3 Reasons Every Entrepreneur Needs a Website

by Melodye Hunter

My husband is having a custom bar built. His only stop was the internet. The company we choose to get a quote from turned out to be a small business with only 5 employees; and the owner happened to be 64 and a complete non-techy.

After talking with him I was excited to learn even though he doesn’t have an email address or use a smartphone he knew as an entrepreneur he needed a website to market his business.

I work with lots of entrepreneurs and one excuse I often hear is, “I don’t sell products online, so I don’t need a website.”  Selling online is not the only reason to have a website; people are still searching for answers to the solutions you provide online.

Here are three reasons every entrepreneur needs a website.

1.       Saves you time + money

As an entrepreneur your time is money. By giving people access to your products and services at their convenience without you lifting a finger you’ll recoup several hours you can spend on money-generating activities. Every minute you spend doing repetitive tasks eats away at your billable hours.

Think about it. Do you have to send an email with a pdf attachment with your service offerings every time a potential client shows interest?

Let’s say you charge a very fair $200 an hour for your coaching services. If you’re spending 2 – 4 hours every week sending and resending the same info to potential clients you’re losing $1600 – $3200 every month by not having that info on your website.

Could you use an extra $1600 – $3200 a month? I can think of a few things to do with it.

2.       Build your prospect list

There’s no need to pay for designer brochures, glossy printing or expensive shipping when you can send emails to thousands of people at the same time for a few bucks a month. A website is a great tool for getting leads. Here’s how the pros do it.

1. Create a low-commitment offer to turn browsers into buyers and offer it in exchange for their contact info. It can be an mp 3 audio, a special report, or a video series, get creative.
2. Deliver your goodies automatically.
3. Stay in touch and let them know what you have for sale.

3.       Reach more people

Just like my husband, when your potential clients are looking for something the first place they’re likely to visit is Google. Without a website you’re not going to show up. Search engine optimization is important but it’s not the only thing that affects your online reach.

• Create great content. Educate, inspire and entertain your ideal clients and invite them over to your site to learn more about you and your offerings.
• Connect. Social media engagement now shows up in search results. When friends of people who have liked your Facebook Fan Page search on Google, you have a shot at showing up in the results.  Hint: make sure your Social profiles link to your website.
• Advertise. Paid advertising can be highly targeted and measured, tested and tweaked to yield very good results. Spend the money for fast traffic.

So should you have a website?

If you’re a business owner the answer is absolutely YES! Make the investment.  Do your research and take the time to plan your site. Then hire the right pro to help you bring your business online in away that reflects your professionalism and quality of service.

I’ve given you 3 reasons to get your website project started asap. I’d love to know yours. Why do you need a website? Please, share in the comments below.