We need to talk…
Honestly, no one will take your business seriously with a homemade or budget website
It’s a common story, you started your business and were totally focussed on your service and product. You needed a website because – let’s face it – a business isn’t considered legitimate these days unless it has one. You started growing your business through your network and funds were limited so you used an online website building tool to create your own little online brochure using a template. It took you many hours to make it look passable but it was very cheap (or maybe even free). Great news – you have a website and you are online!
Skip down the line a bit and now you’ve got ambitions for your business. You’re expanding your offerings and looking to use your website to market your business effectively to the wider world. The problem is your website’s not really up to the job anymore. You remember the blood, sweat and tears spent creating it in the first place and worry that trying to develop it yourself is going to take up way too much of your precious time, you don’t even know where to start.
At this juncture, it is not about technology… it’s about mindset!
We’re not going to pull any punches here, we’ll give it to you straight. Your business has outgrown your little website project… it’s time to take it seriously and bring in professional help. A professional, reputable web developer/designer will get to the root of the issue, ask questions you hadn’t considered and build your website into the top-notch marketing channel that your business needs and deserves.
If you have any head for business you’re already wondering how much this is going to cost you but it’s time to stop looking at your website as an expense and start treating it as an investment.
It’s like having a new kitchen in your house. The old kitchen was functional and you were fine with giving the walls a lick of paint yourself to brighten it up but now it’s time for an upgrade. Unless you’re a kitchen designer and fitter by trade, doing it yourself is going to be a mission. So you pay someone with experience and expertise to do it for you. Not only do you save yourself a huge amount of time and effort but the result is professional and someone else is responsible for anything that doesn’t go to plan. You get a lovely new kitchen to whip up gourmet dinners in (or microwave meals if that’s your style) which adds value to your standard of living and property. No blood, sweat and tears expended.
Building your business website is no different and so in the interest of preserving your sanity and helping your business grow we need to (respectfully) face the facts. This is not about the technology you use but about the decisions you take.
The Harsh Reality of Life Online
The harsh realities are presented below… any one of these points could be detrimental to your business… however, it is extremely common to see all of them.
- Everyone will see your website for what it is – low cost and/or homemade. The instant impression they will get is that the business is not serious about its image. You will have done this yourself… you go to a website that is… erm… let’s say a bit basic… and think immediately “what a terrible site, I’m not buying from them”.
- “We just need something simple so potential customers can check us out” – that’s exactly what they will do… they will check out your website… please read point 1 again.
- Websites are a tremendous time suck (no doubt you will have experienced this). While you are working on your website you are not working on your business.
- Your website will be developed to the limit of your knowledge. Don’t be offended by this – you are running a business but you are not a professional website developer. You may know a few things but is what you know correct or even relevant? For example, have you used an SVG image for your logo? “What? I don’t even know what that is???” – Precisely my point. Websites have moved far beyond the little digital representation of your company that used to be the norm. What consideration have you given to mobile usability (not talking about mobile-friendly… that concept died in 2015); to SEO; to best practice; call to actions; social proof; accessibility; security; backup; maintenance. Got a problem – who do you call?
- Responsive Testing: Cross-browser testing aka the bane of a professional web developer’s life. Your site must work perfectly on mobiles, tablets, laptops and giant desktop screens. It must work on Macs, Windows and Linux; it needs to work flawlessly on the biggest iPhone and on the smallest Android… oh then there are browsers – Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer – they all display sites differently (then there are mobile versions of the browsers)…my eyes are watering. It takes experienced testers with expensive software several days to complete cross-browser testing – without the knowledge, tools and techniques it is impossible for you to assess how your site looks on all the different devices.
- These days, anyone can create a pretty site… A beautiful website with no traffic is still a beautiful website with no traffic!
- Easy fodder for your competition. If your competition knows their stuff then they will easily dominate your market and you won’t get a look in.
- Easy fodder for hackers. “My business is too small to interest hackers”… NONSENSE. “Hackers” are, in the majority of cases, automated scripts combing the internet trying to compromise sites so they can either post backlinks or malware. Oh, and if Google detects your site has been compromised then you can kiss goodbye any hope of appearing on the search engines.
- Who sorts the issues when you are on holiday? Websites go down. FACT. it’s all up to you. What happens if your site goes down while you are on holiday? There is no one to fix it.
I know this sounds negative but it is reality. The low-cost option will always cost you more in the long run.
