Rule 101 nowadays for any business - existing or just starting up, is you must have an online presence. Being online doesn't mean just having a Facebook page. For starters, not everyone uses Facebook, nor do they spend endless hours flicking through posts. People are busy. Consumers today are more targeted and will want more information about your service or products and they'll want that from an easy to find website. Consumers also "judge a book by its cover" and if the website is old, hasn't been maintained, is too "texty" or is just not user friendly, especially on a mobile - the visitor will move on quickly.

The quality of your website and the experience the visitor receives is of the utmost important. A website doesn't need to be 20 pages long - it may just be a single landing page, that is clear, fresh and easy to understand what your product or service is offering.

Going to WiX or Squarespace and signing up for a DIY website doesn't cut it - unless you're a pretty good designer. Most small businesses are really good at their "craft" and not great marketers or in this case, website designers. Agencies provide these services, but they can be super pricey, which can often kill a small business's cashflow in the early days - when a website is so needed. There has to be a better way.

A good website is needed for numerous business reasons - all critical to promoting and validating that you are a credible business:

• Your BRAND: you need to tell people about your brand, what it represents, and why a potential customer needs it. If you are missing a website, how can a digital consumer compare you against the competition and make a buying decision?

• Your business CREDIBILITY: buyers do research. If they can't find your business online, they immediately think "dodgy". Now not every business will get to the top of a Google search, but buyers are often more canny than that and will use specific words to narrow down what they are seeking. This is why your SEO MetaData of Title, Description and Keywords is an absolute must for every page on your website, during its build, and ongoing maintenance. Otherwise how else will visitors find you! Once found, you immediately become credible. Go a step further and create a Google Business Profile, which then allows people to find you on Google Maps. The Business profile is not simple to set up, as Google will apply extensive verifications to ensure your business is real and tangible. It will then allow you to verify you are the true owner of the website, and link it to your profile. Another huge step forward in ensuring the credibility of your business.

• Being SEO Optimized: mentioned above, it is key that every page and the site as a whole has at a minimum applied the correct SEO MetaData for page Title, Description and Keywords. Be sure to also comply with Google's 60 character limit for a title and 160 character limit for a page description. Also ensure each page has different MetaData. Completing this gives you a chance that Google's crawlers will find you and you may get found in a Google search. Also be sure to add your website to Google's Search Console too.

• Getting Customer LEADS: using your website to attract customer interest is a key asset in your quiver of business tools. Simple things like a website form to join a Newsletter (make sure you write and issue one), or by completing a form a visitor receives a "prize" which could be in the form of a "How To" video or a downloadable Guide relevant to your products and services. You have now acquired a lead and can be applied to your next Marketing Campaign over email or text. You can even take this a step further and apply triggers and automated workflows, so when a lead is received (which is the the trigger), a preset workflow, can send them something, followed up maybe 3 days with another offer perhaps. The options here get kind of limitless as to what you can do with some email marketing automation.

• Latest NEWS: your website is a great way to inform your audience about new and exciting things happening in your business. Perhaps a new event, or a back to school popup that provides a certain discount on purchases for a limited time only.

• Selling ONLINE: once you have your digital presence established via a great website, you can now take a step up and sell your products or services online through an online eCommerce StoreFront and/or through a Booking Portal on your website where you can take bookings for your services 24/7 and even take upfront payments. Customers love this, as making a phone call (that doesn't always get answered) often isn't appealing or convenient and customers will often want to make bookings online and/or purchases out of hours when your 'bricks 'n mortar' store is closed - that's super appealing, and great for those many visitors who enjoy shopping and doing business online.

• MARKETING your Business: getting your website setup early is key so the likes of the Google and Bing search engines can find you, but also so you can start attracting people to your website (to enquire / purchase / book online) through digital marketing. Digital marketing can be as simple as sending out valuable email campaigns, to your customer base. It's also key that in every transaction you have with a customer (existing or potential), you should try and get their email address wherever possible. You can then market your offerings to them.