Your small business needs more than just a great product—it needs proof that you're legitimate. Without an online presence, potential customers may scroll right past you or worse, assume you're a scam.
One powerful solution is building your own professional web presence with Adalo—a no-code app builder for database-driven web, iOS, and Android apps published to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. With Adalo, you can quickly launch an MVP that establishes credibility while reaching the largest possible audience across web and mobile platforms, complete with push notifications to keep customers engaged.
Here are three compelling reasons why your small business can't afford to skip having a website.
Today, having a website is as critical to your business as having a bank account. But a website alone isn't enough anymore—pairing it with a mobile app can transform how customers discover, trust, and buy from you.
In this article, we'll explain three reasons why your small business needs a website and how combining it with an app can accelerate your growth.
Reason One: A Website Proves You Exist
Having a business website assures potential customers that you're not a scammer. By posting your location, contact information, and details about your business operations, you paint your business in a positive light. Visitors will see this information and know you're legit, which will greenlight doing business with you.
Your site can also link to major platforms that vouch for your credibility and provide a stage to further market your business.
Google Business: The Bona-Fide Evidence Your Business Exists
When you register your website with Google Business, Google puts your business on Google Maps, making it easier for customers to find you. Being on Google Business lets customers rate and review your business and services. It conveniently displays your working hours and provides a link to your site, letting customers know when to contact you and giving them quick access to learn more about you.
Google physically mails a card to your place of business to verify that you actually exist. Registering your site with Google serves as the ultimate bona fide evidence that you're a real business and not a scam.
Create a Virtuous Circle Between Your Site and Your Social Media
Linking directly from your business site to your social media will drive more traffic and engagement with your social media accounts, such as Instagram. By clicking on a link, visitors can hop from your site to your Instagram account.
When posting on Instagram, link to your site in the description so visitors will be able to learn more about your business rather than just your products and services.
Connecting your site with your LinkedIn account illustrates your professional experience and expertise. Ensure your LinkedIn account is complete with dates and descriptions of your past work and educational experience. Appear professional by completing every part of your profile. Connecting your LinkedIn account to your site is a great way for customers to get an idea of who you are as a business person.
Your Site Is a Communications Platform
Customers will have the opportunity to directly contact you by email, text message, or site-based contact form. Millennials and Gen-Z tend to prefer contact by messaging or email, not by phone. They will appreciate that you welcome their preferred method of communication!
Reason Two: Your Site's Visibility Can Extend Globally
Having a website can bring your business to both a local audience and the global community. Connecting with people from different time zones might provide opportunities to not just increase sales but to diversify your supply chain and learn business-improving lessons. To popularize your site, follow these three strategies:
1. Article Writing and Basic SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Write content articles that will teach readers important information about your products or business. If you sell desk lamps, write about how working in a properly illuminated space is good for your eyes and increases productivity.
Having a website gives you the ability to post articles that will spotlight your expertise, allowing you to establish yourself as an expert in your field. If you consistently post content to your site, readers will view you as an authoritative voice.
After people read your posts, they'll see you as a knowledgeable expert in your field, which might convince them to purchase your products or ask industry-specific questions.
Try to optimize your articles for Google by conducting keyword research. A "keyword" is the main concept you write about in your post. Your customers will google the keywords they want to learn about.
Sign up for Google Ads, and use this free tool to find the top keywords customers are searching for. Aim to use non-competitive keywords (keywords deemed "easy" or with a score under 29) and have a search volume of at least 100/month. Make these keywords the topics of your articles.
Doing this will increase the chances that people will see your article after searching for the keywords you choose.
2. Paid Ads
Bring your site to the top of a search page for a specific keyword by purchasing ads from your Google Ads account. Google sets a price for each keyword or keyword phrase. The more popular the keyword, the higher its price.
After you choose your keyword or keywords, you'll pay a lump sum of money. Every web user who enters your keyword will see a link to your site at the top of the page. Google will deduct money from your initial deposit until it's gone.
Afterwards, Google will provide you with an analytics sheet that illustrates how many people searched for each keyword and how many people visited your site. Use this analytics report to determine how many people visited your site. Experiment with Google Ad campaigns to determine what keywords work.
Even with a limited budget, running a Google Ad campaign will give your site and your business exposure. Potential clients whom you'd be unable to reach without a website can learn about your business by seeing your site as a Google Ad.
3. Email Marketing Campaigns
You'll most likely be sending out emails to advertise your business. Following your email's pitch, provide a link to your site so your target audience can learn more about you.
In email marketing, providing a link to your website simplifies your call-to-action. Invite email recipients to visit your online store or read a recently published blog. Having a website gives leads a place to directly go and learn more about your business after reading your marketing email.
For any email marketing campaign, it's critical to have a website so interested customers can learn more about you, your business, and your products.
