Websites have proved to be a saving grace for millions of businesses worldwide. Just like internet connections have become the backbone of operations in many industries. The website helped many businesses stay afloat, be in contact with customers, and even offer online sales.
How important are websites?
The answers lie in the simple fact that the website domain name sales have skyrocketed in March 2020. Most of this spike is because of COVID, virus, pandemic related registration but the fact remains there are more websites on the way.
Many people who hated being in front of computer screens have no other option now. COVID lockdowns have pushed people into the online world in a way that has turned out to be a beneficial scenario for online businesses. And this also reasserts the fact that there will be more users online now than ever before. And hence there are two most important reasons why you should have a website;
- To stay operational by shifting operations online
- Increase sale by marketing your brand online
The internet traffic increased by around a quarter in major cities across the globe according to a major provider Cloudflare who deals with encryption and security of millions of websites. Video calls have replaced face-to-face interaction with colleagues, family, and friends. Stay-at-home on-demand entertainment has found new subscribers. Online shopping, gaming, studies, tutoring, and whatnot. Everything is going online to maintain social distancing norms.
In this new world, websites have become the face of many businesses. As more and more shops close their doors due to lack of footfall in stores, websites are much more cost-effective and keep the businesses rolling. Websites provide many features like;
- Showcasing brand
- Product or service portfolio
- Image gallery
- Video gallery
- Communication
- Grievance handling
- Live support on chats
- E-commerce
- Payment gateways
- And more…
Earlier businesses maintained websites as a secondary face but now it has become the primary face. Many businesses have upscaled their websites, many are getting them now but for sure the ones who had the website are in luck.
A website can help businesses reach out to customers and facilitate the sale. The businesses who need them the most in the COVID scenario are;
- Clothing outlets
- Food or Restaurant outlets
- Almost all non-essential service/goods providers
As these businesses are the first to be shut down during a lockdown, they must have a second face to keep operational. A website can help with features like an online menu, ordering and payments.
Mobile apps are another very good option, but they are hard to develop, cost more and difficult to maintain. Web pages, websites or landing pages on the other hand come in easy.
There are plenty of options available online where you can design your web pages quickly if your design and features expectations are not very high, e.g.
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Godaddy builder
- Shopify
But if you are looking for a more sophisticated website with feature like;
- Dynamic content
- Portfolio
- Backend to manage website
- E-commerce or online ordering
- Online payments
- Order management
- Inventory management etc…
- Responsive design
It’s best to approach a web design and development agency in Toronto (GTA) region that can develop a custom website solution for you just as you want it. A website can be an online brochure for some businesses but for those who want to get the most out of it a web design & development agency is a must. A web agency with good experience and knowledge can help develop a website that can fully support business operations and help get through tough times like lockdowns.
The sooner businesses realize the fact, the more are the chances of them surviving.
