These days, many small business owners are fully aware of just how important it is for companies of any size, and in any field, to have their own website so that consumers can find them more easily online. However, the fact of the matter is that there are some entrepreneurs who are content to go without, even as experts caution doing so will be to their detriment.
There may be any number of reasons that companies may choose not to have their own websites, according to a report from the Associated Press. Perhaps chief among them is that many small business owners might not think they have the technical know-how to put together their own sites, and therefore simply haven’t looked into how easy many online services may make it these days, with options as simple as drag-and-drop to set up even relatively complex looking websites. Similarly, many may also be afraid of the cost of setting up such a site, despite the fact that there are a number of free options online that may allow people to build something quickly and easily.
However, another major impediment to having a site that many owners who still think they’re fine without one is that they don’t have the time to either set it up or maintain it, the report said. This is perhaps the most serious of these problems, but experts say that it’s often vital to future success to make that investment early.
“I’ve just been too busy,” says Bill Peatman, owner of a company that actually creates content for other companies’ websites, told the news agency. “I haven’t come up with a plan with what I want to do. People don’t think you exist [if you don’t have a site]. I want to grow. I want to build my own reputation and brand.”
How widespread is the problem?
The most recent data from Google suggests that as many as 55 percent of small businesses nationwide don’t have their own website, the report said. That’s actually up from 58 percent, but the fact of the matter is that it’s still a staggering number to many experts.
Owners who know that having their own site is crucial may want to look for ways they can better afford to devote resources to it, such as by cutting small business insurance expenses. Finding reduced premiums for liability insurance, for example, could save a company thousands annually.