Reason Three: Close Deals with Customers Quickly
A website not only makes your business visible to local and global clients so you can connect with them, but it will also allow you to close sales quickly. One of the best ways to close deals is to let clients purchase your products and services through your website.
Create a Store
Using an AI-powered app builder like Adalo allows you to custom-make an app for users to purchase your products from your site. Adalo creates true native iOS and Android apps—not web wrappers—that publish directly to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from a single codebase. It's designed to give people without technical or coding experience the freedom to create professional-looking web or native apps using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that users describe as "easy as PowerPoint."
Magic Start generates complete app foundations from a simple description—tell it you need a store app for your small business, and it creates your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically. What used to take days of planning happens in minutes. Magic Add lets you add features by describing what you want in plain language.
Adalo's agnostic builder lets you publish the same app to the web, native iOS, and native Android, all without writing a line of code or rebuilding. If your plan is mass distribution through the app stores' vast marketplaces, this is a great option versus many of the vibe-coding builders out there today. Over 3 million apps have been created on Adalo, processing millions of data requests daily.
People can then download your app from the Apple iOS, Google Play Store, and your website. Users can easily select goods or services from your online store. At checkout, they'll be able to pay for their goods immediately because Adalo connects to Stripe, Square, PayPal, and other payment platforms.
Leveraging your website to support an app will boost your sales and simplify the purchasing process. Customers will notice your unique and easy-to-use store and payment process. They might be inclined to continue purchasing from you.
Why Native Apps Matter for Small Businesses
Unlike web wrappers that can feel sluggish and hit performance constraints under load, Adalo's purpose-built architecture maintains speed at scale. The platform's modular infrastructure can support apps with over 1 million monthly active users, with no upper ceiling—meaning your app can grow with your business without hitting technical walls.
Paid plans include unlimited database records and no usage-based charges, so you won't face surprise bills as your customer base grows. Starting at $36/month with unlimited app store updates, Adalo offers a more predictable cost structure than alternatives like Bubble (which starts at $59/month with usage-based charges and record limits) or Glide (which doesn't support App Store publishing at all).
A Website: As Timeless As a Logo
Building a site does more than prove you exist. It introduces you and your services to your visitors and gives you a platform to showcase your professional expertise. A website paired with your own custom-made app can provide you with the opportunity to sell goods and services without relying solely on Amazon or Shopify.
A website is an essential 21st-century tool for your small business's success—and combining it with a native mobile app puts your store directly in customers' pockets.
FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions? | Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps—not web wrappers. It compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from a single codebase. This cross-platform capability means you build once and publish everywhere, with the hardest part of launching an app handled automatically. |
| What's the fastest way to build and publish an app to the App Store? | Adalo's drag-and-drop interface—described as "easy as PowerPoint"—lets you build without coding. Magic Start generates complete app foundations from a description, and the platform handles the entire App Store submission process, removing the technical barriers that typically slow down app launches. |
| Can I easily create an online store for my small business website? | Yes, with Adalo you can create a custom store app for your website. Build a professional e-commerce solution with the intuitive drag-and-drop interface, and integrate payment platforms like Stripe, Square, and PayPal to process transactions seamlessly. |
| Why does my small business need a website? | A website proves your business exists and builds credibility with potential customers. It allows you to display your contact information, link to platforms like Google Business for verification, and connect with customers locally and globally through content, ads, and email marketing. |
| How can I make my business website more visible online? | You can increase visibility through article writing with basic SEO, paid Google Ads campaigns, and email marketing. Conducting keyword research helps you create content that ranks in search results, while linking your website in marketing emails gives leads a direct path to learn more about your business. |
| How does linking my website to social media help my business? | Linking your website to social media creates a virtuous circle that drives traffic and engagement across platforms. Visitors can easily navigate between your site and accounts like Instagram and LinkedIn, allowing them to learn about both your products and your professional expertise. |
| How does Google Business help establish my business credibility? | Google Business puts your business on Google Maps and allows customers to rate and review your services. Google physically mails a verification card to your business address, serving as bona fide evidence that your business is legitimate and not a scam. |
| How much does it cost to build a store app for my small business? | Adalo starts at $36/month with unlimited usage and app store publishing. This includes unlimited database records and no usage-based charges, so you won't face surprise bills as your customer base grows. Alternatives like Bubble start at $59/month with usage limits, while Glide ($60/month) doesn't support App Store publishing. |
| Do I need coding experience to build an app for my business? | No coding experience is required. Adalo's visual builder uses drag-and-drop components, and Magic Start can generate complete app foundations from a simple description of what you want to build. The platform is designed specifically for non-technical users. |
| Can my app scale as my business grows? | Yes. Adalo's modular infrastructure scales to support apps with over 1 million monthly active users, with no upper ceiling. Paid plans include no record limits on the database, so your app can grow with your business without hitting technical constraints. |
