You want to reach more customers?
You want to provide a better customer experience?
You want to crush the competition?
Here’s how:
If you have a small business, you absolutely need a website. It can be a cornerstone of your efforts to grow and succeed.
The next few amazing statistics will tell you what percentage of small businesses have a website and you’ll see why:
Fascinating Facts And Small Business Statistics 2019
- Less than 64% of small businesses have a website.
- 70-80% of people research a company online before visiting it or making a purchase.
- 58% of small businesses without websites plan to create one in 2019.
- 94% of small business websites are mobile friendly.
- Only 17% of small businesses invest in SEO.
- 43% of small business owners’ strategy for improving revenue growth is improving customer experience and retention.
- 70-80% of potential customers could be lost to businesses without a website.
It’s clear that businesses have to keep up with technologies and people’s expectations.
Now let’s dig deeper! We’ll discover the hidden facts that influence what percentage of small businesses have a website. We’ll also answer the question “Why do small businesses need a website?”
1. Less than two-thirds of small businesses have a website.
(Source: Blue Corona)
- More than 36% of small businesses don’t have a website.
- 35% of small businesses think their operation is too small to need a website.
- 58% of small businesses that don’t have a website plan to build one in 2019.
Small business owners may feel they don’t need a website or that it’s too much work and a waste of money. However, now more and more business owners realize that having a website is a necessity and a great advantage, and they are hurrying to build one. Here is why:
2. 70-80% of people research a company online before visiting it or making a purchase.
(Source: Blue Corona)
This automatically means:
- 70-80% of potential customers are lost to businesses without websites.
Unfortunately,
- Only 17% of small businesses invest in SEO.
This means they’re not always on the first page of Google, which may discourage customers.
Moreover,
- 30% consider keeping up with technology advances a major challenge for small business owners.
But here are more small business website statistics:
3. In 2019, 94% of small business websites are mobile friendly.
(Source: Blue Corona)
- In 2018, 81% of SMB websites were mobile friendly.
- Over 80% of internet users own a smartphone.
- Over 57% of US online traffic comes from smartphones and tablets.
For a website to be easily accessible on mobile can be the difference between making a sale and not. Customers are used to checking everything online, even while they’re outside, meaning they’re mainly using their smartphones to do that.
4. Websites statistics show 53% of mobile website visits are abandoned if a mobile site needs longer than 3 seconds to load.
(Source: Blue Corona)
- For every 1 second delay in site load time, conversions fall by 12%.
- 84% of users would abandon a purchase if the connection is not secure.
- In 2018, 52.2% of worldwide online traffic was generated through cell phones, up from 50.3% in 2017.
People readily use their mobile devices to research businesses and make purchases. If your website is not mobile friendly, fast, and secure, the possibility to lose clients is huge.
Let’s explore consumers’ behavior some more.
5. In the US and Canada, 88.5% of people are internet users.
(Source: The Balance Small Business)
That’s why your business needs a website.
- US consumers spent $453.46 billion on online retail purchases in 2017, which was a 16% increase compared with $390.99 billion in 2016.
- Retail e-commerce sales are forecast to reach over $684 billion in 2020.
- In Canada, ecommerce sales reached $40 billion in 2018.
In short, most people are online, and this allows them to generate huge amounts of sales every year. Unsurprisingly, these numbers are forecast to only grow.
However, some small business owners are still reluctant to maintain a website.
6. Small businesses say irrelevance to industry (27%), cost (26%), and social media (21%) are key reasons behind their decision not to have a website.
(Source: Top Digital)
However, websites often prove to be profitable. Those who are still skeptical need to check these statistics on small businesses – the numbers speak louder than words:
- 91% of people have visited a store because of an online experience.
- 37% use the internet to find a store at least once a month.
- 68% of consumers who search locally on their smartphones visit a store within 24 hours, and almost 50% make a purchase within a day.
Amazing! It seems that a website can be the magical tool you might be lacking to get more visits, customers, and of course, sales. Social media is not all there is, and it’s certainly not enough.
Maybe I’m old school, but so are many others who will take a traditional website over a flashy Facebook page.
And what do you mean, websites are not relevant to your industry? Whatever you’re selling, you can promote it through a website nowadays! From pest control and tires, through cupcakes, all the way to insurance. You name it.
I bet you $5 you won’t find an industry that’s not worth building a website for. If you’ll be the first to do it – do it. You won’t regret it – you’ll be ahead of the competition, a pioneer in your sphere, and perhaps a wealthy genius!
Cost won’t be a problem for long then, as you will soon start to profit from your website.
