The number of consumers that go online to find a local business jumped to 97% on 2019. If you want consumers to choose your company, you need to be found online—meaning you need a website.
1. Consumers won’t consider a business without a website
Your website is your number one marketing asset because we live in a digital age. So much so that 30% of consumers won’t even consider a company that doesn’t have a website as they will view the company to being less professional
2. People are searching for you online
97 % of people go online to find a local business, and 93 % of online experiences begin with a search engine. Believe it or not, there are 3.5 billion searches on Google per day, and at this very moment, there is someone in your area online and searching for your exact service. This is why websites are essential for your business- it’s where the people are.
3. The majority of consumers use websites to find and engage with businesses
According to LSA’s (Local Search Association) April 2017 report, 63% of consumers primarily use a company’s website to find and engage with businesses. Furthermore, research by YellowPages and LSA found that, on average, consumers use approximately three sources before making an individual purchase decision.
4. Every Industry is influenced By digital website content
75 % of B2B (business-to- business) buyers say digital website content significantly impacts their buying decision, and 62 % say they can finalize their purchase selection criteria based on a website’s digital content alone.
The average B2B buyer makes an average of 12 online searches before interacting with a vendor’s website, and by that time they’re already 57% of the way through the buying process before they want to speak with a sales representative.
Even for industrial and manufacturing companies 67% of purchases are influenced by digital content. Not only that, but half of all B2B customers today also expect a supplier’s website to be a helpful channel and more than a third expect the site to be their most helpful channel.
5. Consumers make judgments on a company’s credibility based on the company’s website design
In 2018, 75% of people have confessed to making judgments on a company’s credibility based on website design. People are more likely to do business with a company they trust, and a website is the first place they go to check for credentials, reviews, and awards.
In saying this, your website design needs to be memorable as you have 10 seconds to leave an impression on website visitors and tell them what they’ll get out of your company.
6. Answer basic questions quickly
It has been found that 46% of consumers will leave a website if the services offered by the company is not made clear immediately. And a further 37% of consumers will leave due to poor navigation and design. People visit your website when they want to know something or do something. They also expect immediate gratification, which means visitors should be able to answer three questions within three seconds of landing on your website:
- Who are you?
- What do you do/offer?
- How do I contact you?
We live in an age of NOW, where consumers want the information they seek immediately—meaning your company’s website should answer each of the questions above without the user needing to scroll down the page at all.
