Why should local companies invest in a website?

If you’re a local start-up business which is beginning to gain some traction in terms of fans and local visitors, then chances are you’ve been told to invest in setting up a website. If local customers have been sharing your Instagram posts and spreading the good news by word of mouth, then you might be wondering what the point is of investing in a website under your name.

Social media is only a flavour of what you have to offer

Hopefully, your local business is building up its reputation and fan-base on social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are vital for giving people a flavour of what you offer, not to mention providing a little bit of customer engagement too. Once your customers have left a review, shared a post or checked your business hours, they might want to know a little more about your brand. Directing them to your website showcases the full picture of your brand, not just the daily highlights. 

Customer engagement

Local communities love to talk about something new they’ve found or brand new exciting business. Giving them a platform to share reviews or ask questions will only help to spread good reviews of your business. You can provide links to social media or invest in a chatbot to answer any immediate, burning questions from visitors. Taking the community that walks through the doors of your business into the virtual realm will create a sense of belonging and excitement about your business.

Personality

A website is the best way to give visitors the full picture of what your brand has to offer. Chances are, the reason you set up your business has a good story behind it. Taking some time to post pictures of who’s behind the company and who your team members are will only endear people to your brand. The reason that people value local brands is that they almost feel as if they know them personally, and your website is the best place to showcase your personality. Anything which is branded under your name will just need a website designer to work in your tone and image into the content, which you can find with companies such as the Web Design Review.

Search engine rankings

Investing in a website that not only looks good but has great content will help to push your company’s website further up the search engine rankings. Using techniques such as SEO, or search engine optimisation, means that what your company has to offer will actually get seen, and hopefully by the right audience. Taking steps to use techniques such as link building and updating the metadata with the correct information will all help to ensure that investing in a new website was worth it.

While the biggest uphill battle of starting a local business might seem to be the actual feat of setting up shop in your town, it’s still worth taking some extra time to set up a website too. If this seems too complicated or tech-heavy, then investing in a website designer means the work is being done for you, while you focus on the people who walk through your doors. Being available for customers virtually, as well as physically, might just make your local business the new big name on the street.