If you're a business owner on the fence about creating a website, I'll save you some time if you need one. A good one. A professionally designed, lead-catching, sales-increasing, brand-differentiating website.

Here's why:

Digital advancement starts with a website. If that's not enough to convince you, here are eight non-negotiable reasons you need not just a website, but an optimized, accessible one.

Most consumers won't consider a business without a website

We live in a digital age and therefore your website is your number one marketing asset. People spend on average 23.6 hours online per week and are on their mobile devices for up to five hours per day. By now, consumers expect companies to have an online presence (including a website) and will consider a company that DOESN'T have one as less professional.

People are searching for you online

One of the benefits of having a website for small businesses is to be where your consumers are. There's a reason so many companies invest in a website with search engine optimization (SEO): 97 per cent of people go online to find a local business, and 93 per cent of online experiences begin with a search engine. Believe it or not, there are 3.5 billion searches on Google per day, and at this very moment, there is someone in your area online searching for your exact service. Guess who's getting their business? Not you.

The majority of consumers use websites to find and engage with businesses

According to LSA's (Local Search Association) 2019 report,'' The Digital Consumer Study,'' 63 per cent of consumers primarily use a company's website to find and engage with businesses. That's a pretty big chunk of consumers. Combine that with the fact that 93 per cent of online experiences begin with a search engine you do the math. Another compelling reason your business needs a website? Research by YellowPages and LSA found that, on average, consumers use approximately three sources before making an individual purchase decision, and 30 per cent automatically strike a business from consideration if they don't have a website.

Commercial Transactions in Every Industry 'Including B2B, Industrial, and Manufacturing' Are Influenced By Digital Website Content

The majority of companies that don't have a website say it's because their industry isn't online. I hear this mostly from business owners in the B2B, industrial, and manufacturing industries.

If that's you, I'm gonna have to call you out on that.

A full 75 per cent of B2B buyers say digital website content significantly impacts their buying decision, and 62 per cent say they can finalize their purchase selection criteria based on a website's digital content alone.'

The average B2B buyer now makes an average of 12 online searches before interacting with a vendor's website, and they are already 57 per cent of the way through the buying process before they want to speak with a sales representative. Even for industrial and manufacturing companies'67 per cent of purchases are influenced by digital. Not only that, but half of all B2B customers today also expect a supplier's website to be a helpful channel, and more than a third expect the site to be their most helpful channel.

75 Percent of consumers admit to making judgments on a company's credibility based on the company's website design

Not having a website makes consumers trust you less. In fact, in 2018,'75 per cent of people admit to making judgments on a company's credibility based on website design. People are more likely to do business with a company they trust, and a website is the first place they go to check for credentials, reviews, and awards.

Beware, though you have a bad website design, it won't help you at all.'You have 10 seconds to leave an impression on website visitors and tell them what they'll get out of your website and company. After this time (and oftentimes before), they'll leave.

you need to Answer basic questions quickly

This is especially true for B2B companies. People visit your website when they want to know something or do something. They also expect immediate gratification, which means visitors should be able to answer three questions within three seconds of landing on your website:

• Who are you?
• What do you do/offer?
• How do I contact you?

We live in an age of NOW, where consumers want the information they seek immediately meaning your company's website should answer each of the questions above without the user having to scroll down the page at all.

It will help you beat the Goliaths in your industry

Did you know that having a website can help you beat the Goliaths in your industry? It can if it's optimized for search. Take Villa Lagoon Tile. They compete heavily with big-box tile stores but have no trouble holding their thanks to their website and their prominent position on the search results page.

Social media reach is diminishing

So, you think you don't need a website because you're on Facebook.

Great, so is almost every other business today. You need a website even if you have a Facebook page.

And guess what? It's getting harder for businesses to connect with users on the platform. Within a week of the last Facebook algorithm update, organic reach plummeted lower than it was already. Another bummer? In 2018, people spent'50 million fewer hours on the platform than they did in 2017.

While social media can help your business grow, don't bank on using it as your sole marketing channel, especially in the future.