Top Reasons to have a Website

Every week I hear this statement disguised as a question by another business owner, “I have never had a website, so why do I need one now”? They are challenging me to somehow discredit what has kept them with a steady income for years. I do understand their logic, most businesses are built on the back of word of mouth. The gamble these days is, what happens if they look you up first?

The reasons to have a website involve you as a business owner asking yourself a key questions.

You can survive without a web presence, BUT it is risky. In years gone past people would just pick up the phone and ask you questions after they found your number through a friend or a local directory. Today we pick up our phone, but we don’t call, we Google. If all they find is a phone number, that may be good enough for some, but definitely not everyone.

Think about any item or service you have purchased for the first time in the last couple of years. Did you look for them online?

In this past week I needed to buy a new set of tyres for my car. One of them was flat, so time was of the essence. Now I had a local place my wife has used before, so I looked them online, and called. Unfortunately the person they had answering the phone spoke little English, but assured me someone would call me in a few minutes. Days later – I have never heard from them. That’s a great way to ruin a brand – but it is a blog for another time.

Next step was searching for an alternative. Judging by the basic content and the star ratings given to one business, I clicked through to scan for a little more information. Their website was impressive (and mobile responsive) and they promised a level of service I was after, particularly as my knowledge of tyres is limited. It was only then that I called for a quote.

Interestingly the roadside service operator who helped with my flat tyre (does anyone change their own tyre these days?) offered a flyer with places to call and a discount voucher. So I jumped back online to check out the other options, including another I had been recommended by a friend. Once I had the initial advice from the first call, I had a good idea of what I needed, so it was then about price and availability. In the end I went back the first place I found, who actually came to me the next morning.

When they were done, I was asked if I would offer an online review of their service. Why not – they did a great job, and my expectations of what service they were going to offer was exactly as their website had described. Could not fault them on their branding. They didn’t ask for this, but let me give a shout out to Mobile Tyre Shop.

I tell you this story, because it is the reality of how most people operate and sums up the reasons to have a website,. Don’t gamble with your business for the sake of investing in an effective online presence..

The list of web developers and designers is seemingly endless. There are so many tools from which to build a site as well. You can do it for free with little knowledge of development or you can pay someone to do it. If you decide to pay, you have three basic choices; cheap, expensive and just right!

Don’t be fooled by the cheap option – you do get what you pay for. Your website site is your front desk. Your branding MUST come to the fore and position you correctly.

• Look – not just a pretty design, but a meaningful visual representation of your business brand.
• Content – it is absolutely critical for the words to be right and be on brand
• Navigation – so it is easy for each audience to find what they need
• Functionality – what can you offer to make things easier for visitors
• Contact – make it as easy as possible for people be able to reach you

The fact is, you need to be strategic in your approach and few business owners have the time to get all of the elements listed above right without help. You don’t need to spend a fortune, but you need to be realistic about what work you can do, indeed whether you are even the right person to make decision about design and content.

We build websites, and we offer a quality professional process where you can direct the developers. We make it as easy possible giving you a thorough document to complete, so everything is included.

Additionally we give you the option of adding in some strategic guidance.

For most people, it is about a tailored solution, so you can pick and choose where you need support.