Why You Need a Website Even If Your Business is Offline

If you are a business owner who relies only on physical sales and has yet to set up a website or digital presence, then this is the ideal time to begin with it.

With the recent boom in e-commerce that has been further driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, global online sales are projected to reach $4.891 trillion. In the future, this number is expected to go higher as more and more consumers shift towards online shopping and limit their visits to brick-and-mortar stores. While this is something quite positive for businesses with an established online presence, it also highlights the need to have a website for those that still operate offline.

You may not realize it, but there are millions of people who look up businesses online and search for products or services before making a purchase.

These could be potential customers for your business that you might be missing out on. In case you are thinking about why you would need a website if your work is offline, well, there are a number of reasons.

Promote your business 24/7

When you think about it, a website is the ideal tool for marketing and promotion that can help your business increase its reach effectively. Even if you are not selling any products online or setting up an e-commerce platform, a well-designed web page can attract a wider consumer base. People can search for relevant products or services at any time and look up the website in search engine results.

So ultimately, you are promoting your business 24/7 without spending a lot on marketing through advertisements or billboards.

Consider this for a real life example. You have a small restaurant that specializes in Italian cuisine and want your customers to enjoy the experience with a visit. By setting up an interactive web page that features your company logo design prominently, images of dishes and contact details, you can create awareness and attract more people. Take a look at the website of Seaworthy below. It has high-quality pictures of the restaurant and food along with all the other relevant information.

It can also make it easier for consumers to make reservations and find updates about the menu or various items. There is the option of showcasing pictures of your location so potential clients might get an idea of the eatery. This way, you can promote your business round the clock as the website would show up in local searches for Italian restaurants or otherwise as well.

Make sure it represents your brand

If you take a look at the websites of Coca-Cola or Condé Nast, you can observe the way these businesses are using their web pages for branding. The website is one of the most important parts of a company’s brand identity. When people are looking for certain brands or products and services online, they are most likely to go through the web page before anything else.

Your website, even if it’s not selling anything, reflects or represents your brand values and image. It tells people about the industry and nature of work and makes them familiar with your brand colors, typography and font styles. For instance, the website below is of a renowned law firm, White & Case, and makes it easier for people to learn about the business and brand.

The use of large images with a monochrome color palette immediately catches the attention of the visitor. With bold Serif typography for headlines and sans serif font in the body text, this web page showcases the brand values of moving forward and helping people effectively.

Provide consistent support

One of the biggest challenges that businesses face in engaging potential customers and keeping them has to do with providing support. If you are unable to answer the questions in a timely manner and are slow with the response, visitors might move on to other options. It’s where a website can help you out of a tricky situation.

You can set up a live chat option on your web page where an employee or team member could respond to queries about prices or the availability of products. By doing so, you will be able to create a positive perception of your business in the minds of the audience and provide support consistently.

Since a website is online at all times, you can even add an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page where people may find answers or solutions quickly.

Appeal to a wider consumer base

According to recent data, there are around 4.67 billion users active on the internet across the world currently. With an engaging website, you have the opportunity to spread brand awareness within a wide consumer base and tell more people about your business. Look at it this way.

If you are running a business that offers a service such as a restaurant or a house renovation and repairs, your web page can help you get a higher number of customers. By highlighting your portfolio or specialties, you can showcase what you have to offer in the best way possible.

This not only helps your business become credible but also convinces people that your services can be trusted. With a web page, you can also simplify the process of getting quotes or finding prices as visitors could request it through a form immediately.

Build a digital presence

This is one of the biggest advantages of having a website if your business is online. In this day and age, it can be quite challenging to grow and increase sales without having a digital presence. You want people to know about your products or services and find your physical location easily. This is an easy and simple way to build recognition and help consumers become familiar with your brand identity and name.

Once you have set up a web page, you can incorporate links to your social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube within the design. Ultimately, you will be able to create a strong digital presence and gain a larger following as well. When people see your logo or tagline on digital platforms, they may remember it for later.

This way someone might recognize it on a flyer, billboard, product packaging, or outside the store or shop too.

Show testimonials and reviews

You may not know about this but almost 88 percent of consumers consider online reviews just as credible as a recommendation from a friend or family member. If you are running a business, you need convincing testimonials and reviews to reach consumers and build a loyal clientele. There are many websites that do not provide the option of e-commerce but feature customer reviews for visitors.

This way, it becomes easier to tell people about the work you have done and feedback received. Without a web page, it can be difficult to showcase previous experiences of customers to potential clients.

Take a look at an example of a testimonial page that can be used in web design. It highlights different people talking about their success with the business and offers advice as well.

Final thoughts

These are some of the reasons why you might need a website even if you don’t sell anything online. In this day and age, digitalization is the only way forward. In order to keep up with times and changing preferences of consumers, you need to create a web page that not only helps you build a strong brand identity but takes your business global.

Author Bio

Janil Jean is the Head of Overseas Operations at LogoDesign, who loves to write about graphic design, digital marketing, branding, storytelling, startups and small business management. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.