A small to medium-sized business without a website nowadays is like a home without a washing machine. Could you live without a washing machine? Didn’t think so. Can a company survive without a website? We don’t think so, we think a company website is vital for business. Let us explain…

Mothers in the 1960s struggled through washday Monday, cleaning the family’s clothes by hand, threading them through a mangle to remove the excess water and – if the weather was bad – hanging them up to dry on an airer strung up above the cooker. It was a back-breaking, all-day job for the many who couldn’t afford one of those new-fangled washing machines or a trip to the local launderette.

In today’s technology-driven world, young mums would recoil in horror and probably sue for cruelty if saddled with the same chore. We all know why a washing machine is now an essential part of our kitchen but why is it important for a business to have a website?

1. How can customers find you without a website?

We still let out ‘fingers do the walking’ – but how times have changed since we leafed through the massive Yellow Pages directory of local businesses that the poor postman used to deliver to every household in the land.

What do people do now if they need a plumber or legal advice or a new car? They go straight to an internet search engine like Google (now officially recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary as a verb.)

2. A website gives your business credibility

Without a website, your only presence on the internet will be in online directories. What do people think if they can’t find an actual website for your company? Does it make them wonder if you are still in business? Does it make them wonder if there is something a little bit suspect?

There is something reassuringly professional about actually being able to read your words and see pictures and learn details about your firm. The ‘about us’ page, for example, is a great way to build a personal bond between you and a potential customer. It makes it real.

3. A website reduces your overheads

Forget expensive high street locations or spacious offices with brass plates next to the front doors. Apart from the initial outlay and, perhaps, some maintenance costs, a website allows you to reduce your overheads by a remarkably eye-watering sum.

4. Websites offer 24/7 service

There’s no early closing and no days off for websites. People can, and do, browse 24/7 and on every day of the year. In fact, hundreds of millions of pounds are now spent online on Christmas Day.

A website will answer customer questions allowing you to play with the kids or watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones.

5. A website is your online shop window

Your website is your shop window. So it needs to be bright and welcoming and informative rather than dingy and drab and confusing.This will help increase your website enquiries.

This is only the beginning of why a company website is vital for business a web designer could share many more reasons with you.

Alniro, now part of Profound, is a Winchester web design agency that has been designing websites since 1999. Alniro works mainly with WordPress, the easiest website content management system. Ring us on 01962 600060 or email hello@alniro.com to find out how we can build a shop window for your business.