Have you ever searched for a service or met a potential supplier in person, only to have your trust in their ability completely shaken by their substandard website? Unfortunately for businesses big and small, this happens on a daily basis. Just as a firm handshake is a physical indication of dependability, a professional web presence projects confidence.
The World Wide Web
As of 2021, almost 60 percent of the global population is connected to the internet, translating to 4.66 billion active internet users. Of these people, 4.32 billion are using their mobile devices to browse the internet, and 4.2 billion are active on social media. The numbers are staggering for individual countries as well. The United States records 313 million people in its digital demographic while South Africa records 38.13 million (over half its population).
Therefore, even if you are not in the business of selling your products or services worldwide, maintaining an attractive virtual shopfront can be essential for achieving success for your business. A compelling website can help you reach consumers far outside of your normal demographic and be the difference between winning and losing a sale. With online browsing and e-commerce skyrocketing since the onset of the pandemic, there is no better time than now to start bolstering your web presence.
Geared to be Mobile
Think about how often you look at your mobile phone. Our mobiles go practically everywhere we go and have become much more than just a mere telephonic device. We use our mobiles to connect with friends, schedule appointments, search for services, and order food and transport. Now, we use them for casual shopping as well. In fact, 74 percent of brick-and-mortar shoppers use search engines to first research the stores near them and 60 percent of smartphone users have contacted a business via Google search results.
What this means for your brand is that you need to have a website that works well on mobile devices. A website that does not automatically scale on mobile and takes ages to load for users on slower cellular networks will turn your potential customers away. The modern shopper is spoiled for choice and is notoriously impatient. According to Google statistics, 53 percent of website visits are abandoned when a mobile site takes over 3 seconds to load!
The distinction between making and breaking a sale could happen before you could even say ‘responsive web design’. Hence, it is important to not only have a website that looks great, but also one that is designed with mobile-friendly features in mind. Heavy-loading, ostentatious websites that are complex to navigate are out, and fast-loading, scalable websites with clear calls to action are in.
Convert Thought into Action
So, you may have a nice website that is mobile-friendly and functional. Yet, you may still be missing your sales goals. In truth, seasoned business owners and marketers know that having a pretty product in a shop window is not always enough to get a customer through the door. Every website needs to be accompanied by strategic copy and calls to action, specifically designed to convert ‘window shoppers’ into bona fide customers.
A professional web design company with expertise in conversion and strategic copywriting can help you to build trust with your audience and generate exponentially more leads than before. These companies often provide full turn-key packages that include copywriting, responsive design, leads gathering, and search engine optimization (SEO), so business owners can just sit back and watch the traffic roll in.
Perhaps the best thing about investing in high-quality web design is its impressive ROI. Once launched, your website works to promote your brand every minute of the day, regardless of where your audience is based. With automated chatbots, your website could even function as the first point of customer service, making sales while your entire human team is sleeping. Even if potential customers do not make a purchase the first time, you will gather potential leads to convert to paying customers in the future.
More visibility, more traffic, more conversions, more leads, more closed deals, and ultimately more profit. Over its lifetime, an enhanced website could generate revenue a thousand times over its development cost. If your website is still dragging its heels and stuck in the last decade, it is high time to consider supercharging it and propelling your business into the marketplace of the 21st century.