Table of Contents
Before discussing why websites are important in Malaysia, let’s look at some statistics regarding the internet world. According to the statistics, only 37.8% of businesses have a web presence in 2017 and only about one in three businesses in Malaysia have implemented digital transformation strategies. However, there were 27.43 millions Malaysians who are internet users, which constitutes a large part of the total population.
These results have proved that people are more willing or even prefer to stay online instead of hanging out. If you have a website, not only you can sell your products or services remotely, but also will enhance your business presence and be able to incorporate marketing strategies flexibly.
Different types of websites have their own pros and objectives. Set up a website that meets your intentions and take advantage and opportunities of modern digitalisation. Below, we have classified the importance for
- Personal Website
- Commercial Website
- E-Commerce website
Why Personal Website?
1. Digital Portfolio
Digital portfolio is more like your resume but in a digital way and is more creative and informative than the resume. Other than having your working experience, all kinds of certificates and your strengths, you can also showcase your other creative works through videos or images on your personal website.
For instance, in addition to your academic performance, you may also be an expert in the fields of drawing, designing and writing, which is a space for you to show off and display all your creative contents in one site. Of course, you can share those on your social media such as Instagram and/or Pinterest, however, it does have some limitations and lack customizability. On your personal website, you can customise your website layout to display your works in an ideal way.
Owning a personal website makes it easier to promote yourself especially if you are looking for a job or have some creative works to show but don’t know where to share. If you are looking for a job, it is good to have a digital portfolio as it helps the employer know more about you and helps build your profile as an expert in the area.
2. Branding Purpose
Websites are important for companies to create brand image and also to communicate with their customers. This applies to personal ones too. You can use the personal website as a powerful tool to communicate yourself or your brand to potential customers and others who may be searching you on Google.
Personal website is a channel for you to introduce yourself through visual presentation. By having your own website, you get to control the contents on your website and display whatever you want others to see. For example, you can customize the background, fonts and layout of the website to suit your personality and make it as your unique online profile. This is meaningful but needs to be carefully planned.
In such a competitive world, you need to have an ability to stand out from the crowds in order to get success. Therefore, having a personal website may be a great way for you as it provides you with an opportunity to develop and establish your own detailed information that defines who you are and what you are about. This allows searchers to know you better and leave a deep impression on you, especially if your personal website is well-designed and attractive.
The Importance of Commercial Website
1. Increase Visibility
Business website provides you with an opportunity to appear more frequently in the eyes of people and makes more people know the brand of your business. Nowadays, the most frequent place people go to when they are looking for the products or services they need is online.
How can people consider or choose you if they can’t find your business? Can you imagine how many customers you might lose from not having a business website? This is why it is crucial to have an online presence for your business as it will increase your business’ visibility. Having a website for your business makes it easier for people to find you and discover your services, especially if your website is optimized with SEO.
Apart from this, being visible in the online world means you are more likely to gain more customers because it provides you a way to drastically increase your customer base. Once people find your business online and become interested in your services or products, they will be able to contact you through your websites or from the contact information on your website. This will increase the possibility of visitors becoming your customers, and ultimately increase your business’ sales.
2. Establish Trust and Credibility
If you are trying to get success with your business in today’s modern marketplace, you should definitely have a website for your business. It is undoubtedly that having a website will highly impact your business presence and credibility in consumers’ minds.
Having a business website is extremely crucial for establishing trust and it’s an opportunity for you to persuade them why to trust you. The fact is, consumers will purchase from you only when you have built trust with them. People tend to search for the information online pre-purchase so that they can ensure the company is reliable and can be trusted. From this perspective, a website has to be well-designed such as concise contents and user-friendly navigations in order to make a great first impression.
Without a website, it will be really hard for consumers to reach you and get reliable information on your business. People will begin to doubt your business legitimacy or might think your business isn’t successful if you don’t have a business website and there is a high possibility that they will not avail your services. Noting that establishing a quality website for your business is the most simple way to distinguish you from your rivals and credibility is the most important reason for needing a website.
