Recent data collected by the Office for National Statistics has confirmed that less than half of the UK’s micro businesses have a website, with 54% still operating without an online presence. The data was gathered throughout 2015 and based on research of over 11,000 UK businesses that operate in diverse sectors, from the service industry to construction.
In the UK a micro company is defined as an organisation that employs ten staff or fewer. It’s interesting to compare these findings against larger businesses, where 97% of organisations employing over 250 people do have a website.
While larger companies clearly see the value of carving out an online presence for themselves, micro companies are yet to fully realise the impact an effective website could have on their sales. There’s certainly a demand for them, as 8% of all sales for micro businesses in 2015 were generated online – a total of £21.2 billion.
As well as 54% operating without a website, less than a third of micro businesses are utilising social media to reach out to both existing and potential customers. The positive impact of social media marketing and online sales have been widely discussed in recent years, so why are so many small businesses resisting e-commerce?
It’s likely to come down to the simple fact that most business owners don’t have the technical skills to design and develop a website themselves, nor the marketing skills to run an effective social media campaign. For those who own larger businesses, the funds are there to outsource these tasks and work with online professionals to design and build their website. For micro business owners who often have a stricter budget, it’s much more difficult.
So what’s the solution? One option is to work with a WordPress agency to design, build and support an effective website that adds real value to the company. While the up front cost might make some business owners nervous, it’s important that the cost of the website is seen as a long term business investment. The ability to market your goods or services to a global audience can have a hugely positive impact on your sales and completely revolutionise the way you run your business, so the power of a well-executed website should never be underestimated.
For any micro business owners who want to know more about working with an agency to create a business site, our team of WordPress experts are available round the clock to answer questions you have about any step of the process. We’re just a short email away, so head over to our Contact page to send us a message today.
