2019 Small Business Website Statistics You Need to Know to Stay Ahead of the Digital Curve

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Do you have a small business website? Let our research on 2019 website statistics show you were you me be falling short, and what to do about it!

Yes, You Need a Small Business Website!

While the majority of small businesses do have a website there are some business owners that absolutely do not see any value in having one. Here at the innovative web design agency, we are always surprised when we hear things like: “My customers are not online.” or “The web is not important for my business.” So here are some important 2019 small business website statistics that may change your mind!

Nearly Two-Thirds of Small Businesses Rely on Websites to Connect with Customers. At the beginning of 2018, nearly two-thirds (64%) of small businesses have a website. Clutch.co

Having an online presence is essential for marketing your small business. By not having a business website you give the impression that you are no longer in business. These 2019 small business website statistics illustrate just how important it is for any small businesses to have a professionally built, mobile-first website.

Small Business Website Statistics (Updated January 2019)

Small Business Website Statistics – The Basics

  • Less than two-thirds (64%) of small businesses have a website
  • 35% of small businesses feel their operation is too small to warrant a website
  • By 2019, 94% small business websites will be mobile friendly
  • Among small businesses without a website, 58% plan to build one in 2019
  • Small businesses cite cost (26%), irrelevance to industry (27%), and social media (21%) as key reasons behind their decision not to have a website
  • Among small business websites, 81% are mobile friendly
  • 80% of internet users own a smartphone (Smart Insights, 2017) 
  • 53% of mobile website visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes longer than three seconds to load. For every one second delay in site load time, conversions fall by 12% (Google, 2018)
  • In 2018, 52.2% of all worldwide online traffic was generated through mobile phones, up from 50.3% in the previous year (Statista, 2018)
  • 57% of all U.S. online traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets (BrightEdge, 2018)
  • 84% of website users would abandon a purchase if data was sent over an insecure connection

Small Business Website Statistics – Digital Marketing

  • Most small businesses (47%) spend less than $10,000 on digital marketing (Clutch.co, 2018)
  • 1 in 10 SMBs doesn’t invest in any kind of marketing
  • 71% of small business owners do their own digital marketing, instead of leaving it to experts (Digital.com, 2017)
  • 1 in 5 SMBs doesn’t use digital marketing yet
  • 50% of SMBs spend less than $300 per month on online marketing
  • 62% of small businesses are investing 4% or more of their revenue on marketing (Engage2Connect, 2016)
  • 37% of small businesses plan to increase their digital marketing spend in the next 12 months
  • 47% of small business owners handle marketing efforts on their own (LeadPages)
  • 73% of companies are investing in design to differentiate their brands (Adobe, 2018)
  • Organizations describing themselves as “design-driven” are 69% more likely than their peers to have exceeded their 2017 business goals by a significant margin
  • Organizations in which creativity is highly valued are 46% more likely to have exceeded their 2017 business goals (Adobe, 2018)
  • 91% of customers have visited a store because of an online experience
  • 37% use the Internet to find a store at least once per month
  • According to Google’s 2016 data, 68% of consumers who conduct local searches on their smartphone go to a store within 24 hours, and nearly 50% make a purchase within a day
  • Of the small businesses that have websites, 69% of them are having annual sales of $1,000,000 – $2,490,000

Small Business Website Statistics – Common Errors

  • 17% of all small business websites are not in compliance with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Algorithm of 2015
  • 79% of all small business websites claim their websites are mobile-friendly and will render successfully on mobile devices or smartphones
  • According to Google, the majority of searches come from mobile devices, even if a desktop is available
  • 51% of all small businesses use in-house staff to maintain their website, 40% use a freelancer or consultant, 38% use a DIY website builder, and 31% use a web design agency
  • 23% of small business websites get updated less than once a year
  • 30% of small businesses with a web presence generate more than 25% of their revenue online
  • 70% of small business websites have no call to action
  • 68% don’t have an email address on the homepage
  • 50% of online sales are lost when visitors can’t find content
  • 82% of small business websites don’t have social media accounts

Small Business Website Statistics – The Cost Factor

  • More than one quarter (28%) of small businesses spend less than $500 on a website
  • According to GoDaddy research of more than 1,000 very small businesses, nearly half reported suffering a financial loss due to hacking, with one in eight saying the loss was greater than $5,000 (GoDaddy, 2018)
  • Most small businesses (47%) spend less than $10,000 on digital marketing (Clutch.co, 2018)
  • 1 in 10 SMBs doesn’t invest in any kind of marketing
  • 71% of small business owners do their own digital marketing, instead of leaving it to experts (Digital.com, 2017)
  • 1 in 5 SMBs doesn’t use digital marketing yet
  • 50% of SMBs spend less than $300 per month on online marketing
  • 62% of small businesses are investing 4% or more of their revenue on marketing (Engage2Connect, 2016)
  • 37% of small businesses plan to increase their digital marketing spend in the next 12 months
  • 47% of small business owners handle marketing efforts on their own (LeadPages)
  • 73% of companies are investing in design to differentiate their brands (Adobe, 2018)
  • Organizations describing themselves as “design-driven” are 69% more likely than their peers to have exceeded their 2017 business goals by a significant margin
  • Organizations in which creativity is highly valued are 46% more likely to have exceeded their 2017 business goals (Adobe, 2018)

Small Business Website Statistics – Reasons for Not Having a Website

  • 35% of small business believe they are too small to have a website
  • 31% of small business use social media instead of having a website
  • 26% of small business believe their customers are not online
  • 25% of small business lack technical knowledge
  • 23% of small business believe it is not relevant to their business or industry
  • 22% of small business lack human and/or financial resources
  • 21% of small business use a mobile app instead of a website
  • 19% of small business owners never got around to it
  • 11% of small business don’t see value in it

75% of small business owners see internet marketing as an “effective” or “very effective” tool to attract new customers. Business 2 Community

Key Benefits of Having a Small Business Website

Attracting Online Consumers

Most Americans prefer to shop online, and the number is only going to get bigger as the younger generations grow up in an Internet-dominated world. Despite this, 46% of small businesses do not have a website and 35% feel that their operation is simply too small to warrant a website. This is problematic for many reasons, especially when you consider that the two most important pieces of information a business can display are its address and other contact-related details.

