with just a few talented individuals. There's nothing wrong with this but it might leave the proud entrepreneur feeling a little left in the cold with lots of enthusiasm but not a lot in the budget for a massive flash site. (I'm going to make a shameless plug for redlime here, can you feel it coming?)

Ask redlime about our web design services. We do websites big and small to suit whatever your needs may be with the ability to do smaller sites in house, or bigger more complex ones with our partners at OxygenWebs. Don't be intimidated and if you just want to kick tires and ask questions, ask away, we'll even buy you a coffee for your troubles if you'd like to sit down and meet. We'll come up with a strategy and solution to fit your budget and you'll be glad you came to us.

Thanks very much and I'll have a new post up this weekend. Promise!