As a business owner, there is always a never-ending list of things to do and expenses to pay for. It’s important that things get prioritized appropriately so your business can move in the right direction towards growth. Of all the things to skimp on, your website should never be one of them. Even if you’re just starting out.

As we have reached this digital era, your website could be the most important piece of your business. It could determine the outcome of your business and allow you to beat or lose against your competitors. If you are a brand-new business, building a website should be one of the first things you should do.

In a world where we can get almost any information we want in a matter of minutes, we expect to be able to learn about a company before we began to do business with them. If you don’t have a reliable website, you will be missing out on these opportunities to be seen in front of those who are interested in you.

There are many reasons your website’s quality and presence is vital to the health of your business, but I have broken them up into five that I personally find to be the most important reasons your website can make or break your business.

1. It is your digital storefront

Your website is like your digital storefront. As people will search for you and your products or services, your website will be the place they can go to get the information they need. Without a website, they will either never find you or you will have to leave it to other sites to give information about your business. You will want to be the one giving this information to ensure it is accurate and positions you in the best light.

Speaking of not being found, that’s a much more likely scenario if you don’t have a website. This is especially important if you are a new business. Being discovered will be the primary way people are finding you until you can build some brand awareness.

This is also why the quality of your website can convert or turn away a potential client or customer. Your website is your business’s first impression. People want to know if your product or service is a good fit for them and if the quality of your site is poor, it will reflect on you. It could give the impression that what you have to offer is also poor quality, outdated or not functional as your website appears to be. Of all the expenses your business requires, this is not an area to neglect.

2. It’s a tool to serve your audience

As you grow your brand’s presence, you will begin to build an audience. As this audience builds, you will want to continue to bring them value. The more value you bring, the more loyal they will be to your brand.

Your website allows you to have a portal to your audience and continue to bring them value between doing business with them. Your content on your website can help keep you top of mind and can hold updates and information your marketing campaigns will send people to. Bringing consistent value to your clients and customers is a great way to build a long-time relationship with them.

3. It never sleeps

Unlike a salesperson that may be in the field selling your product, your website is up and ready 24/7. It will work for you around the clock and given you have a reliable website host, it is a reliable source of information about your business no matter what time someone is curious about it. If you don’t have a reliable source of information about your business on the web, you’re bound to lose business.

Along with being there ready for users, you can also give it the functionality to bring your users through a sales journey that helps them become more familiar with your business and brings them to a sale. We are in a time where we can build strong enough relationships with people through the internet. When you give people truly valuable information that helps them better their lives, they will be willing to buy from you, and a website is able to provide your part.

4. It is your central hub for your digital marketing efforts

It IS possible to have marketing campaigns without a website. With all of the various software and tools out there, you can definitely get away with not having a home for your marketing campaigns to land on, but I don’t recommend it.

I’m a fan of the awesome tools and software out there, but if you don’t have your own branded website to send people from your marketing campaigns, you are truly missing out. Hosting your content on another platform will mean you could lose branding, credibility, personal SEO rankings and more.

Having your own central hub also allows you to have 100 percent control over features, look and feel and functionality of your marketing campaigns. If cost is a concern, website hosting to build your own landing pages and commerce pages is also much cheaper than every tool out there combined.

5. It looks bad if you don’t have one

Having a website is expected by your customers, and this is why. It is the normal first step when building a brand. Without a website, your brand doesn’t look serious. You don’t want the first impression of your brand to be outdated, not a serious business or behind the competition.

If you have a small or new business, you will do a disservice by skipping the step of having a website. There are many great tools you can use to build one yourself or you can have a professional to build one for you if you can afford it.

Don’t have a website yet?

If you don’t know where to start, sign up for my FREE 5-day website challenge. Each day, you will be sent a new step to get closer to setting up your website on your own. I promise you can do this!

My 5-day challenge will guide you through each task until you have a new website that is yours! Once you have your website, your business will be ready to launch.

Sign up for free