As you can see, even the smallest of businesses can benefit from an online presence. Here are just some of the benefits:

  • Marketing opportunities increase from a “local” audience to a global audience
  • Digital sales conversions save time and labor
  • Elevated brand and greater ability to manage web aesthetic
  • More cost-effective than brick and mortar
  • The ability to track marketing and business analytics

When asked what would most improve their businesses in 2017, 32 percent of small business owners in the Capitol One survey cited “increasing advertising and marketing.” But just 14 percent said “creating a website.” These days, however, a website should be the basis of your advertising and marketing efforts. Without one, you can’t hope to compete effectively. Score.org

Proving a Better User Experience

Given the choice, modern online consumers prefer to interact with a well-designed website. Adobe

Having a website isn’t enough. Implementation and execution matter as well. Your customers’ experiences with your website or e-commerce presence matter and you should certainly have a mobile-first site as well. Of course, that takes a bit of planning ahead. Here are a few essentials you need to consider as you plan the design and functionality of your small business website.

Benefit from E-Commerce and Online Shopping

Most Americans prefer to shop online, so it makes sense to take your business online (even if you have a physical location) so that you can reach as many customers as possible.

74 percent of small business websites have no eCommerce. SmallBizTrends

However, e-commerce design and development has its own challenges. And if you want your e-commerce presence to provide you with measurable business results you need to be aware of them. That way you can minimize things such as users who fail to complete transactions, despite placing items in their shopping carts, or users who put their mobile device down and forget to return to their in-progress transaction.

Keep in mind that the average shopping cart abandonment rate is 68.81%. By tweaking checkout flow and design, sellers can recoup up to $260 billion worth of lost orders. It’s also important to ensure that your store website is mobile-first.

58% of mobile revenue comes from mobile websites, as opposed to native apps. Business Insider

In 2016 mobile visitors surpassed desktop users for the first time. Yet many small business owners are not aligning their e-commerce presence with that trend! Keep in mind that 80% of smartphone users use mobile phones for shopping research, and 88% of all consumers will reference online reviews before making an in-person purchase.

Cybersecurity and Small Businesses Websites

So you think your small business is not a target for hackers, do you! I urge you to reconsider. Yes, large corporations, and their security breaches get more media attention when it comes to issues regarding cybersecurity. But that does not exclude small business websites from this threat!

In reality hackers, more often than not, target small businesses. 43% of cyber attacks are aimed at small businesses. Yet only 14% are able to mitigate such risks effectively. Here are a few related facts and considerations you should be aware of.

Small Business Website Priorities for 2019 and Beyond

  • 23% plan to create more high-quality content to publish on-site
  • 20% plan to make their website more mobile-friendly
  • 19% plan to make their website more user-friendly
  • 17% plan to improve SEO by optimizing on-site features
  • 12% plan to improve website security
  • 9% have no plans to improve their website

What 2019 Small Business Website Statistics Mean for You

Simply put, not having an effective and engaging small business website is a major obstacle for your business growth and success. Even if you have a brick-and-mortar business potential consumers will look for you online first. If they do not find your small business they will go to one of your competitors. Is that really what you want?

There are many cost-effective options for getting an effective small business website. Proven small business content management systems and reliable website hosting options are a great starting point. By considering website cost factors you can determine what you absolutely need to start, and what you can add to your business website later. There is even a handy guide for small business website creation for you to follow.

As you can see from our small business website statistics not having a business website is just not an option any longer. If you don’t have one you better think about it. And while we really don’t recommend DIY small business web design it is certainly an option. Hiring a professional web designer or agency may cost more, but you will get the website you need to grow your business faster and with less effort.

Does Your Small Business Website Fall Short?

We Are a Proven Leader in Small Business Web Design!

Here at ESPRESSO.digital, we offer a full range of small business website design and consulting services, including website design and development, e-commerce solutions, and business website hosting. Even better, we’re recognized as a top WordPress Website Design Company on DesignRush as well as Top Digital Agency and Clutch. Which means that we have proven ourselves many times to clients around the world, who have come to rely on us to build small business websites that deliver business results.

Feel free reach out to us and learn more about our small business and e-commerce website design services. Our team can help you determine exactly what type of website and options you need now and in the future, and help consider all the aspects of these small business website statistics. All you have to do is click the button below. The highly caffeinated team is here to help!

Do you have anything to add to our 2019 small business website statistics? Maybe you have an example of your own that you can share? Please feel free to contact us so our audience can benefit as well, and grab our feed so you don’t miss our next post! And help other business owners understand the value of a business website by sharing our small business website statistics with them!

Thanks, we appreciate your help in eradicating bad business websites!

By Gregor Schmidt Co-Founder / CXO @gregorspeaks

2019 Small Business Website Statistics Sources

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