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A website is the most important marketing tool you can have as a business owner. It’s your face to the world, or even more accurately, it’s your storefront where people come to learn about and experience your brand. Website visitors can then become leads that turn into sales, which convert into long-term clients or customers who return again and again over time. That’s why it’s so important to have a well-designed and effective website that gives you an edge in today’s competitive market, no matter what kind of business you have!

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A website can improve your search engine ranking

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The ranking of search engine results can be influenced by signals like your popularity on social media and how many inbound links point to your website. When you optimize your website, it's almost like improving your internet footprint and signaling to search engines that you're worthy of being listed in their results. A professional web design also makes it easier for customers to find you when they search online. The better your online presence, the more likely they are to find you when they're searching for a service or product that you offer.

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A website establishes you as an expert

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A website can establish you as an expert in your field. If you’re looking to attract new clients or customers, having a website that looks clean and professional will show people that you take your business seriously—and give them a reason to do so, too. The Internet is vast and it can be hard to stand out when there are so many other options available. A good website will separate you from the competition by establishing you as an expert on topics from your industry. This kind of information isn’t readily available elsewhere (at least not in an easy-to-understand way), which makes these websites potential landing pages for customers who are looking to buy one of these products/services.

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Building trust with prospects is easier on the web

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There’s an old saying in the internet marketing space: you don’t make money on the first date. And it’s true—just like relationships IRL, building trust with prospects online takes time. A lot of it is about simply being there and following through on what you say you will do (and doing it with speed and consistency). Building trust via email can take much longer; in fact, some data suggests that fewer than 50% of people are willing to give their email address to someone they don’t know. This is why building trust with prospects is easier on the web; if you have a presence there, and if that presence follows through in delivering what you promise, then trust can be built much more quickly and easily.

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People are more likely to purchase from you online

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Online purchases are on the rise, as more and more consumers move online to find goods and services. eMarketer’s research shows that people are about five times more likely to purchase from you if you have an online presence—that means people are five times more likely to purchase from you if they can find you on a search engine like Google or Bing. No matter what kind of business you’re in—from marketing agency to coffee shop—having an online presence increases your odds of getting found by customers and clients.

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Build credibility and trust through quality content

Web design does a lot more than look pretty and add information to company websites. It also helps build credibility and trust through quality content, which leads to better SEO and an improved user experience. Whether you’re using a professional or opting to learn HTML, it’s worth spending time building a site that not only adds information but engages readers as well. Make sure that all of your pages are filled with quality content that is updated regularly. A portfolio page is even more important, since it will likely act as an introduction and demo to future clients who visit your site.

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Website design options are flexible and cost-effective

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As we mentioned in this article, there are many options available when it comes to designing and maintaining a company website. Before deciding which option (or combination of options) you will use, be sure to consider design considerations such as: What kind of message will I want my website to convey? How much time and money do I have available to spend on my web design? What platform should I use in order to make changes later? Once you’ve answered these questions, you can then compare design costs. If you’re thinking about hiring someone to design your site or need help figuring out how to create one yourself using popular platforms like Squarespace or Wix, go over those costs as well.

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