Why You Need A Website For Your Online Business
Today we are digging into the endless possibilities of your website and what it do for you as a brand. To recap from our previous post 3 Things You Need To Start An Online Business, we briefly touched on websites and how they are a place for you to give an online visitor that in person shopping experience, create your desired aesthetic/ atmosphere and is considered to be your flagship location if you don't have a brick and mortar store.
The first thing a website does for your brand is that it verifies who you are. This includes your identity as a business, as a founder, and as your mission. For example you ever notice how some accounts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook have a verification check mark? Well, that verification check mark for you is your website. When people google your business or google your name all your social media is going to come up, your website is going to come up, and all the photos where you have tagged your business name are all going to come up. Each of these are good forms of SEO (search engine optimization) , but are also to let someone know that you are a legitimate business and legitimate that they can securely purchase from. Because of this, they will begin to know, like and trust you all due to your website.
Now that everyone is on the online space there are a lot of scams, there are a lot of falsehoods and there are a lot of new small business owners who don't hold up their end of the bargain which disappoints customers. You want your online visitors to know that as soon as they see your website, find you on Google, find your Facebook page and Instagram, see that you are consistently in your stories, always posting stellar content to your feed and have your website linked in your bio they know they can trust you. Even if they don't purchase from you the first go round they will have you in the backs of their mind the next time they are searching for that kind of a product or better yet they refer a friend to your business who they know will love what you have to offer.
The second thing a website does is that it allows you to truly shine! This is where graphic designers and those that are creative really pickup their skills and master them. Your website is where you should have your own original photos on display. Some people do use stock photos on their website. If you opt for this option you do have to be extremely careful and selective with your work. The use of stock photos on your website can come off as inauthentic to your audience if it does not perfectly align and look like something that you yourself have actually created. If the stock photos stick out and appear as if you didn't actually do the work that is being displayed that can be a huge conflict and be the source of distrust with your audience.
Your website is a place to display all of your recent photoshoots, and all of your product shots, introduce yourself to potential buyers and loyal customers. The best place to share a little bit about yourself is on an About page. Being sure to include a few words about yourself outside of your brand is important. People are always interested in knowing the maker behind the brand like what makes you special, unique and different from what is already out there.
Another element you can use to truly shine on your website is with the colors, fonts and voice your choose to represent your business. All the different aspects come together as one on your website to make you shine and to make you a brand. They make you cool, relatable, and inspiring to your audience. When we work with clients we take them through a this same process. For example, if the client has requested a new logo design we go through selecting fonts. If a client is requesting to have a website designed we ask what type of website layout would you like? How many pages would you like for your website? We recommend for client's who are seeking more foot traffic on their website to start a blog. Depending on the client's website request and business desires we will recommend particular features to build into the site to yield particular result. Each client's brand is unique and everyone's story they want to tell is different. Due to the versatility no client's website is ever the same. That is why we only create custom websites with custom layouts tailored to their brand and aesthetic. If you are interested in working with our design team to build your dream website for your brand that attracts your dream clients book a free consultation to talk one on one with our team.
The third thing your website does for your brand is that it shows what you offer. That includes products and services. Many people believe that if they are not physically selling something from their website that they don't need one. That statement is simply untrue. you do need a website whether your are selling a product or service online or not. Your website is basically making a virtual footprint for you. in the long-run it will pay off because the more your do online under your business name the more you become searchable on Google. In turn that will help you to rank on Google very easily for certain keywords that your brand is known for. When you add your website to Google that is something that they love because you are adding content to their platform. It then becomes their responsibility to constantly search and check your website to ensure it is up to date and is the most relevant piece of content to the individual googling. By showing people what you offer on your website it gives you a unique chance to make both your product and services shine with photos, copywriting, testimonials/reviews and even offering payment plans to potential buyers.
Having your own website gives you complete control of your entire look and infrastructure. So many people turn away from doing their own website and instead create a Etsy page or a Poshmark page. Those are both good secondary sources to have to make an even bigger virtual footprint, but as an entrepreneur you need your own domain name and website. Yes, you will get some foot traffic if you are on Etsy, but at the end of the day Etsy owns all your listings, information, client's information, products and services, your profile. You pay Etsy to use their space. You don't want to be paying out to anyone to use their space as your primary source to shop with you. You want to be paying a website host to host your url/website and then you purchase your own domain name. This way you will completely own your business's platform, all of your services and your users information. This is key for adding people to your email list, following up with client's, reaching out to shoppers who have abandoned carts at checkout, and offering incentives for product reviews. Building interpersonal relationships with your customers is important. It's why they keep coming back. In order to do this you have to order this information. That is why it is a must to own your own website and domain name. It's the same thing when you sell an item on Amazon. You are paying Amazon to use their space, people to shop your products. You don't physically own the listing. You may physically own the product, but not the listing.
You can choose to link your Esty, Poshmark or Amazon pages to your own website, but if you want someone to know you and know your brand you don't want to using another brand's platforms. Nine times out of ten the customer is not going to remember your actually business name instead they will remember that larger platform that they saw the product on which will make it harder to happy clients to then refer you to others. You want your visitors to know who they are shopping with, what your business name is and the story behind the brand. The best part is you own every word of it!
The fourth thing your website does is it helps you win a sale! Your website is open 24 hours a day. Unlike a brick and mortar store it probably wouldn't be open 24-7. This means the checkout on your website is always open and available whether you're sleeping, out running errands or taking a vacation. All you have to do is out your products and services up on your website for purchase and your are ready to go. Not only will your website help you win a sale by always being open but also with your wording, aesthetic and more. Creating a solidified brand is what sells to the customer without ever having to interact with them. If they like what they see on your website, they will sign up, they will purchase, they will get to know you, they will follow you and they will support you.
The fifth thing your website does is that it allows clients and potential customer to see how your product or service will change their lifestyle. This includes making their life easier, more inspiring, or motivating. Your website is the perfect space to drive home the transformation or impact that your product or service will make on the lives of those who use it.
The last thing that your website does is that allows you to really express yourself in the way that you uniquely brand your company and also in having a blog page. If you have a blog on your website it really helps to give your brand a voice and for your customers to get to know you very well through what you write, the topics you talk about and what you are willing to give to them in value at the cost of nothing.
All these things are super helpful to building your website, but you may need a place to write them all down? Everyone on our team including Jade our CEO & Founder has a notebook that they use to write down all their business ideas. Say hello to our Business Bundle! This is one of favorite tools that we like to use as we are planning out ideas for upcoming events, new designs etc. This three-piece bundle will help you keep all your ideas in one place that way you will always be organized. It includes a copy of our book, Profit From Your Untapped Passion where we go in greater depth about websites, marketing strategies, how to turn what you love doing into a luxury online business, how to find your passion, and how to create a brand book for your business. The best part is the book ends with you launching your very own online business. So if you are a DIYer this is the perfect bundle for you. Gift yourself this nice little set today and get a head start on all those amazing ideas you've got brewing for your website and business for tomorrow!
One last thing before you go, be sure to follow our new instagram page @profitfromyouruntappedpassion. We decided to break out Profit From Your Untapped Passion the book, mentorship program and many more incredible resources to come for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs for that. So if you really want to how to start your own luxury online business. Go follow us @profitfromyouruntappedpassion and there will be building a community to encourage, motivate and inspire you throughout your entrepreneurial journey.