Do you own a small service-based business? Then you’ve probably heard that you should own a website.

And there are up to 80 reasons why you should – Because that’s the percentage of customers who look up a business online before they make a purchase!

And I’m not just talking about your social media presence. Customers want to check your credibility. 

A thoughtfully curated website is truly the best way you can develop trust with potential clients and credibility.

There are 5 undeniable benefits of having a website for your service-based business that I’ll walk you through, as well as what you should include on your site and how you can connect with your ideal clients so they will be so excited to work with you!

Why should you have a website as a small business owner?

I’m going to let you in on a little secret…

Only 64% of all small business owners have a website! So what does this mean for you?

This equals a huge opportunity for your small business to stand out, showcase your work, reach more people, build trust with your ideal clients and convert quality leads into sales!

But “just” having a website isn’t going to cut it. Your website needs to look professional, show who you are and connect with your audience. A strong website will have clear branding, elevated image curation and will bring a unique perspective & vibe to the table that people can connect with. 

Below, I’ve listed the 5 undeniable benefits of having a website for your business:

1. You will increase brand awareness, showcase your professionalism and establish your perceived brand value

Let’s be real for a second. Having a social media presence as a small business owner is essential! But, it doesn’t give you full credibility in your business. 

Having a website allows you to truly showcase your business offers, unique personality, skills and previous projects you’ve worked on. 

Work that is otherwise hard to showcase in little squares on an app!

2. You can build trust and connect with potential clients in your niche

Having a thoughtfully curated website builds trust with your ideal clients and allows you to connect deeper with them! 

This is done through your bio, testimonials from previous projects, your portfolio and your branding (aka. your website design & visual aesthetics). 

3. Your ideal clients will easily be able to find the information they need in order to work with you

If you shop for something online and, let’s say, go through Instagram to find what you’re looking for, right? 

Then you wouldn’t want to click through all the images in the feed to find the correct information, would you? 

No, I didn’t think so!

Having a website makes it easy for ideal clients to quickly navigate your pages to locate the information they are looking for. 

You can also benefit from including a ‘FAQ’ to beat potential clients to their questions (more value for them, less work for you).

4. More people will be able to find you online

Through strategic marketing and SEO efforts, you will be more visible in your online brand presence. 

You can target specific keywords in your website copy, invest in ads and create valuable as well as educational content in the form of blog posts (like this one).

More eyes on your business = more leads = more potential for increased revenue!

5. Your website gives you insight into your business

By having a website, you can track your business’ performance and the habits of your customers with Google Analytics.

You can track anything from your potential customers’ behavior, to what content they enjoy and how they interact with it. 

You can then use this data to improve your business by optimizing the user experience and future marketing efforts.

Brilliant, isn’t it?

Additionally, a strong website and strategic brand will make your life so much easier! This carefully curated website will allow potential clients to trust in the value that you will be providing them through your services. It will work with you to establish the ‘know, like & trust’ factor, resulting in higher conversions and sales.

What should I include on my website?

Now that you know how important having a website is, let’s look at what basic features you should include on your website! 

1. About page: In a world with literally millions of online businesses, customers like to connect with brands and the people behind them. 

You should showcase your personality, why you’re passionate about your business and what experience you have. 

Make it fun and interesting! 

These facts will help your ideal clients determine why they should work with YOU specifically.

2. Service page: Describe your services and make it clear what it entails. Make sure there’s a call-to-action clearly visible on the page. This could either be an order button or a contact form.

3. Testimonials are everything: Ask your previous clients if they could to write you a short & sweet testimonial for your website. This helps build trust in your skills and tells your potential clients why they should work with you!

4. Portfolio: If you own a service-based business that includes some sort of product (e.g., a logo design, images, videos, copy, etc.), this one is especially important. 

Clients want to see examples from previous work, so they can figure out if you’re the right fit to assist them with their needs.

5. A contact page: Make sure you show clearly on your website how people can reach you and how long it’ll take you to get back to them. 

We live in a world where people move fast, so take advantage of setting expectations (but be realistic about it). 

7. A blog: If you want to increase your lead generation organically, you can highly benefit from having a blog on your website to show thought leadership in your field. 

8. Website design: Your website’s visual aesthetics should clearly showcases your professionalism, style, and personality. It is also important that this visual brand speaks to & attracts your ideal clients!

Why your web design matters

Now that you understand the basics of a great website, you need to decide what it will look like.

Having a professional-looking website will increase your conversion rate, which will ultimately take your business to the next level!

But you need to make sure that it fits your personality, your style of business and most importantly, contains all the right things potential customers would want to know about you!

Owning an optimized website will allow you to attract more high-paying clients and increase your number of sales.

The bottom line

As you can see, having a website is essential to scale your small service-based business. 

The majority of customers look up businesses online and then choose to work with one that looks trustworthy, credible and professional. 

So if you don’t have one, you’re missing out on potential business growth!

But designing a website isn’t easy. 

In fact, this is what keeps many small business owners from creating one in the first place.

Did you know 75% of people judge a business’s credibility based on how its website looks?

Do you want to take that risk and possibly miss out on opportunities to work with your dream clients?

Skip the hassle of trying to design it & figure out all of the back end work yourself, as well as save time by having it optimized by a professional graphic designer. 

If you’re ready to take your business to the next level with a high converting website that will grow with your business, fill out this contact form today and let’s discuss how I can help!