5 Reasons a Website Can Save Your Business During a Crisis

COVID-19 has caused a major shift across industries. And no one has felt its effects more than small businesses. 

As a business owner, it’s crucial to be responsive to changes. This will allow your business to survive, even in times of crisis. 

One way to be responsive is to get a business website. 

How does a website help your business survive in emergencies? Here are five reasons why it can save your business from heading south. 

5 Ways a Website Helps Your Business in Times of Crisis 

Keep your business running 

A temporary store shutdown doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end for your business. Thanks to the digital age, businesses have the chance to run operations online with a website. 

A business website is like your second store. You have the power to decide how it’s structured, what colours to use, and the products or services to showcase.  

With most of your regular customers at home, a website helps you stay connected with them. A well–designed, functional, and fast website helps retain customers — and even attract new ones.  

Reach more people 

One of the best things about having a website is you get to expand your reach.  

It helps you break through geographical barriers and gain new customers. People from different parts of the globe can discover and learn about your brand and what it has to offer. That alone will give you a competitive edge over your competitors. 

If they enjoy your services, they’ll recommend your brand to their friends — drumming up your popularity. In fact, you get to acquire new customers even when you’re asleep.   

Be available 24/7 

A website is like a 24/7 convenience store — you’ll never have to put up a “CLOSED” sign again. 

Customers can visit your page anytime, even on holidays! They have the convenience to research your products, drop inquiries, and make purchase decisions from the comforts of their own homes. 

Without a doubt, a website can help you generate profit in the absence of your physical store. 

Learn more about your customers 

With your website running 24/7, you can learn more about your customers, specifically their behaviour. 

Having a website allows you to know how your customers think and act. Understanding their behaviour helps you formulate strategies to drive more conversions and sales.  

Learn more about your customers’ behaviour by setting up the following on your website: 

• Polls. Find out what your customers are most interested in. 
• Online survey forms. Curious to know how they found you? Which page they stay longer in? Get the answers through a survey.   
• Website Analytics. This helps you collect data from your customers. Use these data to learn about your customer demographic and lifestyle. You can also determine your most visited pages, conversion rates, and average page session duration. 

Cut costs 

Lastly, your website lets you save big on operational costs.  

Let’s be honest — seeing our storefront bills can sometimes give us a heart attack. You have to be responsible for paying the store’s utilities, rent, maintenance, and tax. 

Meanwhile, a website only needs little operational costs, so you get to cut down your bills by a significant amount. A sigh of relief, right? 

You now have the opportunity to lower your prices and gain an edge over your competitors. Also, you can invest more in  other business initiatives such as search engine optimisation (SEO), product development, and marketing. 

Prepare for a better tomorrow 

No one exactly knows what the business landscape would look like after this pandemic. But if you put up your business online, there’s a higher chance for your company to move forward.  

Is it easy to set up a website?  

Yes, especially if you go for a website builder. It’s easy to use, less expensive, and fast to set up.  

So breathe, strategise, and believe you can get through this. Because like every tragic thing in life, this (pandemic) too shall pass.