Introduction
Local businesses hold the key to a particular market economy. Such businesses cater to a certain area, ranging from a small village to a specific country. The majority of these businesses fall under the category of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME). Do you know MSMEs contribute to 90% of the businesses worldwide? That’s huge considering the contribution of these businesses to world GDP. However, out of these MSMEs, many businesses are still stuck with traditional methods of selling and marketing. A massive wave of consumers has been shifting from the offline to the online market, deeply affecting these businesses.
A website serves as a vibrant platform for every business to present their products and services to a broad audience globally. If you are also following the traditional method of business, then consider this article as your call sign to own a website. Through this informative piece, we want to show you the core reasons for owning a website to boost your area-specific business. Let’s first explore the concept of local businesses.
The Concept of Local Businesses at a Glance
A local business serves within a specific geographic area and usually has a humble beginning. It is often observed that developing countries like India and Brazil have a higher number of local businesses. A common example of this business category could be a cafe, retail store, service provider, or simply a small textile firm. With the introduction of ecommerce, every small business has started facing the heat of competition on a very large scale. Take a look at how the online market affects a area-specific business:
Price pressure
Digitalization has opened the gates to every nook and corner of the market. With an increase in the arrival of global products and services, neighborhood businesses have started facing the pressure of price comparison.
Logistic challenges
Local shops and organizations don’t have a large infrastructure, which often leads to lower product variety than an online platform. As of 2021, the giant ecommerce platform had a variety of 12 million products for its consumers. A personal website for your local business can be a great way to tackle product variety and consumer reach minutely.
Increased competition
The mentioned factors regarding price and logistics are the frontrunners of increased competition. Without a proper business website, one cannot expect to fight off this massive competition.
Our next section is all about why your area-specific business should have a website.
Also Read: 10 Essential Things for Every Small Business Website
Top 10 Reasons for Local Businesses to Own a Website
Websites are a great way to showcase your products and services without opening a store. The list below contains the top 10 reasons to own a website; let’s start with the very first pointer.
Builds Online Presence
According to a report by Statista, there are around 5.35 billion internet users worldwide. This data sounds incredible as it shows the depth of possibilities for a business to sell its products and services. A website serves as a great medium to tap into this vast user base. With around 71% of businesses registering their online presence through a website, we are sure you want to stay caught up.
Greater Accessibility
A website turns out to be a fantastic choice to grab hold of a large consumer base. It takes the local business outside its limited geographic area. The infinite possibilities of a website can be seen through the huge variety of products delivered through e-commerce companies.
Increased Credibility & Trust
Your local business might have an excellent reputation in your service area. The problem of credibility arises when you cross your service boundaries. People from different geographic locations happen to be unaware of your brand reputation and credibility. This issue is easily resolved through product reviews and service ratings on your website. This is a great way to build the needed trust among your new consumers. This helps future clients to grasp the level of credibility of your local business.
Local SEO
A great website is equally helpful in boosting your national and international sales. While you might be focused on selling to consumers around the world, local SEO can help increase sales in your current geographic area. But how do you manage local SEO without a website? It is right to state that websites forms the baseline of local SEO. People in your business vicinity might want to explore your latest product or service more without visiting your store. At this point in time, a website serves as the best possible option to make that information available to local consumers. An online platform acts as a marketing hub, too, for your business. Did you know companies investing in SEO can expect up to a 200% ROI? We hope this fact shoots the ball out of the court for you!
Information Hub
Take a quick example to understand how a website can act as an information hub for your business. Suppose you own a neighborhood supermarket, which also has a website. You can easily display the variety of products available in your store along with the ongoing discount offers. Moreover, your consumers can easily locate your store through the available map or call the management for any specific query. The supermarket website will also help with visibility through proper SEO and lead to new consumers visiting your supermarket. This is how a website works as an information hub and marketing platform for any local business.
Greater Competitive Edge
While many businesses have started their own website, most of the local businesses are still lagging behind in this area. With a dedicated business website, it is quite easy to get a competitive edge through better audience reach. Moreover, people always prefer a business that has great client reviews. Let’s compare two apparel stores, with one having a website and the other one depending on traditional methods of physical sales. Anyone living outside the vicinity of these stores would surely want to check through their clothes in advance with proper pricing. A store with a website can easily deliver this information to the prospective consumer, thus giving it a competitive advantage.
Marketing and Promotion
Every local business with a proper website witnesses an average conversion rate of 5-10%. You can use your website as a tool to present your marketing and promotion strategies. It is very easy to attract a set of audiences relating to your latest products and services with the right keyword optimization. Furthermore, you can track the data of your audience choice through various keyword-tracking tools and amend your marketing strategy as per the reports.
Customer Convenience
It is no secret that consumers benefit greatly from a website. Prior availability of products and services helps them make decisions quickly. Any business with a consumer-centric approach would aim for higher user satisfaction through proper product and business information. A recent trend states that over 95% of consumers go through the internet to locate a local business. This stat shows the importance of online presence for a local business.
Sales and Lead Generation
A recent Forbes article states that websites are already an established sales channel for over 62% of small businesses. Yes, websites are a top choice to generate sales and create leads. The number of people visiting your website also turns out to be a great source of leads for future sales.
Adaptability and Scalability
Economic success is the most basic yet evident aim of every business enterprise. Local establishments working under a specific geographic area can easily witness high revenues and aggressive growth if they widen their service area. A website not only offers this wide audience approach to a local business, but it also creates space for a larger variety of products and services. With a proper website, you can take your business to any location without opening another physical store. This means you can avoid overhead costs while smoothly scaling your business. As per a recent report, 83% of small businesses have included online sales in their domain. Out of this chunk, around 65% of small businesses have reported an influx of 50% revenue from their online sales channels like websites. The data itself shows a bright future for local enterprises with websites.
Wrap up
The combination of a website and a local business is a dynamic way to boost sales and witness infinite growth. With the majority of consumers turning to online platforms to satisfy their purchase experience, your local business is just one step away from tapping that consumer base. A website is the perfect medium to showcase your products and services and take your business out of that local area. This will help you build credibility globally through genuine client reviews and proper product information. Also, you can opt to use the website as your very own marketing platform.
If you are ready to taste the flexibility to upscale your business, there is no need to wait anymore. Get your details done, pick your hosting provider, and enter the world of limitless business opportunities!
