As stated by Forbes Magazine, running your own business is no easy task, it’s vital to position yourself online with a professional website that leaves customers with the impression you mean business, the kind of website that motivates them to engage more with your business. Keeping this in mind, consider three major reasons why having a good website is important.

First Impressions Count

Let’s face it – we live in a world where people visit online review sites before they buy and "check-in" at places like Facebook and Twitter as they go about their day. This is why you want your business’s first impression to be the best it can be. Beginning with your website, potential customers are making decisions about whether or not they will even visit your store, office or hire your service. They are likely to dismiss you entirely if you do not have a website at all, or if your website doesn’t reflect the professional, organized, sincere, experience your business should offer. A sloppy website with broken links and outdated information leaves the customer with the impression you are a fly-by-night operation, one they would be wise not to do business with.

Window Shopping Isn’t the Same as it used to Be

Taking a stroll down Main Street isn’t the only way people check out stores and other small businesses nowadays. Visits to sites like Yahoo, Bing, Google, Yelp and others are becoming more and more routine in this fast-paced world for customers who are constantly seeking to save time and make a more informed choice before they make their next purchase. You need to make sure your business is well represented on these sites by having a website.
Besides having your URL address available, also make sure basic information such as your street address, phone number, and email are easy to find. Social media links are also a great idea, but only include these if your business is actually active on social media.

No Website Means Losing Business

By now it should be pretty clear that if you don’t have a website, you’re missing out on opportunities for customers to identify who you are and if they want to spend money with you. However, having a bad website is far worse than not having a website at all. While not having a website at all does lead to missed opportunities, having a bad website can actually be worse since it literally makes your business look bad. If you can’t proudly
promote the website you currently have available, take it down. While not having a website is bad for business, having a bad website that leaves potential customers with a negative impression actually does more harm to your business than no website at all.

Of course, if you do not have a website, your chances of showing
up in customer online searches are very slim, almost none at all.

It makes no difference if you are a one-man show or if you operate with 50, 100, or more employees, your website should be a professional, polished, good looking website that functions easily and offers easy navigation to customers, clear high impact photo images, professional quality content and an overall user friendly experience. It should interest them enough for them to want to do business with you.