Does your coffee shop need a website?

Yes.
Even though the headline question is answered, you are likely not to be convinced by a one-word response. So let’s take a look at why any business today, including a coffee shop, needs a website. And what the must-have elements of any website that sells are.
A website is a place where you reach your customers directly: without any annoying ads, with only relevant content, and only with the great coffee in this case. Creation, development, and maintenance of a web site today don’t cost an arm and a leg and are definitely a worthy investment into the future of your business. Here are the top elements that your website needs to include:

• Your coffee shop name
• Your location(s)
• Your hours
• Your menu
• Any specialties
• Any promotions
• News and events
• Hiring announcements

Now let’s take a look why posting such information on a separate domain makes sense in 2019.

82% of smartphone users consult their phones before making purchases in-store. So if they don’t find any information about you online, meaning reviews and a webpage, potential customers are likely to turn around and leave your place. Today, most of the information that people receive goes through the web. So by not using this huge resource, you might be missing about a half of potential buyers.

Your website is your online shop window in the digital world. And there is a difference between these examples:

Please note that both websites have the right to exist, yet Martin’s coffee shop thought of all possible questions a customer may have right from the beginning. The first glance at this website gives you the information where, when, what. It has a phone number and also an “order now” option. It gives the impression of a fully grown business with all solutions to all possible requests you, as a customer, may have. This is all about UX/UI design which is more than accessible to anyone today. All you need is to focus and create an intuitive website.

The UglyMug’s website has no information on it’s landing page. You’ll need to scroll two or three times before you get to the point. A casual user or a tourist would definitely pay attention to the Martin’s only because they give it all right away. That’s what matters in a business.

A blog is a place to share your history, values, and taste. For a coffee shop, an online blog inserted into a website is a great way to promote your products. For example, you can write about the existing coffee brews and make a point about something that you are selling. You can describe ten most popular coffee drinks and explain that you do sell them all! Moreover, a website blog can and should be a part of a bigger picture — SEO. Read on and learn why the website and SEO go hand in hand.

SEO is the term that explains how to get your website to the top of the search engine search and so to enhance the possibility of an ordinary person to visit it. We hope that you see the point — there is no SEO, which means no visibility, credibility, and popularity without a website. So here is how SEO can help:

• Visibility

Online visibility equals traffic, which is potential new customers and sales. With a website you can put your coffee shop on Google Maps, so get more reviews and improve your online rating. When customers google for the local coffee shops, they will get your spot at the top of the search as the most relevant one. And owing to the great reviews and rating, they will choose your place.

• Credibility

If you don’t have a website today, people don’t feel confident in your service. That’s the law of 2019. So with a website and high ranking you can become a credible coffee seller and so become a “trustee” for your customers and potential clients. Appearance online improves your branding image and general recognition. Just keep in mind that people all over the world choose Starbucks, not because of their great coffee, but mostly because they know what they buy in a new city by visiting this coffee shop. That’s credibility.

Many coffee shop owners hesitate about the importance of a website because they believe that social media is enough. However, note that if users don’t have an ad blocker attached, then the targeted ads will follow them everywhere, including social media. As a result, if a person just checked a couple of other coffee places in your neighborhood, their ads will show up on your business’ social media profile. Not that great scenario, right?

Such a case is not possible if you don’t get online advertising on your website, and it’s in your hands. Whenever people get on your website, they will focus on your coffee shop and your products without getting distracted by anything else.

And last but not least advantage of a website for a coffee shop is the possibility to sell more and easier. And in this respect, there are two options: your menu and additional products.

You can set up for your customers a “buy online” option. In this way, they will order and pay for the coffee online and upon coming their coffee will already be waiting for them. This is a perfect way to facilitate customer service and speed up your sales.

The second kind of sales concerns your coffee and other products, like mugs, hoodies, gift cards, etc. If you set up a small online store, you will also be able to increase your on-site sales.

With a relatively small budget, you can create an impressive website for your coffee shop to increase sales, improve turnout, and open your coffee place to the world. What can be a better investment?