Many organizations and SMEs do not understand the effect of a good designed business website to their business. Creating a website for your business goes beyond showcasing products catalogue, company address and descriptions. In this generation, it astonishes one to see some SMEs and business owners without website for their businesses, even few that have website underutilise it, you can promote your business on your website because that is the basic function of website.
It is very important as an entrepreneur to always monitor the trend of business transactions within the environment you operate. Five years ago, nobody thought it possible that Nigerians can patronize online stores like konga, jumia, kaymu etc. However, within a period of just three years of operation, on average, the leading online stores achieve about $2 million worth of transactions per week (approximately N1.5bn per month) in Nigeria smesmedia report, and some of the entrepreneurs are not part of this huge revenue sharing just because they do not understand the power of online presence.
To those who do not have business website at all.
The drop in your turnover is as a result of the paradigm shift in business operation round the world. If you’re operating a business without a website, you’re just like a man in a dark room winking at his Beloved, he knows what he’s doing but his Beloved doesn’t. Without a website, your actual customers will keep shrinking day by day and your potential/target market is shut in the dark. Although you may have wonderful products, in just a matter of time, your business will go extinct as a result of competition.
However, extinction can be avoided if you will make haste to build a website for your business as you read this publication today. We provide experts who would create, develop and modernize your website to suit your business and customers.
To those who have business website that is not being updated.
The future of your business is shaky if your website is just for contact address and business description only. The reason is that websites are effective tools for marketing; about 90% of shoppers today search for products online and over 99% of B2B transactions are initiated online.
Is your website such that………………..
- You have the same information for over 6 months thereby making it monotonous?
- Customers visit your site seeing the same information?
- Customers are unable to access your site with their mobile phones?
All these issues needs to be addressed. This is not a big deal, all you need is to redesign your website to have all the features required.
Characteristics of a good website
Mobile responsive.
According to the national broadband policy from 2013-2018, 80 per cent of the Nigerian population is projected to enjoy mobile broadband access and 20 per cent fixed line access. What does this tell you? If your business is not mobile friendly, you will be losing huge opportunity in the industry.
User friendly
Website is user friendly if customers find it very easy to navigate and interact with you. Your customers should be able to share their experiences using your products and services. Allow comments from users of your products on your website or encourage your customers to visit your website and place order.
Frequently updated
A good website should be updated with useful content on daily or weekly basis or have a blog where useful content that can help your customers are shared with creative pictures. This will always help to engage your customers.
Good design
Your website should have a professional look. The domain name should match with your business name, the font should be clear and readable, and the colour and the logo must reflect the organizational image.
The contact address
The contact address and phone number should not be hidden. Customers don’t have the time to start looking for your contact address or phone number on your website. Make them visible. You can make your phone number clickable.
Plugin
Your website should have good plugin such as Google analytics, social media site etc.
Now that you have a well-designed website, do you know that you can perform lots of marketing tasks on your website? Yes you can, in fact the purpose of having business website is to reduce the cost of advert on papers and television. This will especially help SMEs with little budget for marketing get it done effectively.
Website will also help you grow your business without barriers and boundary, especially for services providers who want to expand their target reach across states and countries. Website gives your business a wider reach than any other form of marketing.
Another way a good designed website can help your business is that it will help you to outsmart competition. For example, I’m a business consultant in Lagos and many other companies both foreign and domestics are all in Lagos. A good website aids my online marketing to reach other states with less or no competition with my services.
When you’re able to achieve wider reach through online marketing, this will in time bring increase in patronage (sales) and ensure a continuous profitability.
One of the problems most SMEs are faced with is reputation problem. A good designed website has the potent to increase your reputation. Websites need not be complex but should be simple and well utilized. A business website of 5years and above gives a clear indication of stability and this can make customers to patronize your business.
This is not an era of delay………Act fast and tap into this online trend of marketing by developing a professional website for your business.
