“That sounds great. Ping me your website, and I’ll have a look.”
“Ummmmm…..”
There are lots of reasons you might not have a website yet. Maybe you get plenty of business from referrals today? Or maybe you’re building your business or side-hustle, and you’re not ready to commit the time and money?
Here are 10 fantastic reasons to get on and take the plunge. Future You and your future business will thank you for it.
1) Share your portfolio in a click
The simplest form your website can take is an online CV or portfolio. Pull together and show off your work in the best possible light. And now you have a single URL you can drop into an email to your clients, wherever they are in the world.
2) Show how you can help
Your website is the perfect place to showcase your skills. Create articles and blog posts that talk to your potential customers and you won’t need to tell them how you’re going to help them, they’ll see it right away. And consistently writing about useful stuff, related to your field, will have potential customers coming to you as their trusted advisor.
You’ll also be regularly updating your website with fresh content, packed with words related to your product or service. That’s just what you need to draw the search engines.
3) Let people get to know you
What do we all really want to know when we’re looking to work with someone? Will they do a great job? Sure, that’s important. But really, we want to know if they’re going to be a joy or a pain in the behind to get along with. Brilliant results are not the whole story if getting there has left murderous thoughts in your heart.
Your website is a perfect way to show who you are and how you work. Content written in your tone of voice lets your customers get a feeling for whether you’re the kind of person they’re looking for.
4) Have your happy customers do the talking
Ask your customers to leave a review on Google, Yelp, Doctify or wherever’s best for you to capture new customers. But also ask if you can use their reviews on your site. You can sprinkle them at the points they’re most likely to give a visitor reassurance.
Or create a whole page dedicated to singing your praises.
5) Demonstrate your devotion
You take your business seriously, and you care deeply that your customers are delighted with the results. But if you don’t have a shop front or an office your customers can visit, you’re missing one of the big factors that give a business credibility. Investing time and money in creating your website shouts your commitment loud and clear.
6) Lay out your credentials
With the perfect elevator pitch, shiny business cards to hand and some nice reviews, you might have customers ready to buy. But if they’re a little more cautious or you’re selling something that deals with health or financial risks, they’ll likely want to do their homework first.
Share your qualifications, insurance and experience on your site, and customers won’t have to ask any awkward questions. And you won’t lose them in their embarrassment to someone else who is already taking an upfront approach.
7) Explain your prices
A quick run-down of prices is helpful, but you can also use your website to create seasonal offers or test ideas for packages. Create bundled offers and see what generates interest. You can also add your terms and conditions of business here and describe how you work.
Of course, not all services lend themselves to fixed pricing. But you can use your website to explain why that is and prompt your customers to get in touch for a free chat with you.
8) Gently crush objections
A simple question and answer section will help you squash concerns your customers might have and make you look incredibly organised and helpful at the same time.
What to include? You know the questions you get asked most. You know what your brother-in-law picks at at every family party, the misunderstandings you find yourself explaining over and over. These are the perfect place to start.
It doesn’t have to be a formal FAQ section but always write with your customers’ questions in mind, and you can skip through their concerns. Take your reader to the point they can imagine doing business with you.
9) Attract customers 24/7
Presumably you need at least a little sleep, or to eat, or maybe to do your day job? Fill your website with lovely keyword-rich content, and it will busily attract customers around the clock.
10) Own your own home
And, finally: why go to the expense of a website when you can create a Facebook page, a YouTube channel or rely on the clips you have on your clients’ websites? Because all of these things are controlled by someone else.
As the recent changes to Facebook business pages show, relying exclusively on reaching your customers from a platform you don’t own is a risky strategy. You could find yourself out of an advertising channel overnight or faced with an unexpected bill to keep using it.
Your website is your own virtual property. Post articles you write on LinkedIn or Medium or Facebook or whatever, of course, but post everything on your website first. Send people there, get them to sign up for your newsletter, use it to show off your portfolio. And keep screenshots, cuttings and links there too.
Have I convinced you to get moving? If it’s the prospect of all that writing that’s stopping you from getting started, hand it over to an expert web content writer. Get in touch today for a free, no-obligation, chat.