Where's your website?

A look at our Chamber member database inspired me to write this blog entry.  Of our nearly 5,000 members, a staggering 22% do not list websites for their business.  I suppose that's not TOO bad compared to the average stats (as of 2011, about half of all small businesses didn't have one, an appallingly high number), but those numbers are still far higher than they should be.  Consider the following:

• 78% of Internet users conduct product research online.
• 40% of US smartphone owners compare prices on their mobile device while in-store, shopping for an item. 

Heck, this doesn't even touch Social Media, which a favorite topic of mine, and how it can dramatically increase your sales.  And this also says nothing of mobile websites, which is growing even more critical, given that by 2015, a majority of web traffic will be from a mobile device.

Multiple studies have shown that having a website increases sales for a small business; it really is that simple. Of course, for those businesses that have a website, the numbers still aren't great:

• 60 percent of small business websites don’t have a phone number listed on the home page
• 75 percent are lacking an email link on their home page
• 66 percent don’t have a contact form to enable consumers to request information.
• 93 percent are not mobile-friendly.

Simple things matter.  For example - don't put your name or contact info in a graphic form on your website - instead, put it in text so it can be picked up by Google.

We also tell folks to get a professional to design their website, as it looks better and can help your business more.  It's always great to save money, but sometimes a greater expense equals more revenue.

Regardless, please, make sure your business has a highly functional website if you want to survive today!

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