TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Many companies in the Wabash Valley have started revitalizing their website to keep up with the times.
Small businesses have been tested during the pandemic, but even when having to adhere to provisions set in place, there is still an avenue to gain revenue.
Online branding is a direction many businesses who are trying to navigate during the pandemic have turned to. Having an online presence allows for customers to search for items without having to be in-person.
“We want to support local but at the same time convenience matters a lot too,” said Courtney Richey-Chipol with the Indiana Small Business Development Center. “If local businesses aren’t online and they’re not making it convenient for the customers to support them, then they may go to a competitor because convenience is really important in today’s day and age.”
Wabash Design Co. is a digital content creation company that specializes in websites and digital design. Owner of the Wabash Design Co. Michael Bates said when companies saw COVID-19 wasn’t going away anytime soon, they began to plan for the future.
“Especially this last two quarters, we’ve noticed just a tremendous increase in people like, hey I haven’t had my website updated in 10 years or I’ve never had a website or I need to get serious about selling product online,” said Bates.
Richey-Chipol said when she begins working with a new company, an online presence is where she starts.