Small Business News

Survey Finds a Surprising Number of Small Businesses Don’t Have Their Own Website

When most people think of small businesses, they likely imagine local mom and pop shops along main street that mainly just serve their fellow residents. However, thanks to the internet, even the smallest of small businesses can serve the national or global customer base. Plus, even if you’re not selling directly on your website, having a web presence can help new customers discover you or allow current customers to stay up on your latest offers, keeping them coming back. Given those benefits, you’d expect that nearly all business owners would operate their own site. Yet, according to a recent survey conducted by Visual Objects, that’s not quite the case.

First, the survey found that 29% of respondents plan to begin using a website for their business this year. That put websites ahead of other new channels small business owners plan to explore in 2020 including digital marketing, social media, mobile apps, and more. Meanwhile another 29% of those surveyed said they intend on improvements to their website this year. Specifically some key improvements included increasing page speed, enhancing search engine optimization (SEO), and providing better mobile experience.

While the number of businesses without a website may be surprising, the interest in launching or improving a business website is not. As one-third of respondents reported, their websites are the most successful channel they have for promoting and growing their business. That made “websites” the second most popular response behind “social media” with 37%. Other outlets business owners say they’re using to fuel their success include public relations (10%), digital marketing (10%), and SEO (5%). Notably, however, SEO and business websites really do go hand in hand as the former can have a major impact on how customers come across your site.

Remarking on the survey’s findings and about the power of a proper small business website, Harmony HR Experts founder Lauren Williams explained, “Your website should be your number one salesperson, 365 days a year, 24/7.” Williams elaborated, saying, “Everyone buys things on the internet all the time. Even if your business is providing a service, you must have a way to sell it on the internet.”

Ultimately, having a website for your small business is an indispensable asset. Thankfully there are now several tools even less tech-savvy entrepreneurs can use to build and manage websites that are not only functional but attractive as well — and they may not cost as much as some business owners might fear. With that, if you’re among the small businesses currently operating without a website, there’s plenty of incentive to change that in 2020.