You have created your brand, your business card and your social media. Now you are asking yourself if you need a website. What will it change to you?

To that question, it will depend on what kind of business you have what you want for your business.

First of all, each company has different needs and different ways of distribution. Though the online tools we have at our hand can help each of the business aspects.

Starting a business is already a challenge and so many things need to be done, such as defining the services, the target audience, creating the paper for the business and so on.

When those first steps are on the process, the following step is to start finding your first customers and therefore really launch your business. How to start?

There are several ways to find your customers, the active way and the passive way.

The active way would be to contact your target audience by phone or by email or letter. You would have to offer your services and see if there are interested. It requires to prove to the person in front, that they need the services and that your services are the best.

The passive way would be to be present where your niche could be, such as being at a fair, having a shop or having a website. That approach is based on the process to be on the way of potential customers while still convincing the audience of the legibility of the business.

In the case of a new business, the action to convince the audience of the credibility of the services, both in the passive and active way could be the hardest. Without having many customers yet, the lack of recommendations makes it difficult to reassure of the quality of the work.

Having then your own website permits to show the audience that the company is real and established. Nowadays a company without a business website can be seen as not professional.

Also waiting too long to buy a domain name, could result to lose the chance to get your own domain name matching the name of your business. The domain being unique all around the world, the chance to lose the name you are looking for, is real.

Solutions:

With both an active and passive marketing strategy, a website would be useful to show professionalism and establishment in order to convert the potential client.

When comes the time to choose how to get your website created, you can go for an almost free platform or a paid web designer.

The option of the almost free website would be to create the website on a web builder platform like Wix.

This option is great for a start as it might cost more than a professionally made website though those websites are not responsive. Responsive means that the website is mobile-friendly, they can be read clearly on a cellphone. Free platform websites are not displayed properly on mobile phones. If you think that your customers will not look for you on their mobile phone, then you can go ahead.

Though you must keep in mind that if they do, seeing a website that is not displayed properly will create a wrong image of your business, opposite of trust and professionalism.

The option to go for a web designer or a web agency would assure you to get a responsive website, as well as a web design that will convert and look professional. They should also create a website that is built with Search Engine optimization which means with the basics of the needs for Google. When it comes to choosing your web designer, then you could consider looking for a WordPress web designer.

(to know what is WordPress read the article CMS, WordPress and Woocommerce).

WordPress site is a cheaper option than a fully coded website in HTML and CSS and offers the possibility to upgrade and evolve your website easily with the development of your business.

The creation of social media profiles would come as a second action, to increase the selling and marketing actions. (To choose which would be your best option for your social media, read the article The different kinds of social media )

When your website will be launched, you can start advertising it on social media, fairs, active calls, or even making a Google ad to be visible on the search bar.

In summary, having a website created in WordPress would allow your website to look professional on both laptop and cellphone, and being a first good step for an online presence. Creating your website at the same time as your business by a professional could save you money as most web designers or web agencies offer a free logo design with their website professionally designed creation.

With a limited budget, you can still reassure your client and start promoting your business on social media and Search engines and therefore start selling. An email marketing campaign can be built to increase your number of possible clients and also increase your direct sales. Eventually, when your business will grow, it is possible to add new pages easily.

On the process of having a website, you would buy and secure your custom domain name and having the chance to have your free professional email address (read how to get your professional email accounts) right from the start.