3. Show Professionalism
The first impression of consumers on a business will determine their final decision to a certain extent. So, you must show your professionalism to consumers at first sight in order to get a good first impression. Having a commercial website is the best and easiest way to convey your professionalism.
No doubt that most consumers think that a company with a business website looks more professional than a company with no website or just has a social media profile. If they have a few options, then the company with a business website will definitely appear at the front of their mind and become their preferred choice. This is true as having a website for your business makes consumers feel more reliable and have more trust in your business.
In addition, there is no other better place than a commercial website for you to show off your awards or professional certificates, which will highlight your professionalism in the related field. By showing these on your website, consumers can clearly distinguish the difference between your business’ strength and professional knowledge and your competitors who don’t have a commercial website. This can definitely make your business stand out and look more professional than ever.
E-Commerce Website
1. Convenient and Receive Feedback
The feature of an e-commerce website is to allow the customers to buy from you every time and everywhere. Online shopping has been a trend in recent days and many people prefer to do their shopping by just a tap of their fingers instead of spending their time going to the physical store. You allow your customers to get everything they want and need at home is an additional advantage for those who are in a hassle to get out of their home.
Also, the 24/7 services of e-commerce websites are convenient for those who are busy with their work and only have little time to spend on purchasing. The around the clock services enable the customers to get the detailed information of the products anytime, such as the quality and usage of the products. Otherwise, they have to wait until the next day and waste their time going to the physical store.
From the business owner perspective, you can obtain the feedback from your customers to improve your products or services for enhancing customer satisfaction. Rather than asking your customers to provide feedback one by one, expressing their feedback and comments regarding the products online will be more efficient and convenient.
2. Worldwide Business
Taking your business online will expand your market reach and enter into different markets. E-commerce websites allow you to put your products for sale anywhere in the world and are not limited to the geographic area that you can serve. Hence, people from around the world can easily browse and purchase the products or services from you regardless of the place and time zone they are in. If you compare the amount of consumers you can reach through a physical store to the amount of consumers you can reach through a website, you definitely know the importance of having an e-commerce website because its market is endless.
Merely owning a traditional store for your business is no longer enough these days. More and more people start to shop online rather than the physical store one-by-one as it is too time-consuming and has limited options. By shopping online, consumers can purchase from any store in the world and not limited to the stores in their geographical area only. Obviously, e-commerce websites play an important role here and businesses without e-commerce websites will lose a huge market share. With an e-commerce website, your business will be able to grow faster and become stronger.
3. Less Overheads
When it comes to the internet, many things are getting cheaper and this includes establishing an online store. For business owners, it is critical for them to save money during the entire business process and only spend on the necessaries.
Both the variable and fixed costs for establishing an online store is relatively cheaper than opening a physical store. If you have a physical store, you have to pay for monthly rental fees, utility bills, inventory costs and a large team of employees’ salary, in contrast, most of these costs can be saved with e-commerce. Firstly, you don’t need lots of employees to run the business online,you might only need a few for customer services and stock packaging. Additionally, your expenses will be reduced since you are working remotely and those utility bills, security measures and shop rental fees can be ignored.
If you can spend little and get the same or even better sales, why do you have to spend more? You can’t deny that e-commerce has helped lower the costs for business owners especially for start-ups which might have limited budgets. The difference in costs between running business online and physically may translate to cost savings for customers, this in turn becomes your competitive advantage and is able to attract more sales for your business.
Overview
So now, you should have a clear understanding of why having a website is important to you. Website is a powerful marketing tool and the benefits it can bring to you is more than what you can think of. No matter the size of your business or the purpose of your website, it can be your best online asset.
In today’s modern marketplace, you need to have a website to successfully do business here and interact with this world. If you don’t have a website, you may fall behind or be eliminated in fierce competition. This is definitely not what you wish to happen to yourself or your company.
Although building a website may cost you some money, the value it can generate is definitely worth it and will exceed this amount in both financial and non-financial aspects. Actually, the cost of building a website is not necessarily expensive, it depends on the way you build it. If you don’t own a website yet, build it now and enjoy the fruits!
