Ten years ago websites were optional. Now… storefronts are. With the increase in responsibilities, people are doing more shopping online. Browsing online has taken the place of walking into a mall and window-shopping. Take a look around – how many people sit at their desks and eat lunch? When you go shopping, do you go in with a purpose, get what you need, and walk out in a hurry? If so, that means that all those stores with deliberately designed window dressings went unnoticed. Companies that don’t recognize this trend suffer greatly. This is especially true for small businesses. To move with the times and maintain a viable customer base, companies need a good website.

As you think about your website success, consider the ways your company will benefit by having an online presence:

Consistent Presence: Websites, unlike brick and mortar stores, are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are no off hours when you could lose business. This gives your potential customers the ability to shop when they want to instead of trying to make it to your location during business hours.

Increased Reach: If you are used to then storefront model, you know that the people in the neighborhood where your business is located and maybe a town or two over will be familiar with you, giving you a very small radius of influence. Online presence increases your reach exponentially. If marketed properly, people from all over the world will know who you are and what you do.

Increased Professional Appearance: Much like the affect a glossy slick from a large corporation instills confidence in consumers, an aesthetically pleasing and solidly formatted website can make a small business look more legitimate. People like bells and whistles and a website that is catered to your products and services with a little bit of flair will go a long way.

Having a relevant and stylish website will help you get in the game. It is definitely worth the investment.