A recent study found that just under half of all small
businesses have a website, and just under 40% of them don't plan to
have a website. About 10% of businesses, we can quickly calculate,
are planning to get themselves a website pretty soon and haven't
gotten around to it yet.
Are you one of those websites?
Let's look a little closer at that data. "Small businesses,"
according to the survey, includes all businesses making up to $10
million per year. How do the numbers break down when we look at the
percentages of businesses having websites, by revenue?
- 45% - Revenues of $100,000 to $499,000
- 49% - Revenues of $500,000 to $999,000
- 69% - Revenues of $1.0 Million to $2.49 Million
- 67% - Revenues of $2.5 Million to $4.9 Million
- 73% - Revenues of $5.0 Million to $10 Million
Since the average is just under half, we can see that those
businesses clearing less than $100,000 a year are even less likely
to have websites.
It's a pretty clear pattern: the larger your business, the more
likely you are to have a website.
But which is the cause and which the effect? That is, are we
looking at a situation where a more successful business can afford
a website, or a situation in which a business with a website is
more successful?
You're online looking for information right now. And in fact,
the internet is now the #1 source of consumer information in the
United States. People head to their computers before, and instead
of, using phone books. 79% of consumers prepare for shopping trips
by going online. And the younger or more affluent the consumers,
the more likely they are to do research online before they
shop.
If your business has no website, or a website that is not
appealing to your customers, they'll never reach your place of
business. They'll go to your competitor, who has a website that
appeals to them.
This may sound like a hard truth, but looked at another way,
it's an opportunity. Your business can be the one with the
great website. If you're one of the 10% of small businesses that
just hasn't gotten around to building a website yet, don't delay
any longer. Call Onsharp now at 701.356.9010 and see how easy and
affordable it is to get an online presence.
If you're one of the 40% of small businesses that doesn't plan
to get a website at all, then you may need to look more closely at
the figures above. Which group would you rather be in?