On our blog, we have already covered many aspects of building professional websites and apps for businesses. However, we have not yet answered the most crucial question: does every business need a professional website? Today, I will show you that the answer to that question is yes and, most importantly, give you several reasons why.
Let your professional website be found!
While there are many ways to reach your potential customer. It's e.g. phone, email, and local newspapers, the Internet allows you to reach almost anyone in the world. Not only locals, who read local newspapers and live in your area, but also passersby, or people who come to visit the town or their families. The easiest way for your potential customer to find you is to search for a service of a certain kind in a given area.
You must ensure your business is listed under the proper area and proper category. You must describe it to Google in a way that will let it recognize your position and specificity properly. It is also a good thing to be present in local business listings. Backlinks will 'juice' your professional website up, which will help you get to the top of search results.
Increase your range
Do you have regular customers? The ones who always visit, always come back, are forever loyal? I am sure you do. But what if you could increase the number of your customers? Would you do it?
Having a professional website allows you to use completely separate tools. In fact, a whole range of tools that allow you to reach new people and get to know your client better. All that is possible thanks to the statistics. Statistics can provide you with information that the customers would never reveal to you directly. Moreover, it allows you to focus on the appropriate group of people you want to reach and direct your offer to them. For example, what if you knew that male clients in their late 50s who live within 20 miles radius from Berlin bring you the highest income? Would you not focus your marketing efforts on this type of client?
Show that you are a professional (or not)
Professional websites can be either good or bad. Let’s elaborate on that. What does the customer think of when they visit your professional website? That your service quality is on the same level as your website. By creating a bad website you are telling your customer: ‘I don’t care, I will just launch a website with some basic info, or maybe not even full info. It does not matter’. But by creating a fully professional website, you evoke entirely different thoughts: ‘Hey, this website is actually quite nice… I can access it through my phone or desktop. It is comfortable to read. I have no trouble finding the information I need. Oh, I see they also have a professional blog. If their professional website is so good, their service must also be of good quality!’
Which scenario would you choose? I think that choice is pretty obvious here.
Show what you do best
Let us now look at the website as a display of your skills. It may not be clear enough for some but this applies to all businesses that sell software, write code, and build websites, or apps. Just think about it. Most people who walk this Earth think stereotypically. For example, a doctor should lead a healthy lifestyle, an architect should implement cutting-edge technologies in their household, and a fitness coach should be skinny. Finally, an IT or software company will have a top-notch website. To fit the stereotypes, make sure your professional website's elements work well. Apart from the obvious visual appeal, API integrations should be stable, data processing should be flawless. Also, in the 21st century, a fast website is not an option. A fast website is a must. It should be your priority when you are a business that sells custom enterprise software.
Get friendly with e-commerce
Have you so far associated e-commerce only with online shopping? It is time to change that view. E-commerce consists of many elements, some of which should be present on your website. It is especially important for businesses that create software for enterprise. You might say, custom enterprise software creation is not 'an item' the clients can simply buy. This is true, it is a service but e-commerce elements help to sell it. And selling is what makes your business... exist. That is why, make sure you take care of your website's:
- Attractive and easy-to-navigate design (remember about responsive web design)
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Internet marketing (for example, newsletters)
Be recognizable and consistent
Professional websites and social media allow businesses to achieve one more important thing: becoming recognizable. And I do not mean to spam potential clients. What I mean is your logo should be easily recognizable and immediately connected with your business activity. The user should be able to find you on different platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. – not only Google. In this way, you also gain more credibility.
It allows you to do one more thing: assure the user of the consistency of your business. By sending the same type of message via different media you show your users that you know what you are doing. This message can vary based on your business model and marketing strategy. Let us look at the market's giants. If cars could talk, Aston Martin would say: ‘I am not the cheapest car, a luxury one’. On the other hand, Ford would say: ‘I may not be a luxury car, but I sure get the job done!’
Find a good provider of frontend solutions for headless applications
Perhaps the most crucial step is to hire a professional who will help you combine all the elements of a great professional website. Book a call with Sailing Byte to discuss the creation of your web application. We will build your headless app with a modern front end. We will take care of API integrations and prepare the grounds for a mobile app. Thanks to our service, you can have a fast website, but more importantly, a professional website in no time! We can also answer all questions you might have about startup software or any other software for enterprise.
