Pretty much everyone with an internet connection looks online to find the services, products or information they know they need. If you have aspirations of success in the modern business world, or any other world for that matter, it’s very likely that you’re going to need a professional website.

A website is the new front-of-house for businesses. It supports everything you do, acts as that all-important first impression to establish credibility, and provides a valuable source of information that will help visitors realise it’s you they need to be working with, buying from, or just bookmarking so they can come back and get more of your amazing content.

Websites are marketing

A website extends into each component of your digital marketing strategy. It’s the central core of your online presence, and as such, all activities you strategise around it – whether that’s advertising, social media or blog contributions – will be focused to bringing visitors to your website.

One one of the most important aspects to a digital marketing strategy is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). The majority of your audience will hear about you, or not, through Google. Billions of searches are conducted each day, and if you don’t’ have a website – or a good one – you’re probably going to miss out on a substantial slice of your potential audience. Search engines such as Google are continually refined to ensure that search results provide value to the audience and thoroughly answer the query with clarity and credibility. The better the website is, and the content it presents, the better opportunity a site has of appearing high up the rankings for specific searches.

A sales tool

A website is also a vital tool for sales. With an online presence, more consumers can be reached. That goes for all forms of retail and customer-focused businesses. Granted, a website does not automatically equal more sales, however it does provide a platform to showcase services, solutions and products, to rank on Google and to bring in qualified leads from people who are likely or searching to make a purchase or engage the services of a market leading business. A website provides the perfect opportunity to gain leads 24 hours, seven days a week. A website never closes, it is the most committed business development manager or salesperson known to man.

A website is a stamp of authority

A website builds credibility and lays down a marker for why your business is the best choice for a consumer or client. But if it is poorly thought out, difficult to navigate, old-fashioned or displays a lack of attention to detail in terms of content, it will often be more damaging to credibility than not having a website at all.

We want to establish authority and knowledge leadership through our website. We need it to be modern, clean and simple to use, displaying all the information we wish to convey in a concise and easy to understand manner. The content we create and the way in which it is presented helps us to establish our authority, and by providing valuable, informative content we can build stronger relationships and encourage conversions. That is the ultimate goal of a website.