A Professional Site
It’s a myth that all you need is a website to market your business online. The reality is that everyone has a website these days and the internet is crowded with competition. Simply having a website (no matter how beautiful it may be) is not sufficient. If your website is not actively generating revenue then it’s not fulfilling its purpose. You need to make your website work for you. If it’s not then you are losing money and you need to take action.
So let’s look at a few key reasons professional help can help your business then we’ll examine the next steps that you should take. The key benefits are:
- A website to be proud of: Done right your website will accurately represent your business, your brand, your values. It will rank better, portray the right image, convey the right message and appeal to the right audience. This will result in greater conversions which, if done properly, will lead to more sales. It will be effective and you will do everything you can to promote it.
- Faster ROI: With your business hed still on, you will note that more conversions = more sales. A professional website will always pay for itself much faster a DIY site… always!
- Confidence: Presenting a professional looking and well functioning website is key to building brand confidence. Customers make a snap judgment about how trustworthy, reliable and legitimate your business is from your website. If it looks homemade your brand reputation will be compromised.
- Customisation – Maybe you’ll be really lucky and find a template which exactly matches what you’re looking for. It’s more likely, though, that you’ll be fitting your content around the template. Using an expert web service means you’re hiring the skills needed to customise your website to suit your needs rather than the other way around.
- Efficiency – What might take you many hours to figure out may take an expert just a few minutes. The whole process will be a lot quicker and you’ll be able to achieve so much more. Of course, it also means that you won’t be spending time trying to learn something new to bodge your website together, you can focus your time on the things YOU are an expert in.
- Search Engine Optimization – Keeping on top of the current requirements to make your website feature in web searches and implementing them to keep your website visible and relevant can be a full-time job.
- Accessibility and Compliance – You might not have considered that your website may be viewed on many different devices and in different browsers. It might be viewed by customers who are visually impaired. A web expert knows how to make sure that your website is accessible for all and that it’s usable across a range of devices and browsers. Accessibility is one thing, compliance is another. GDPR anyone? Your business website must be GDPR compliant – there is simply no way around it. A reputable web developer will help guide you through the minefield.
- Experience – Your expert has seen it all before, and if something new does crop up they’ve usually got a good idea what to do about it based on many years experience. If you’re building your own website everything is new to you and there’s so much to learn. We’re back to the kitchen analogy here, as a novice do you really want to be plumbing your own new kitchen in? Leave it to the experts, get a proper job done and let them take responsibility for any mishaps too.
- Best Practice – Staying abreast of current website developments, trends and standards of best practice and implementing them can be tricky so why not use the skills of someone whose livelihood depends on knowing these things to keep your website technologically up-to-date and current.
- Google/Analytics Friendly – Website builder tools are generally poor when it comes to being Google and Analytics friendly. Due to the way they work the data that analytics collect about your website can be unreliable and often they won’t work with Google Console and/or Analytics which allows you to access all sorts of tools and data to help you manage your website and see what is working well and what isn’t it. These are excellent digital marketing tools and your website should really be able to use these to their full capacity to get the most out of it.
It’s a lot to consider. But there is always a way… and it starts with devising a Digital Strategy.
Your Digital Strategy
A “digital strategy” is the roadmap that will define your online success. An effective digital strategy will amalgamate the various channels, messages and platforms to form a cohesive, intertwined plan of action that will grow your online presence with purpose.
The digital landscape of today’s business environment is both complex and crowded. Your digital strategy will help you to cut through the noise and get your message in front of the desired audience. A well-planned and deliberately executed digital strategy leaves nothing to chance and it’s our job to make it happen for you.
Our role is to help you make intelligent and meaningful decisions that will accelerate your online growth and help you secure a much greater return than you otherwise could achieve without professional assistance. The cost of missed opportunities alone will far outway any investment you place in your digital strategy. Simply put, it is very definitely in your interest to implement an effective digital strategy as soon as possible
You’re probably realising by now that there’s a lot more to consider than you originally imagined and it can be a little overwhelming. We have helped countless businesses in the same position as you. If you have read this far it is likely that at least some of what we are saying strikes a chord… if so then you need to get in touch and start the discussion.
What are your experiences? Do you disagree with the notion that no one will take your business seriously with a homemade website? If so put your comments below and let us know what you did differently.
Fill in your details here and we will be in touch. It’s time to grow with purpose.
