Does my business need a website?
Introduction
Whether or not your business needs a website is a question every business owner should be asking. This applies to everyone from one-person outfits, to small businesses all the way up to corporations. I’m sure this has crossed your mind at some time or another, which is why you’re reading this post.
A study carried out by Google and the market research company, IPSOS, found that 55% of small businesses in the US alone don’t have a website. So let’s delve into the reasons you don’t currently have a website and why you should…
Why haven't you got a website already?
Let’s face it, your business is a busy place. You’re spinning a lot of plates. Time and energy are in short supply. These can be applied to any part of your business, so it's important to think about the benefits of adding something and how they will make some of those comments a little easier to deal with.
You don't have the first idea how to create a website
You’re in the business of making “X”, or offering “Y” services, not designing and building websites!
You might have looked on YouTube where there are a thousand videos on how to do this, that or the other to create a website for your business. Which thing should you use, what are the dos, don’ts, and best practices? Frankly, it’s all just hugely overwhelming and you’d rather pull your hair out than search through all that.
Does this sound like you:
I’m not a computer kind of person
I can use the web, but that’s as far as it goes
I couldn’t tell you the first thing about designing websites
These are all perfectly valid points. However, like all aspects of running a business, there are new things we need to understand. The good news is that you don’t have to know everything in finite detail.
You don’t have the time or resources
“I’m flat out right now!”
This is good news, and looking to find time and money to put into something new can seem like a distraction. I’m sure in times like this, there is an ever-growing list of things that are being put on the back burner.
“Now is not the time!”
Maybe it’s the opposite and you’re in a quiet time where funds are tight and the thought of investing in something you don’t get is just too daunting.
But you are also acutely aware that for your business to grow some of these things will need to be addressed. You’re also aware that a website can be a benefit to you and we will discuss how further on.
You don’t have the motivation to learn something new
Running a business means doing lots of things over and above the core item. Let’s say you have a business making and selling candles. By now you are aware that there is a lot more to running a candle business than the actual making of the candles themselves. This is only a small part of the whole picture. There’s bookkeeping, sales, distribution, marketing, customer relations etc, etc.
“I’m fried! I can’t start to learn something else from scratch”.
Sound familiar? Well, you probably didn’t know much about the items we just listed before you started either. There will always be things to learn and the ones that can make the most difference are the ones to put the most effort into.
But, like a lot of the items on that list, you don’t need to be an expert to get the results. Hiring a bookkeeper is probably quite high on the list! They do the work, but you have an understanding of it. This can also be applied to most areas of your business as it evolves, including your website.
Why you should have a website
Ok, now that we’ve taken some time to consider some of the reasons why you don’t have a website yet, let’s get into the reasons why you should have one. What are the advantages? What can a website provide my business that it doesn’t currently have? Some of the things we’re about to discuss can have a profound effect on how your business operates.
It Creates trust and credibility
Having a professional, well-presented and informative website will give your clients/customers a sense of trust and credibility. It shows them that your brand is legitimate and that you can provide what they are looking for.
The majority of people will research a company before they commit to buying from them. We have the resources, literally in the palm of our hands, to find out vast amounts of information about a company we’re interested in. People will often question the legitimacy of a business about which there is no information.
One web platform created a study that found that 56% of Americans don’t trust a business without a website and 65% agreed that a website made a business appear more credible.
It’s open 24/7
This is the virtual storefront of your business. Potential clients/customers can learn about you at their convenience. Any time, day or night. They are not reliant on getting hold of you or waiting for a callback or an email. If people can’t easily find the information they are looking for about you, there is a good chance they will simply look elsewhere.
It allows potential customers to know you’re the right person
When we’re looking for an item or a service, the last thing we want is to find, after lots of searching, that the company we’re considering is the wrong one. Your website can reassure your customers that they’re in the right place and that you are the right business.
You can add customer reviews
Why not let your previous customers give potential ones reassurances? Reviews from past clients/customers can be very helpful in getting new ones. If there are positive words from the people you have worked with in the past, this can go a long way to gaining the trust needed to get a call or an order.
You can show off your product/services
Letting people see exactly what you do and have done in the past is another step towards getting them to make contact. It’s also a great way to introduce other things you offer that they may not have considered.
It allows you to broaden your reach
A website is available to anyone, anywhere, at any time. This means that your business can be found by anyone with access to the internet. Great for services that are not location-based, but for those that are, it can spread the reach a little further. If you’re the perfect fit for someone, they are likely to consider more than just convenience as a reason to contact you.
A website is very cheap advertising
In relation to things like printed advertising, a website is extremely affordable. There are very few costs to consider. There is no distribution to think about. You may be advertising in a local publication that is only produced at certain intervals (monthly, quarterly etc.)
Your website is there all day, every day. You can also make changes at any point, and do them yourself. This may be a flash sale or a time-based incentive. You can update an inventory in real-time, which can also generate an urgency to purchase, rather than just saying “While stocks last”.
Adding frequently asked questions can save time
There will invariably be questions. Some of them may seem obvious to you, but some of them may not have occurred to you. Making a list of the most common questions you get and providing answers will give your potential customers reassurance.
It also means that you’re not having to answer the same questions time and time again, via email or phone calls.
Now you know you need a website…what next?
Hopefully, now you understand more about how a website can help you and your business, from day-to-day operations to attracting new people. What do you need to think about in order to get up and running?
Take a look at your competitors
This in no means means simply copying what they are doing! It’s extremely important that you stand out. Your brand is the first thing people see. A carbon copy of someone else does not instil trust, in fact, far from it.
However, others in your industry may have been through this process before you. Look at what information they are offering - is it enough, is it too much? Is it vague or difficult to understand? Think about what you like about their site, and what you don’t like. Then consider what you could do better.
Plan what information you need on your site
You will need to think about what information you will offer your customers on your site. It’s your opportunity to give them the trust to purchase from you. What information do you want to put on each page of the site?
Which pages do you feel are needed at the start (your site will evolve over time), the home page, services page, about page, contact page etc? How much text (referred to as copy) do you want to include? It’s important to have the right amount to get the message you have across without making it too involved or the reader can lose interest.
A website can have outstanding written content, but terrible images will ruin it. What kind of images would be most suitable? Do you need to get professional photos taken?
Consider whether to DIY or hire a designer
The final question is to decide whether you will design your site yourself, or whether to hire a designer.
The days of having to know how to code to be able to create a website, are thankfully, long gone. There are platforms available, such as Squarespace, that allow you to add your content without having to learn to code.
Ultimately, I believe it’s a business decision. How much time will it take you to learn enough to get a credible site? If you could make more money in your business doing what you do, than the cost of hiring a designer, who will give you a result much faster, then it seems like a simple choice to me.
Remember a designer can also ensure that best practices are followed and that your site is Search Engine Optimised (SEO) to help Google find it. “If you build it, they will come” is not true of websites. Google uses complex algorithms to decide which websites it lists in its searches.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now understand a great deal more about how a website can help grow your business and also assist in the day-to-day running. How a website can create credibility, legitimacy and trust in your business to give your potential clients/customers the reassurance to get in touch.
You now understand that in today’s world, people expect to be able to find information about your business even if it has been recommended to them. They will have questions that a website can answer so that you don’t have to.
One more thing to note. Your website will grow and evolve in the same way that your business will. It’s easy to make changes to it over time so that it stays relevant and continues to work for you, day and night. If you need to make adjustments, they can be easily accommodated. However, not having a website at all is passing up the opportunities that can be had to improve how your customers view your business.
So the short answer to the question “Does my business need a website?”:
