Yes, You Need a Small Business Website!
While the majority of small businesses do have a website there are some business owners that absolutely do not see any value in having one. Here at the innovative web design agency, we are always surprised when we hear things like: “My customers are not online.” or “The web is not important for my business.” So here are some important 2019 small business website statistics that may change your mind!
Nearly Two-Thirds of Small Businesses Rely on Websites to Connect with Customers. At the beginning of 2018, nearly two-thirds (64%) of small businesses have a website.
Having an online presence is essential for marketing your small business. By not having a business website you give the impression that you are no longer in business. These 2019 small business website statistics illustrate just how important it is for any small businesses to have a professionally built, mobile-first website.
Small Business Website Statistics (Updated January 2019)
Small Business Website Statistics – The Basics
Less than two-thirds (64%) of small businesses have a website
35% of small businesses feel their operation is too small to warrant a website
By 2019, 94% small business websites will be mobile friendly
Among small businesses without a website, 58% plan to build one in 2019
Small businesses cite cost (26%), irrelevance to industry (27%), and social media (21%) as key reasons behind their decision not to have a website
Among small business websites, 81% are mobile friendly
80% of internet users own a smartphone (Smart Insights, 2017)
53% of mobile website visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes longer than three seconds to load. For every one second delay in site load time, conversions fall by 12% (Google, 2018)
In 2018, 52.2% of all worldwide online traffic was generated through mobile phones, up from 50.3% in the previous year (Statista, 2018)
57% of all U.S. online traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets (BrightEdge, 2018)
84% of website users would abandon a purchase if data was sent over an insecure connection
Small Business Website Statistics – Digital Marketing
Most small businesses (47%) spend less than $10,000 on digital marketing (Clutch.co, 2018)
1 in 10 SMBs doesn’t invest in any kind of marketing
71% of small business owners do their own digital marketing, instead of leaving it to experts (Digital.com, 2017)
1 in 5 SMBs doesn’t use digital marketing yet
50% of SMBs spend less than $300 per month on online marketing
62% of small businesses are investing 4% or more of their revenue on marketing (Engage2Connect, 2016)
37% of small businesses plan to increase their digital marketing spend in the next 12 months
47% of small business owners handle marketing efforts on their own (LeadPages)
73% of companies are investing in design to differentiate their brands (Adobe, 2018)
Organizations describing themselves as “design-driven” are 69% more likely than their peers to have exceeded their 2017 business goals by a significant margin
Organizations in which creativity is highly valued are 46% more likely to have exceeded their 2017 business goals (Adobe, 2018)
91% of customers have visited a store because of an online experience
37% use the Internet to find a store at least once per month
According to Google’s 2016 data, 68% of consumers who conduct local searches on their smartphone go to a store within 24 hours, and nearly 50% make a purchase within a day
Of the small businesses that have websites, 69% of them are having annual sales of $1,000,000 – $2,490,000
Small Business Website Statistics – Common Errors
17% of all small business websites are not in compliance with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Algorithm of 2015
79% of all small business websites claim their websites are mobile-friendly and will render successfully on mobile devices or smartphones
According to Google, the majority of searches come from mobile devices, even if a desktop is available
51% of all small businesses use in-house staff to maintain their website, 40% use a freelancer or consultant, 38% use a DIY website builder, and 31% use a web design agency
23% of small business websites get updated less than once a year
30% of small businesses with a web presence generate more than 25% of their revenue online
70% of small business websites have no call to action
68% don’t have an email address on the homepage
50% of online sales are lost when visitors can’t find content
82% of small business websites don’t have social media accounts
Small Business Website Statistics – The Cost Factor
More than one quarter (28%) of small businesses spend less than $500 on a website
According to GoDaddy research of more than 1,000 very small businesses, nearly half reported suffering a financial loss due to hacking, with one in eight saying the loss was greater than $5,000 (GoDaddy, 2018)
Most small businesses (47%) spend less than $10,000 on digital marketing (Clutch.co, 2018)
1 in 10 SMBs doesn’t invest in any kind of marketing
71% of small business owners do their own digital marketing, instead of leaving it to experts (Digital.com, 2017)
1 in 5 SMBs doesn’t use digital marketing yet
50% of SMBs spend less than $300 per month on online marketing
62% of small businesses are investing 4% or more of their revenue on marketing (Engage2Connect, 2016)
37% of small businesses plan to increase their digital marketing spend in the next 12 months
47% of small business owners handle marketing efforts on their own (LeadPages)
73% of companies are investing in design to differentiate their brands (Adobe, 2018)
Organizations describing themselves as “design-driven” are 69% more likely than their peers to have exceeded their 2017 business goals by a significant margin
Organizations in which creativity is highly valued are 46% more likely to have exceeded their 2017 business goals (Adobe, 2018)
Small Business Website Statistics – Reasons for Not Having a Website
35% of small business believe they are too small to have a website
31% of small business use social media instead of having a website
26% of small business believe their customers are not online
25% of small business lack technical knowledge
23% of small business believe it is not relevant to their business or industry
22% of small business lack human and/or financial resources
21% of small business use a mobile app instead of a website
19% of small business owners never got around to it
11% of small business don’t see value in it
75% of small business owners see internet marketing as an “effective” or “very effective” tool to attract new customers. Business 2 Community
Key Benefits of Having a Small Business Website
Attracting Online Consumers
Most Americans prefer to shop online, and the number is only going to get bigger as the younger generations grow up in an Internet-dominated world. Despite this, 46% of small businesses do not have a website and 35% feel that their operation is simply too small to warrant a website. This is problematic for many reasons, especially when you consider that the two most important pieces of information a business can display are its address and other contact-related details.
As you can see, even the smallest of businesses can benefit from an online presence. Here are just some of the benefits:
Marketing opportunities increase from a “local” audience to a global audience
Digital sales conversions save time and labor
Elevated brand and greater ability to manage web aesthetic
More cost-effective than brick and mortar
The ability to track marketing and business analytics
When asked what would most improve their businesses in 2017, 32 percent of small business owners in the Capitol One survey cited “increasing advertising and marketing.” But just 14 percent said “creating a website.” These days, however, a website should be the basis of your advertising and marketing efforts. Without one, you can’t hope to compete effectively.
Proving a Better User Experience
Given the choice, modern online consumers prefer to interact with a well-designed website.
Having a website isn’t enough. Implementation and execution matter as well. Your customers’ experiences with your website or e-commerce presence matter and you should certainly have a mobile-first site as well. Of course, that takes a bit of planning ahead. Here are a few essentials you need to consider as you plan the design and functionality of your small business website.
In 2019, a website should, ideally, load in 500 milliseconds, but your page load time should not exceed two seconds.
Every second matters; if your site doesn’t load in four seconds or less, 25% of those who navigated to your site will have left.
A person’s first impression is formed primarily based on the design-related elements of your site, which is also what underlies a person’s judgment on how credible you are as a business
88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience
85% of people think that a company’s mobile website should be as good or better than their desktop website.
57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site
Benefit from E-Commerce and Online Shopping
Most Americans prefer to shop online, so it makes sense to take your business online (even if you have a physical location) so that you can reach as many customers as possible.
74 percent of small business websites have no eCommerce. (SmallBizTrends)
However, e-commerce design and development has its own challenges. And if you want your e-commerce presence to provide you with measurable business results you need to be aware of them. That way you can minimize things such as users who fail to complete transactions, despite placing items in their shopping carts, or users who put their mobile device down and forget to return to their in-progress transaction.
Keep in mind that the average shopping cart abandonment rate is 68.81%. By tweaking checkout flow and design, sellers can recoup up to $260 billion worth of lost orders. It’s also important to ensure that your store website is mobile-first.
58% of mobile revenue comes from mobile websites, as opposed to native apps. (Business Insider)
In 2016 mobile visitors surpassed desktop users for the first time. Yet many small business owners are not aligning their e-commerce presence with that trend! Keep in mind that 80% of smartphone users use mobile phones for shopping research, and 88% of all consumers will reference online reviews before making an in-person purchase.
Cybersecurity and Small Businesses Websites
So you think your small business is not a target for hackers, do you! I urge you to reconsider. Yes, large corporations, and their security breaches get more media attention when it comes to issues regarding cybersecurity. But that does not exclude small business websites from this threat!
In reality hackers, more often than not, target small businesses. 43% of cyber attacks are aimed at small businesses. Yet only 14% are able to mitigate such risks effectively. Here are a few related facts and considerations you should be aware of.
Small Business Website Priorities for 2019 and Beyond
23% plan to create more high-quality content to publish on-site
20% plan to make their website more mobile-friendly
19% plan to make their website more user-friendly
17% plan to improve SEO by optimizing on-site features
12% plan to improve website security
9% have no plans to improve their website
What 2019 Small Business Website Statistics Mean for You
Simply put, not having an effective and engaging small business website is a major obstacle for your business growth and success. Even if you have a brick-and-mortar business potential consumers will look for you online first. If they do not find your small business they will go to one of your competitors. Is that really what you want?
There are many cost-effective options for getting an effective small business website. Proven small business content management systems and reliable website hosting options are a great starting point. By considering website cost factors you can determine what you absolutely need to start, and what you can add to your business website later. There is even a handy guide for small business website creation for you to follow.
As you can see from our small business website statistics not having a business website is just not an option any longer. If you don’t have one you better think about it. And while we really don’t recommend DIY small business web design it is certainly an option. Hiring a professional web designer or agency may cost more, but you will get the website you need to grow your business faster and with less effort.
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Feel free to reach out to us for any questions, guidance, and help with website design, management, and everything in between. - WCS