Are you wondering if your business needs a website?
If you are you’re not alone.
Many people hear the rumbles from the peanut gallery:
You need a website!
You don’t have a website?! Are you crazy?!
What?! No Website?! You’re losing sales!
Sound familiar?
Part of the reason businesspeople like you are successful is because you know how to analyze opportunities. Not every opportunity is right for your business.
But there are some that will make your business better and a website might be one such opportunity.
So we’re going to help you out with this question.
If you’re thinking about a website, but aren’t sure if you need one use this checklist to help you decide.
These questions are like the Jeff Foxworthy redneck jokes. You know the ones that go, “If you mow your front lawn and find a car…you might be a redneck.”
If the answer is “Yes” to these questions you would likely benefit from a website.
1. Does your customer use the Internet?
This one might seem obvious, but it’s surprising how many don’t take the time to think about it.
By now you probably have a good stable of customers. From the information you have on those customers you probably have the image of your ideal customer in your brain. Think about this ideal customer and determine if they use the Internet.
If your customer is below the age of 35 they probably use the Internet all the time both at work and at home. They also probably use the Internet on their phone all the time.
Now, if your customer is 65 years old the chances of him or her using the Internet are drastically lower. Sure, some people will use the Internet at this age, but it’s not the majority.
If you’re struggling to determine if your ideal customer is using the Internet just ask a few of them. Call them up and ask if and how they use the Internet. You’ll get some good insight and if you determine that your customer does use the Internet then creating a business website is probably a good opportunity.
2. Can You Create Content For A Website?
Many people get excited about a new website. They call a designer and look to get started.
There is often a rude awakening when it comes to content.
The designer needs content. Having the content allows the designer to build your website so that visitors are taken through your sales process.
If you’re too busy to analyze your sales process to create content then you’ll need to assign someone that can do it or you might not be ready for a website.
Be prepared to create content for your new website before you see any designs. You can make changes along the way, but the process will move along faster if you have the content prepared.
It will also lead to a better, more effective website.
3. Can You Commit To A Fresh Content Strategy
The other thing new website owners overlook is a fresh content strategy.
Once your site is launched you can’t just leave it alone and watch the traffic and sales roll in.
If you want your site to work for you then you’ll need to make sure the site stays updated.
People want to see that your site is fresh. This means adding updates. Many businesses use a News section or a Blog to keep their blog fresh. Others will embed social media content. Some will add videos and images to the site to keep things fresh.
You’ll also need to update the content that is more static like your Services or About information.
If you’re ready to commit to a fresh content strategy then you’re ready for a website. If not, then you’re only setting your website up for failure.
Note: it’s also a good idea to ask your designer for a maintenance package. There will be technical updates and even design changes down the road that you’ll want to be prepared for. Your site is never “done”. It’s always a work in progress.
4. Can You Commit To A Promotional Strategy?
It’s going to be difficult to get traffic to your site without a promotional strategy.
In the early days of the Internet it was possible to just put a site up and watch traffic roll in from Google. That’s not the case today. Google wants content because that’s what online users want to see.
A content strategy can bring you search traffic, but you’ll also need to consider social media for promoting your business and your content.
Online advertising is another avenue for promotion.
If you’re ready to commit to a promotional strategy of some kind then you’re ready for a business website.
5. Do You Have The Investment?
Websites can vary greatly in cost. A basic website with a homepage, about page and contact page could be just a few hundred dollars or maybe a thousand dollars or so, but if you’re talking about an e-commerce website with many pages and different designs you’re looking at tens of thousands.
There are cheap ways to create a site and sometimes those will work in the short-term, but if you want a website that matches the quality of your brand you’ll need to be willing to invest.
Think of your website as a new person on your team. That’s really what a website is; a salesperson for your team except your website will work for you 24/7/365. The site is always online working to bring you sales.
What is that worth to you?
Hopefully this checklist will help you determine if your business needs a website.
Not every business needs one, but if you answered “Yes” to the questions above then chances are good that your business will benefit from a website.
