Is having a website really necessary for a small business like a privately owned consultancy, or entrepreneurship or companies with very few employees?

Most businesses have their own website these days, including the top and popular ones, and more importantly the moderately successful ones. And each year, the number of small businesses and startups is going up, leading to tougher competition.

But strangely, the smaller or beginner-level businesses and start-ups have been somewhat slow in getting into the online scene, even though it is very easy to build professional websites these days, with the help of the numerous free-of-cost available.

It was found through surveys that most of these business owners think that they don’t have the resources, skills or enough time to build and maintain a business website. Some are content with the kind of business they have through just word-of-mouth or other ways that don’t involve online marketing, while some others procrastinate the process of investing too much of their time and energy into making a website and maintaining it.

But the truth is, businesses that don’t have their official websites, get left far behind their contemporaries who have official websites for their business, because the web is a vast marketplace, and it must not be overlooked.

It takes time to establish a base online, and get viewed, recognized and talked about. If a website is made in the early stages itself, it will be of immense use to the business.

There are many advantages to having a professional website; and if you own a small business, you might need to consider these:

One – it is less expensive than the traditional advertising methods, and as said, websites also have a better and wider outreach.

Two – in today’s business scenario, there is no better way to connect with potential (and existing) customers than through an online portal.

Most consumers usually do online research to find out more about a product or service, and they don’t necessarily need to be given too much information, but just a few pages with minimalistic but useful information that can help them get to know and understand the product or services better.

With an official business website, customers have access to information related to the business or company or service any time, and at any place; this can also bring in customers from far off places, if applicable even faster and in larger numbers and that would definitely be an advantage.

If a business doesn’t have an official website, most consumers decide that it is not up-to-date with the market standards, and may have doubts about the quality of the related service of the product(s).

Three – There are many online blogs and websites that talk about other products and businesses and promote them, discuss them, etc. These are a great option to promote any business, but with its own official website, a business or brand can have control over the information shared with the public.
Having an official presence online means not having to depend on other sources to speak for you, and present your business information exactly in the way you want to.

So, it is advisable to have an official website, even for small businesses. And it is always better not to postpone doing this as a website can be of immense help to a business even in the beginning stages.