10 Reasons Why an Organisation Needs an Effective Web Presence

1. Create a Product or Service Portfolio

Your website can provide images and detailed descriptions of your products or services. You can explain why they are superior to those of competitors and make customers aware how your products or services can benefit them in a personal or professional capacity.

10. Additional Revenue From Your Website

If you place ads and merchant links on your site, you can earn revenue from sales, leads and traffic driven from them.

9. Customer Feedback

Your customers can help you to improve your business by giving feedback on their experience of you. This can be done through a simple feedback form on your website. Information can gathered about your existing and potential customers by using online forms and surveys. Again, invaluable marketing knowledge at no extra cost! Your site statistics can be used to help you to understand how your visitors and customers use your site.

5. Reach New Markets

A website will vastly expand your customer base as well as your supplier base. You will have the opportunity to generate more customers for your business without having to do any additional marketing. In some cases the whole world is a potential market, so why be limited by your location?

2. Display a Professional and Credible Image

For your business to be perceived as professional in today’s marketplace, it must have an online presence. Customers, suppliers and employees expect to be able to find and communicate with a business online. Indeed, it is rather like the Yellow Pages and other telephone directories, if an organisation does not have a listing, potential customers may not be able to locate you, never mind trust you. In today’s dynamic environment, businesses that still do not have a web presence are inadvertently making a statement about their ability to embrace technology and adapt to change.

3. Improve Your Advertising Effectiveness

When the cost of establishing a website is compared to promoting a business using traditional media such as newspaper, radio and television, it is clear that a website is the cheapest form of marketing ever created. Also, your web address displayed on all promotional material will give your business a professional and even cutting edge corporate image and will encourage the viewer to visit your site for more information.

4. Online Selling of Your Products or Services

Providing secure online ordering is very affordable today and can offer customers a more attractive and convenient method of purchasing. Selling through your website is much cheaper and is a great way to substitute your offline business.

7. Educate Your Customers

Your website can facilitate some of your after-sales care. Through it you can offer your customers free advice about your products or services. For example, common queries could be answered in a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section. This is very cost effective and is popular with customers, as many people prefer to consult a website for information or to get a query answered before they make direct contact with a business.

6. Improved Customer Service

Having a website can improve customer service without having to hire any extra employees. Your business can be open 24 hours a day and if you have an online store it never closes. This can be a huge advantage to customers who have limited time to shop or find it difficult to make contact during regular office hours. Also, your customers are receiving a better, more efficient service when they can access information about your products or services through your website, rather than waiting for a brochure to be posted or a call to be returned.

8. Save Money on Printing and Distribution Costs

If your website has an online brochure it can be updated at a much cheaper and quicker rate than printed material. In addition, substantial savings can be made on postage, as your brochures or catalogues can be viewed online at any time rather than physically sent out to customers.