Why are web design and digital marketing so important for entrepreneurs?
If you own a business but you don’t have a good website design and a digital marketing strategy, in the eyes of potential customers, it’s as if your company doesn’t exist at all. Why is that?
Your website acts as an online showcase for your company and based on it, potential customers will create an image of you and your business. 60% of people start their search for a new product on a search engine, so businesses that don’t have a website or have a poor or outdated one are missing out on quite a large portion of the online cake.
Of course, potential customers may have heard of your company in another way (newspapers, magazines, local portals, from friends…), but again, they most often turn to Google because they are allowed great flexibility and personalisation in their searches.
Let’s say you already have a website but you haven’t set up an effective digital marketing strategy. Why would you want one?
A digital marketing strategy displays your company mission and sets measurable goals for desired outcomes. The benefits of a digital marketing strategy are many; it increases brand awareness and exposure, generates traffic, generates leads and sales, creates loyal customers and grows your customer base.
What makes a good website?
You can have the best product in the world but if you’re not presenting it in the right manner to your potential customer, it simply won’t sell. That’s why the first impression is so important. It determines whether a website visitor will increase your conversion rate or your bounce rate.
Whether your website will create a good first impression or not depends on the website design, but also the quality of the content (text, photos, video). Customers today expect emotional connection, interaction and engagement. This can only be achieved through a high-quality website that will inform, educate and attract them.
How can a digital marketing strategy help small businesses grow?
Traditional marketing can be expensive and many small companies cannot afford it. It is also not the most efficient. The days when companies placed advertisements in local newspapers and customers flooded into their stores are over.
Marketing might be the biggest challenge that a small business can face, as competition can be steep. In today’s highly competitive market, consumers have many choices. If they cannot find a particular product at a certain price on your online or physical store, they will find it somewhere else.
Assuming you are a small business, it is safe to say that you cannot afford to spend a lot on marketing. Therefore, it only makes sense to spend where customers are: social media, YouTube, search engines, etc. Done right, digital marketing can produce huge results for businesses. One might ask “This is fine, but what’s in it for me? What do I get in exchange for spending on digital marketing? ”
There are 3 key benefits of a digital marketing strategy.
- It is cheaper than traditional marketing
- It is more targeted than traditional marketing
- It helps you grow your brand
In addition, digital marketing helps you save money, generate more revenue, connect with your customers on a more personal level and provide excellent customer service and experience.
Why care about SEO
Every day there are millions of people who search and share information on the internet. And this is where SEO (search engine optimiSation) comes into play. The higher the quality of your site’s optimisation, the better the chances of attracting visitors from Google.
Such visibility pays off in terms of turnover since users arrive at your site starting from a keyword – a search term that matches the content. The user has therefore already been skimmed at the root and arrives at your website with an intention that is, at a minimum, to learn and potentially enquire about your product or service.
Simply put, SEO help brands gain authority and visibility, increase customers and gain market share within their industry.
How can WordPress be helpful?
WordPress is a content management system that drives a third of all websites out there, including some well-known ones like BBC, Bloomberg, Sony, Microsoft, and many others. Here’s why…
WordPress is hands down the easiest to use, most flexible, secure, reliable, functional, and powerful open-source Content Management System (CMS).
Many choose WordPress because of its functional and feature-rich themes and solutions which can be completely customized to each business. At the same time, a WordPress website gives you the freedom to take control of your website management without having to rely on third parties.
Malta-based award-winning web development agency, NIU, specialises in building WordPress websites in a modular manner. What does this mean? The CMS is developed in a modular manner to allow integration to a number of plug-ins such as eCommerce or newsletter systems without making major changes to the core system. This enables you to
spread the cost load and build in phases. This also helps ensure a longer website lifetime and gradual cost versus optimisation ratio without compromising on quality, efficiency and effectiveness.
Conclusion
Whether you are a ‘one-man-band’ entrepreneur, a start-up, or you’ve been running a family business for decades, it is important to have a website that will best present your brand and a digital marketing strategy that will help you keep growing your customers base.
Investing in a website enables you to promote your quality products/services to clients – a common goal most industries.
Therefore, in addition to focusing on business plans, the interior of your shop and hiring the best staff, do not neglect the importance of web presence and online business.
If you already have a website, but it feels outdated or is not adapted to display on mobile devices – this is a great time to consider redesigning it. Creating a smart and dynamic website along with a tailored digital marketing strategy could be the best decision made for your business. It’s a promise.
Contact NIU – a leading web development company in Malta – and request a free consultation to find out how their bespoke services can help you achieve even better business results.