You’re a young entrepreneur, fresh to the game and ready to change the world. Let’s say you have an idea, or an invention, or maybe even a product. But if you haven’t taken this next key step, you may be missing out on a corner of your market. That is, of course, creating your own website.

This may sound like a daunting task, and there are programs to help you out with that which I will detail below in brief. But maybe you don’t feel tech-savvy enough; you feel too young or too old to try your hand at establishing an online presence. But before you dismiss the hassles of creating a new website out of hand, there are a few reasons to strongly consider building your own website that you may not have thought about.

  1. You can’t be everywhere. If you are just starting entrepreneurship, chances are you do a lot of your work in person. But you are still bound by the limitations of your body; you have to sleep, eat, drive, etc. Websites don’t have that issue. They are there 24/7, creating organic traffic to lead people to your product. Customers can find you anytime, anywhere, even outside of your normal business hours. And consider this: every day you spend offline, you could be losing potential customers to people with similar products or services.
  2. You want to be credible. Without a website, much like if a company lacked a telephone number or in-persona address, potential customers may question whether they are being scammed. Having a website is an excellent way to stand out from other entrepreneurs and make a great first impression. Over time, this can grow until you have a recognizable brand, much like how Apple or Google are known simply by their logos. Establishing your credibility as an entrepreneur and a company early on in the game can set you up for success later down the road.
  3. You want to keep your customers updated. If you only operate in person, it’s difficult to keep your customers updated on new products, services, or market expansions. However, if you have your own webpage, keeping your customers updated is as simple as changing a web headline or opening a customer service link. Also, the reverse is true: a webpage will help your customers keep you. Reviews, analytics, and more can help you understand how your brand is being shaped.

Of course, these aren’t all the benefits to establishing a presence online; there are other, more obvious reasons such as advertising, easily exchanging information between buyers and sellers, and expanding your market. If you want to get started, here are a few programs that you might find helpful:

  1. Wix.com has resources for building a website that can serve as a professional portfolio.
  2. Squarespace.com is dedicated to ecommerce and marketing.
  3. Weebly.com has a free plan with customizable page building tools.

These sites are just a few options among hundreds of free services to help you secure a digital foothold and launch your career as an entrepreneur. If you want more information about some hands-on tips to start building your own website, or are interesting building websites as your business, become a website designer.