Do you really need a website for your business?

The Internet plays such an integral role in our lifestyle and economy. Most consumers look for companies, services and products by going online first. "What did we do before the Internet?" is almost a daily refrain. An online presence can be a vital tool to the success of your business. Therefore, the answer is YES.

You may be thinking, "why do I need a website, I get most of my business from referrals." If that's true that very fortunate. But consider that for many people a website plays a crucial factor in their buying decisions. Referrals can only take you so far in business. If I am interested in using a company’s services I look at their website first. If they don't have one, I usually don’t use them. A good business website provides the answers to many basic questions consumers have. Your site lets people know that you have invested in yourself and your business. It shows that you are open to communicating in a variety of ways with your customers. In not having a website, you alienate those people who feel comfortable with technology. Don't let your unfamiliarity with the technology dissuade you from having a website.

A strong well-designed website can help you reach your business goals. Though it you can increase sales and/or increase awareness of your services to an audience you couldn't reach otherwise.

Okay, but do you need to hire a design professional?

There are pitfalls that can mean failure for your website many which most people don’t even know exist. Your website is an investment in your business, you should be certain that you are getting the most out of that investment. A good way to ensure that is by hiring a designer with a solid knowledge base and experience.

In the past I have been contacted to “make a few fixes” to a website a client created themselves. They can't figure out why something isn’t working correctly and they think that it can't possibly be expensive to fix. Many times their “little fixes” are not so little but instead are coding disasters. It is only then that they realize that it could have been less expensive if they had contacted an professional to design and develop their site in the first place.

Elements of a strong website

A good website requires four key elements: design, marketing, technical function and usability. A template can only get you so far. Many websites out there are aesthetically pleasing but they fail to generate business. This is usually because key marketing or usability elements are missing.

What you may be missing by using a template website

A template can give you a design, but it can't ensure that you have marketing, SEO, technical function and usability. Your website should be driving traffic to your business. If it doesn't rank high in searches, your potential customers may not be able to find you. To be certain that your website has all key elements, you need a designer. And how fortunate, you're in the right place to hire one. Let's talk. Fill out my contact form.