Self – employment has its benefits and drawbacks. The fact that one can manage their venture with their own free will requires strict protocols, effort and most importantly – exposure. With majority of operations moving towards a digital trajectory, having an online presence is a no-brainer. A website is one of the backbones of your business’ structure/plan. It’s the virtual version of your physical shop where potential customers or clients can engage with your business. Using the internet is a great initiative to expose your business. On average, the amount of users visiting a business on a monthly basis is around 414. There is a statistic of 50% of that traffic coming from organic search results.

Here’s how self employed individuals can benefit from a website:

Generate more exposure for your business

There has been a strong dependency for users on the internet to make use of search engines as a way to navigate to various businesses. It has become more urgent for marketers to be well versed in the way of digital marketing. Google is the most frequently used search engines throughout the industry. According to statistics, Google accounts for 78% of desktop users and 89% of mobile traffic. Around 93% of all web traffic is via search engines. In order for effective ranking, your website needs to be optimised to SEO standards and making use of the practices. Besides SEO, practices ensure that you leverage other platforms to drive traffic to your website. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are driving quite a following of users. Social media has become a cornerstone in digital marketing. One needs to be well versed in terms of content creation in order to drive those users to your site.

A website would be ideal for a local business

Majority of business’ has an audience in and around the local communities. One of their most important clients comes from local communities. Creating a Google My Business profile with legitimate links are more than likely to show up in search results. By adding your business location or where you operate from, the search engines will rank your site to an audience that’s situated within the same area. Whenever you decide to branch out into new locations, you won’t have to change much. When your business is listed under a My business account, search engines can pick up on the type of products and services that are listed under your account. For example, if you are a business selling kitchen appliances/cookware and someone types in ‘pots for sale’, your business will show up in the search results. A Google My Business account makes it more convenient for visitors to get on board. It is highly recommended.

Create a reputation and trust within your business

Having little to no online presence in the times that we’re living in can raise eyebrows. It has shifted in a way that it seems odd that a business doesn’t have a website to conduct it’s dealing through. “Can I trust this company?” “Is the company professional?” “Can I rely on this business to provide me with the expected products or service?”. Based on recent statistics, 56% of people wouldn’t trust a business without a website. Your site creates a level of trustworthiness in your clients.

Take note of your data

Overtime, your website will gather data from various analytic platforms such Google Analytics. With this data, you can record the purchasing behavior of your website visitors. This can be highly beneficial to you and your business so that you are aware of when to promote your products/services at the right time and right place on your site. Knowing where the most traction on your website is situated, is really important as that is where you’ll gain the most exposure for anything that’s important.

For those that are freelancers or their own boss in this case, a website would be an excellent starting point. Not only does it provide your business with the correct exposure, it also allows you to sell online. Through a website, you can enhance your business’ reputation, trustworthiness and increase sales by focusing on what works and what doesn’t work for your business.