I have recently opened a hardware store and my friends and family constantly keep telling me that I need to get a website up quickly.
As someone who doesn’t consider himself to be “tech savvy”, I fail to see the point in having one as I get enough traffic through my “plain” brick-and-mortar storefront.
Some questions for small business owners who already have a website or plan to get one would be:
What is your reasoning for creating your website?
Why not use Amazon, Shopify, or a similar platform?
Was it profitable?
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If I’m new to the area and I’m looking for a hardware store, I’m going to Google. If your store pops up as a Google listing but no website, I wouldn’t be entirely sure it’s legit. So I’d look for a website to confirm hours and any services you offer or signature brands you partner with. Maybe I need keys made and you do that, that would be great to know ahead of time. Maybe I need keys made but you don’t do that, I’ll go to your store, be annoyed I need to find somewhere else and remember that next time I need a hardware store.
My biggest pet peeve with small businesses is ones who don’t make their hours of operation accessible online. Your website doesn’t need much but it should tell potential customers you exist, what you offer and when you’re open.
New customers have found me though i have no website and literally no digital presence other than what gets scraped by normal means. They can call my phone.
I always look at websites to see if a shop has what I need before I go. If they don’t have a website, I just find one that does.