Anyway, let’s continue because there are even more small business stats and facts.
7. 19% of small business owners who currently don’t have a website believe that their business would grow 25% in 3 years or less with the help of a website.
(Source: WPForms)
These owners have the right idea. What are they waiting for then? Maybe they’re still worried about the cost? Here’s the good news:
- More than 28% of small businesses that have a website have spent less than $500 dollars on it.
- 30% of people would rather return to a website they’ve purchased from before.
Having a dependable website you can go to is such a relief!
By the way, people’s beliefs work for you too:
- 71% believe they get a better deal online, even if the item isn’t on sale.
Here are more benefits of having a website in statistics:
8. 55% of people will search online for reviews and recommendations before making a purchase, with 47% checking the company’s website.
(Source: WPForms)
That’s a great idea actually. Do you see why it’s such a huge boost to have a website where people can leave reviews? If there are none, potential customers might get discouraged.
If you’re worried people will post mean reviews and ruin you, don’t be!
- 92% of all online feedback is thought to be positive, 6% is neutral, and only 2% is negative.
This means that online feedback is much more likely to give your business a boost.
- 47% of consumers share their feedback on the seller’s website, followed by Facebook with 31%.
That’s only logical. The seller’s website is the main stop toward their destination. The hidden implication is – you’ll get feedback on how to improve your offers AND build a relationship with your customer base.
Luckily,
- 43% of small business owners’ strategy for boosting revenue growth includes improving customer experience and retention.
Soon more and more owners will realize that providing great customer experience is key to recognition and sales. Part of that is maintaining a useful website where customers can leave a review.
Here are some more tips for you:
9. Websites with blog content have 434% more search engine indexed web pages.
(Source: WPForms)
- Publishing 16 blog posts a month will get you on average around 3.5 times more business.
- Companies that blog receive 97% more links to their website.
Definitely consider adding some blog posts to your business website. Then you’ll reap the rewards.
So these were all the reasons to have a website. Just avoid these mistakes:
10. 23% of people will abandon their carts immediately if you’ve made it necessary to create an account at checkout.
(Source: WPForms)
It literally pays to give your visitors freedom as to whether to create an account or not. They just want a smooth and speedy purchase process – otherwise, people might get impatient.
- You lose 50% of online sales when visitors can’t find content.
- 23% of small business websites get updated less than once a year.
- 68% don’t have an email address on the homepage.
The key points here are: update your website regularly and provide relevant content. Add your email address on the homepage – that way customers can easily reach you. Communication is crucial. Make their buyer’s journey a breeze!
Okay, now let’s see if we’re missing anything.
Common Questions
Here is what people ask on Google regarding small business and smb websites:
What percentage of businesses are small businesses in the US?
Small businesses (businesses with less than 500 employees) comprise 99.7% of all businesses in the US. Click To Tweet
That’s the majority! If you’re wondering “Do I need a website?”, just look at the numbers!
Why is a website important for a small business?
80% of people research a business online before making a purchase or even going to the store. Without one, all these potential customers will be lost. Moreover, businesses with websites appear more credible – which is a big deal when people are deciding where to spend their money. It’s also a no-nonsense way of advertising for any SMB. Besides, a website allows you to sell online 24/7. What’s not to like?
Does having a website increase business?
A website makes you easier to discover. With websites being among the top 3 sources of new customers, it’s ridiculous to miss out on the extra clients. And generating about $25,000 over the course of 5 years from a website alone is easy.
Why having a good website is important?
You need a fast and mobile-friendly website with regular updates and relevant content. Anything less than that will leave your visitors unimpressed.
A good website is also effortless to use and allows visitors to receive support. Making sure that’s true attracts new clients like moths to a flame. If you’re not convinced you need all that, just take another look at all the stats on small businesses we have here.
It’s all in the details, you know?
So let’s be clear – the answer to “Do I need a website for my small business?” is “Definitely!” You’ll be way ahead of the companies in your niche without websites.
In business, there’s rarely an opportunity to instantly come out ahead of your competition (or even part of it). Having a meaningful online presence through your website provides exactly that.
Wrapping Up
Good job for getting this far!
Now you know why small businesses need a website, and how important and profitable it can be to have one. A simple mobile-friendly website with an eye-catching design can do wonders. Take this further by making it helpful for your clients, and you’ll see your customer reach and sales skyrocket – both online and offline.
Take advantage of what you’ve just learned and take the opportunity to advertise your business online. Having an active website will help you grow faster and attract more clients.
Weren’t these facts about what percentage of small businesses have a website just mind-blowing?
Good luck and ‘till next time!
