{"id":5415,"date":"2013-03-14T11:07:10","date_gmt":"2013-03-14T16:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=5415"},"modified":"2016-08-24T15:52:20","modified_gmt":"2016-08-24T20:52:20","slug":"is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"take<\/a><\/p>\n

As a small business owner, deciding when to make the leap to website ownership can be challenging. After all, you\u2019ve got dozens of other tasks on your 'to do'\u009d list why should you waste time building a website if you aren\u2019t even sure that your customers will visit it?<\/p>\n

Well, the answer to that question is pretty simple. \u00a0Research conducted by marketing agency Hubspot indicates<\/a> that as many as 78% of consumers conduct product research online before making purchases, meaning that if your business isn\u2019t online, you\u2019re missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with potential customers!<\/p>\n

Of course, that isn\u2019t the only reason to take your small business online. \u00a0Consider all of the following issues before making the decision that\u2019s right for your company:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Website creation is easier (and less expensive) than ever before<\/h3>\n

In the past, building a new website required specialized knowledge and potentially even a sizeable budget. \u00a0Considering the circumstance, it was reasonable for small businesses to weigh the costs of getting online with the advantages such a move would bring about.<\/p>\n

However, the number of different web building technologies that have come out since the Internet\u2019s early days have effectively negated this conversation. \u00a0Now, small business owners have access to dozens of different tools that can have a professional-looking website up and running in just a few hours including everything from our own Website Builder<\/a>\u00a0to WordPress<\/a>, which allows webmasters to form everything from blogs to fully-fledged e-commerce systems with just a few clicks of the mouse.<\/p>\n

Put simply, the idea that website creation is complicated or expensive just hasn\u2019t stood the test of time. \u00a0If you\u2019re still clinging to these ideas, take a few moments to learn about the many different tools and programs that can help you to create a business website quickly and affordably.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Your customers are already talking about you online a website helps you to control the conversation!<\/h3>\n

\"customer<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, as a business owner, you likely already know that just because something is cheap and easy to do doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s a necessity for your company! \u00a0But the importance of taking your small business online goes far deeper'\u00a6<\/p>\n

Many small businesses opt-out of website creation because they fail to see how the time and resources needed to maintain a web presence can fit into their already-packed 'to do'\u009d lists and cash-strapped budgets. \u00a0Unfortunately, this is shortsighted. \u00a0Even if you haven\u2019t invested in the creation of a small business website, you have a web presence but it\u2019s your customers that are controlling the conversation.<\/p>\n

Today, consumer interactions don\u2019t occur in a bubble. \u00a0If a customer is frustrated, he doesn\u2019t just tell his close friends he tells the entire world through review websites, social media networks and other varied web outlets. \u00a0And if your company isn\u2019t there to either refute claims or make amends, this feedback whether positive or negative is the only thing future customers will find when they look for your business using the search engines.<\/p>\n

Obviously, simply having a website won\u2019t prevent your business from receiving negative reviews or critical feedback online. \u00a0But by being a part of the conversation, you demonstrate that your business is committed to its customers, preventing your company from losing clients that might otherwise go to your competitors on the basis of your minimal web presence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Having a website makes your business 'discoverable'\u009d by potential customers<\/h3>\n

Believe me losing customers to your competitors is a valid concern if your company fails to maintain a web presence. \u00a0Consumers today make it a habit to research companies online before they do business. \u00a0If you don\u2019t come up in this search because you don\u2019t have an active website (or, if your pages convey a dated look that\u2019s better suited to 1996), you miss out on even being included in this critical initial research process in the first place.<\/p>\n

But it isn\u2019t just potential customers using search engines that you risk alienating by failing to maintain a web presence. \u00a0Many other consumer research tools including GPS devices, local business aggregator sites and review platforms like Yelp and Google Places all draw information from your company\u2019s website. \u00a0If this web property doesn\u2019t exist, your business may not appear in consumer searches, leading to yet another loss of potential customers.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is this: Your small business needs a website, and it needs one now. \u00a0Fortunately, using any of the different website building tools that are available today makes the process as simple and painless as possible so pick your favorite program and launch your company\u2019s new website today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a small business owner, deciding when to make the leap to website ownership can be challenging. After all, you\u2019ve…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":124,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-web-and-hosting-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nIs it Time to Take Your Small Business Online? - HostGator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a small business owner, deciding when to make the leap to website ownership can be challenging. After all, you\u2019ve...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HostGator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HostGator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-03-14T16:07:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-08-24T20:52:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Taylor Hawes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@HostGator\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HostGator\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Taylor Hawes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Taylor Hawes\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0519034239a8d6785a8238586f2f2754\"},\"headline\":\"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online?\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-03-14T16:07:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-08-24T20:52:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/\"},\"wordCount\":796,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Web Hosting Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/\",\"name\":\"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online? - HostGator\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-03-14T16:07:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-08-24T20:52:20+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg\",\"width\":610,\"height\":406},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"HostGtaor\",\"description\":\"Web Hosting and Marketing Tips for Entrepreneurs\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"HostGtaor\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cropped-HG-Logo_default-default.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cropped-HG-Logo_default-default.png\",\"width\":1092,\"height\":215,\"caption\":\"HostGtaor\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HostGator\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/HostGator\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hostgator\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/hostgator-com\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/hostgator\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/hostgator\"],\"email\":\"support@gator.com\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0519034239a8d6785a8238586f2f2754\",\"name\":\"Taylor Hawes\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/621bb8fba21c42d3c9e6100fa1c1a505?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/621bb8fba21c42d3c9e6100fa1c1a505?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Taylor Hawes\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/author\/singlegrain\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online? - HostGator","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online?","og_description":"As a small business owner, deciding when to make the leap to website ownership can be challenging. After all, you\u2019ve...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/","og_site_name":"HostGator","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HostGator","article_published_time":"2013-03-14T16:07:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-08-24T20:52:20+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg"}],"author":"Taylor Hawes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@HostGator","twitter_site":"@HostGator","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Taylor Hawes","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/"},"author":{"name":"Taylor Hawes","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0519034239a8d6785a8238586f2f2754"},"headline":"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online?","datePublished":"2013-03-14T16:07:10+00:00","dateModified":"2016-08-24T20:52:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/"},"wordCount":796,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg","articleSection":["Web Hosting Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/","name":"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online? - HostGator","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg","datePublished":"2013-03-14T16:07:10+00:00","dateModified":"2016-08-24T20:52:20+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/take-your-small-business-online.jpg","width":610,"height":406},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/is-it-time-to-take-your-small-business-online\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is it Time to Take Your Small Business Online?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/","name":"HostGtaor","description":"Web Hosting and Marketing Tips for Entrepreneurs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HostGtaor","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cropped-HG-Logo_default-default.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cropped-HG-Logo_default-default.png","width":1092,"height":215,"caption":"HostGtaor"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HostGator","https:\/\/x.com\/HostGator","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hostgator","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/hostgator-com","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/hostgator\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/hostgator"],"email":"support@gator.com"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0519034239a8d6785a8238586f2f2754","name":"Taylor Hawes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/621bb8fba21c42d3c9e6100fa1c1a505?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/621bb8fba21c42d3c9e6100fa1c1a505?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Taylor Hawes"},"url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/author\/singlegrain\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5415"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/124"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5415"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12015,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5415\/revisions\/12015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}