Why Your Small Business NEEDS a Website in 2024

Let me guess – you’re killing it on Instagram but still sending people to your link in bio? If you’re nodding right now, I’m going to answer what you’re probably wondering next: “why a small business needs a website in today’s digital landscape anyway”.

While your social media game might be strong, relying solely on platforms you don’t own is like building your house on rented land – it’s risky business.

According to BrightEdge, B2B companies get twice as much revenue from organic search than all other channels combined, and SEO drives over 10x more traffic than organic social media.

And if that’s not enough to convince you, keep reading because I’m about to spill all the reasons why a small business needs a website in 2024.

(Pssst! At this point if you’re already like “Jemilla, I’m convinced. Can you write my website copy already?” — babes, I GOTCHU! Transform your website with my Premium Website Copywriting Package)

The Hard Truth About Social Media

Algorithm Changes: The Only Constant is Change

Remember when Instagram was giving you organic reach that had you feeling like a whole influencer? Those days are GONE, hunny! In 2024, Instagram has a reach rate of 4.00% on average, while Facebook scores a 2.60% average reach rate (Social Insider). You’ll always be limited by social media because you can never rely on it. It’s always changing, and usually not in your favour. Reason #1 why a small business needs a website.

You Don’t Own The Platform

Just ask the thousands of businesses who lost their accounts during the great Instagram outage of 2023. When you build on borrowed land, you’re always one update away from disaster. And don’t even get me started on Vine (RIP to the app that had me hootin’ and hollerin’ all through senior year of high school). Reason #2 why a small business needs a website — but I’m not done yet!

Why a Website is Your Secret Weapon

Here are 5 more reasons why a small business needs a website:

1. Professional Credibility

I have bought things off social media before — but if the business doesn’t have a website and solely does sales over DMs, there is a nagging thought at the back of my mind that this is just a starter business. And if they happen to have a website that looks like my 10-year-old sister made it on Roblox, I judge even harder. And I’m not the only one! 75% of consumers judge your credibility based on your website. In short: your website isn’t just a digital business card — it’s your credibility cornerstone.

2. 24/7 Sales Machine

While you’re sleeping, your website is working harder than a fitness influencer in January. 81% of consumers begin their shopping journey by researching online, and 67% of shoppers are more likely to purchase from a company that has a mobile-friendly website. So not only does having an online presence better your chances of making more money, but having a website that’s optimized for mobile will take you even further.

3. Complete Control

With a website, you get full control over your customer data (no more platform restrictions), the freedom to design your perfect user experience, and independence from platform rules and regulations. Basically, you’re the boss and you make the rules. As Paramore would say, ain’t it fun?

4. SEO Benefits

According to BrightEdge, the top 3 results on Google get the most clicks. And according to a newly published study by Sistrix, 28.5% of users click the first organic search result. Having a well-optimized website puts you in front of people actively looking for what you offer. And more clicks = more conversions.

5. Customer Experience

People want to feel like you care, like you’re giving them the VIP treatment — and if you can do that with your website, you can make more money as a result! According to HubSpot (2024), 93% of customers are more likely to make repeat purchases from businesses offering excellent customer service.

You can’t stay up til the buttcrack ass of dawn to answer every question, kill every objection, and deliver a stellar customer experience on no sleep. That’s not sustainable. But your website is your 24/7 customer service MVP, working to do all these things while you get your beauty sleep.

Common Website Objections, Crushed

“It’s Too Expensive”

According to DesignFX, the average cost to build a website (with an agency or freelancer) is $1000 – $145,000. It’s $0 to $500 per month with a website builder. And routine site maintenance costs $3600 – $50,000 per year or $0 to $5400 per year with a website builder.

On the flip side:

• Small businesses can grow their revenue by 15%-50% when they use their website to engage with customers
• 97% of customers say websites influence their purchases
• 84% of people think a business’s website is more credible than its social media presence
• SEMrush data shows that websites with high-quality content see 2.4 times more organic traffic.

When you look at the cost of creating and maintaining your website and compare it to how much traffic and conversions you can get with optimized website copy, and the lifespan of a damn good website, it more than necessitates having a website.

And given that companies can see a 300% increase in click-through rates when they invest in copywriting, it pays to have a really great website copywriter.

“I Don’t Have Time”

The time you save not managing multiple social platforms is priceless. But I know you want something a little more concrete, right?

Almost all modern website platforms automate routine tasks, not to mention the countless AI tools at your disposable to speed things up. On top of that, most website designers and website copywriters worth hiring include a maintenance service in their packages.

For example, in my Premium Web Copy Package, I offer a complimentary copy audit within one year of the project end date. So we can keep your copy up-to-scuff, A/B test different messaging to see what performs better, and make search engines happy with your new content changes!

“Social Media Works Fine”

85% of consumers research businesses online before making a purchase (GE Capital Retail Bank, 2024). Social media is one place they’ll go to do that, but you’re limited to how much info you can provide. People expect you to have a website where they can get all the information they need. Something they can bookmark and come back to later, instead of having to swipe for the Cole’s Notes, and then still have to DM or email you for more information.

What Your Website Needs to Succeed

1. Strategic Copy

Your website needs clear, conversion-focused copy that speaks directly to your ideal customer. With a brand voice that helps you get noticed, stay in your customers’ minds, and have them coming back for more. And a strategic use of sales psychology that pushes the right buttons and increases your conversions.

There are plenty of website copywriting courses and templates out there you could use to do it yourself. But hiring a copywriter will save you time from having to do that.

Your website copywriter will already know customer behaviour like the back of thier own hand, how to create emotional connections and consistently use your brand voice, and is up-to-date with SEO practices. The data and my own client results can attest, hiring a copywriter is worth the investment.

(What a great segue for me to talk about my Premium Website Copywriting Package 😉 Check out my MVP package here >>>)

2. User-Friendly Design

With 63% of web traffic coming from mobile devices (Statista, 2024), mobile optimization isn’t optional, it’s necessary. So working with a website designer that has a good track record for UX design and mobile-optimization will help you launch a beautiful and user-friendly website out the gate.

3. Clear CTAs

The buttons on your website (otherwise known as calls-to-action or CTAs) are some of the most important elements on your website. Studies show strategic placement of compelling calls-to-action can increase conversions by up to 300%. So you can work with a stellar website copywriter to write high-converting CTAs with the rest of your website copy.

But if you want stronger CTAs sooner, download me free CTA & CTV Swipe File >>>

4. SEO Foundation

I’ve already got oodles of statistics in this post proving how important SEO is, but here are a few more:

• In 2022, 4.11 billion people used the internet to buy consumer products (Data Reportal)
• B2B companies get twice as much revenue from organic search than all other channels combined (BrightEdge)
• Organic search is the leading source of trackable web traffic, accounting for 53% of all searches made online (Sagapixel)

SEO is the biggest driver of website traffic, conversions, and revenue, so don’t skimp on it!

Success Stories

Take podcast media agency Atabey & Co., for example. After working with me on their website copy and launching their website, they saw immediate results with more Google visibility and perfectly aligned leads — without spending a dime on ads.

What Next?

Here are your next steps:

1. Find your perfect fit website copywriter
2. Schedule your discovery call
3. Choose your website package
4. Find a website designer to work with your copywriter at the same time or after the website copy is done

Ready to stop building on rented land? Your website journey starts here, babes!