Is it necessary every business have a website and how much capital should they put into it?

November 1, 2009 by toto

All companies will gain from some presence on the worldwide web, even if it is only a uncomplicated listing on a site such as yell.com or one of the other company directory sites. That way, even if clients would not consider buying your product or service over the web at least they can find your address details so that they can call in.

It may be that a little more information would be valuable to the customer, say for example you are a wedding shop the chances of a bride to be buying a dress from you over the internet are slight but she may very well want to know a few things about your business before deciding whether to call in. Shop opening times will be useful as will knowing if a meeting is needed. She may also want to discern what price range of dresses you keep in stock, which designers you work with and whether you sell accessories, bridesmaid dresses etc. All of this information means that a simple 3 or 4 page website would be well received by a customer base who are more and more used to finding what they want on the web.

That said, the business you will attract will still be relatively local as clients will come to visit you in person so there is no need to spend big amounts on listing the full range of your stock, having images of everything taken and offering a “buy on line” service available. The cost of a practical simple information website should only be a few hundred pounds and there is no need to spend on Online Marketing or take notice of about your Search Engine Placement as clients will search for you via your company name.
Other companies, whose market is more suited to national or international sales must invest heavily in their website if they are to tap into the potential of the web. If we look at a business that sells car windscreen wipers on line we can see the difference at once. If the customer knows that the wipers she sees on the website will fit her car and that they are a reasonable price she will buy from wherever she is. This could mean national and international purchases for the business that they would simply not receive from having a place on a high street. Money spent on Online Marketing provided by a SEO Company is however in this case vital. If you do not have a good search engine listing none of those potential clients will find you as they will not know you by name; so investment in both site development and Search Engine Placement is crutial.

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