The short answer is: very.

Great, thanks for reading.

Ok, I’m kidding. The long answer is that even for Melbourne-based businesses with a physical shop front in a busy area, having a great website is a crucial part of your marketing plan.

Fact: Four out of five consumers search online for a local business.  That means a bunch of people are searching online right now for a local business just like yours. Don’t believe me? How many times have you searched online for a local business because you wanted to buy something right away? I’m guessing plenty.

Your website is basically the first thing that new customers come across that represents your business. Think of it like your second shop window.

So what’s that (virtual) shop front look like?

Is your website something that you got your cousin’s kid to do up for you. And did you kinda write the website copy over a bottle of wine, cursing each sentence as you went, and finishing it all with a dose of “yeah, that’ll do”?

Do you even have a website for your local business?

Now I can tell what you’re thinking. It’s not like you sell stuff online, so why worry about what your online presence looks like. When people come into your store, they’ll instantly see what you’re about/how awesome your products are/what great service you have, etc.

But my point is, people won’t even come into your store if your website is boring and unclear. I mean, there are so many candle stores/raw vegan cafes/vintage clothing stores in Melbourne. Hell, there’s half a million of them just on High street in Northcote. How are you going to stand out from the rest and convince customers to go out of their way to visit you?

Don’t wait for your customers to actually walk through your door to start showing them what makes your business brilliant and unique. Invest in making your website a perfect representation of what they can expect, and you’ll attract more of your ideal customers who will be ready to buy.

Need help getting your website copy done, without all the hair pulling? I specialise in copywriting for Melbourne businesses to get you more customers and more enquiries through clever online content.

Original image from: Flickr/State Library of Victoria