In the ever-changing digital landscape of the 21st century having a website is a necessity. It is no longer a luxury.

Whether you’re a small business owner, a freelancer, or someone looking to establish a personal brand, a website serves as the cornerstone of your online presence.

With the world increasingly moving online, a well-crafted and optimized website can be the difference between obscurity and success.

Here are the top 10 reasons why you absolutely need a website in 2024.

10. A Website Announces You Exist

The internet is the number one way American consumers and business owners find products and services. If you don’t have a website, you are losing money because potential customers can’t find you.

I used to teach computer programming. A common example used in introductory programming classes was a simple program that printed Hello, world! on the screen. Your website is how you say Hello, world! to your ideal customers.

A website is a business card, marketing brochure and a sales pitch, all rolled into one convenient package.

9. A Website Builds Credibility and Trust

You can’t depend solely on word of mouth to build your business. A properly built website helps increase the trust factor for those that do not know you.

Many potential customers avoid businesses without a website. People believe a website shows a professionally-run business.

8. A Website Helps the Right Customer Find You

Your website tells customers who you are and what you do and what you have to offer. If you don’t have a website or your site isn’t optimized you stand a chance on not attracting the right customers and thus, losing money.

7. A Website Lets You Standout from Your Competition

Your competitors are also on sites like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Unless you have a website, potential customers might never find you.

You cannot afford to rely only on social media sites or business directories like Yelp, TripAdvisor or OpenTable.

6. A Website Lets You Create a Good First Impression

A website shows the world you exist and allows you to control how you present yourself. You control the look and feel of your site and can tailor the user experience to match how you want customers to view you.

5. A Website Lets You Do Business 24×7

Whether you’re open from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday or you sell products online, your website is always there.

Many potential customers prefer visiting a website before contacting a business. They want to know if you’re the right match before giving their name or contact info.

4. A Website Lets You Show Your Expertise

A website lets you provide educational content to potential users. By demonstrating this knowledge about the products or services you offer, customers are more likely to do business with you instead of your competition.

One example of ways your website can show your expertise is an FAQs page that answers common questions. Another method is to blog on topics related to your business.

3. A Website Tells Google You Exist

Americans find products, services and information through search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Without a website, these search engines might not know you exist.

You are losing business without a website. Period.

2. A Website Lets You Learn More About Your Customers

With social media sites like Facebook, Instagram or YouTube, the site owns the customers and decides how much information to share with you.

With a website, you can learn more about your customers and better target your marketing dollars. Free tools such as Google Analytics can provide valuable data such as the location of your site visitors, how visitors move from page to page and how visitors found your site.

1. A Website Provides a Big Payoff with Little Investment

Websites don’t have to be expensive. A website can be as big or as simple as you want it to be. A website can grow with you and change to meet your needs.

Here at 573 Web Solutions we offer a wide range of website services from website design and development to managed hosting and optimizing websites (SEO).

You can reach us at 573-410-3638 or info@573web.com or by filling out the form on our Contact Us page.