Do I need a Website for my business?
The short answer? Yes.
I have lots of clients who come to me wondering if they need a website in their business. While I do believe there are special circumstances where maybe you don’t need a website to drive traffic yet, or your business literally only offers one service that is so blatantly simple, most of the time we are always going to circle back to a website in the future.
Having a website is like having a business card that is easy to slip into anyone’s pocket. It is a landing page you can send all of your customers and clients to for the same questions they might have. Websites can also act as a scheduling system, eliminating the need for an assistant. Sometimes, websites will act as your main selling platform and will continuously generate money for your business.
And don’t get me wrong, there are free options out there with social media pages or free website builders and hosts. But think of your website as your own piece of real estate on the world wide web.
If we stick with the real estate comparison, using social media platforms or free website domains is comparable to renting a home. Even Facebook is pay-to-play; the more ad money you spend, the higher you rank in the algorithm. Renting is totally fine, and really the option that you should jump into first.
When you feel like you are constantly fielding customer requests, your jobs are booking quickly, or your product is selling well, it is time to look at a website (like, NOW).
Purchasing a web domain and hosting service can be compared to a mortgage. You will pay an annual fee, but it will be small in comparison to what you may have been paying to rent. There are great website options out there, but I always find myself recommending Squarespace. The platform is easy to use, customer service is fantastic, and they offer robust website integrations.
When it comes to building out your website, there are builders that make the process easy and seamless. I 100% believe most business owners can create their own functioning websites, but there are differences between a website designed by a strategy designer, and a website designed using a free builder.
Think of it like this: it is the difference between a pre-fab or modular home and the custom home of your dreams. When you are just starting your business, maybe the money isn’t there to start building the home of your dreams, it is totally okay to house your business on a builder platform.
There will come a time when you decide you don’t want your business to look like the rest of the homes on your street, and that will be the time you start looking at web designers. If it makes sense, we’ll consider the web designer the general contractor of your home building experience.
Web designers may seem like they come with a hefty price tag, but you need to ask yourself if you were building the home of your dreams, would you spend the money on the people to do it right?
The difference is, building your website is an investment, never just an expense. Think of the price of your website being used as a tool to sell more products. Maybe you are a boutique owner and you’re building a website to sell online. The website design may cost $3,000 but it should be used as a tool to make that money back, and then some. Estimated over the span of just one year, the grand total of that website would be right around $300/month that is costing you (in the first year of building with a $3,000 design price).
Will your website bring in $300 in increased sales? It sure as heck should be! Websites are tools used to sell your good or service. A great website will always bring your a large return on investment.
Not only will your new website bring increased revenue to your business, but it will also give you time back. Websites are perfect landing pages for all of your customer’s requests and can act as schedulers (eliminating the need for an assistant maybe). Websites are the client catchalls, so you can keep on working on what makes money.
So, have you bought your internet real estate yet?
