Is a website the right choice for your business?

So you're thinking about starting a website for your small business - that's great! A professional website can be a game-changer when it comes to attracting customers and growing your brand. Creating a website has never been more affordable or accessible, even if you're not tech-savvy.

With the right strategy and a bit of effort, launching your small business website can open up a whole new world of opportunities. But there can be a million and a half overwhelming questions that pop into your head, and some that might not pop into your head until it’s too late;

What are your main goals; attracting new customers, providing information, or selling products directly? What’s your budget and technical capabilities? Will you build the site yourself or hire a professional web designer? What ongoing costs, like web hosting, are you willing to pay? Who will handle updates and troubleshooting? How will you drive traffic and promote your new website, both online and offline?

Let’s go over these burning questions and find out if you’re ready for your business to have a website!

Determining if a Website is Right for Your Business

Determining if a website is the right move for your business requires careful consideration of your goals and target audience. Start by clearly defining what you hope to achieve with an online presence - is it to generate leads, make direct sales, build brand awareness, or provide information to existing customers? Gaining clarity on your primary objectives will guide the direction of your website strategy. 

Next, think about your ideal customer and what they would expect from your business website. Consider their demographics, online behaviors, and the type of content and functionality that would engage them and meet their needs. Are they likely to visit your site on a mobile device? Would they expect e-commerce capabilities to make purchases? 

A website can be a powerful tool to showcase your offerings, but it needs to effectively support and enhance them. For physical goods, having high-quality product photos, detailed descriptions, and easy online ordering are key features to include. If you provide services, your site should clearly explain what's included, highlight customer testimonials, and make it simple for potential clients to understand their options and get in touch. You may also want to consider whether your services could be delivered or supported remotely through a website, such as with instructional videos, client portals for tracking progress, or online booking forms. Ultimately, your website should make it easier and more compelling for customers to do business with you.

Having a website for your business also requires an investment of time, money, and energy to build and maintain. Consider your available budget to develop the site, either doing it yourself or hiring a professional. Think about whether you have the skills needed to create the content, graphics, and layout, or if you'll need to outsource those tasks.

A website also can't just be launched and then forgotten - it needs ongoing attention to keep the content fresh, make updates, and address any technical issues. Reflect on if you have the time to regularly manage the site going forward.

What to Expect When Owning a Website

A day in the life of a website owner includes tasks like performing regular website maintenance and updates. This involves ensuring all the software powering your site, from the content management system to any plugins or extensions, is kept up-to-date with the latest versions. Updates often include important security patches and bug fixes that keep your site safe and running smoothly.

Beyond the technical maintenance, you'll also need to keep your website content fresh and relevant. Creating and publishing new content on a consistent basis is essential for engaging your audience and giving them a reason to keep coming back. Depending on your site, this could mean writing new blog posts, adding new products or services, or updating key pages like your About or Contact sections. Search engines also love to see websites that are continuously publishing quality content, so it can help with your search rankings. 

Drive traffic to your site through effective marketing strategies. This can include tactics like search engine optimization to improve your site's ranking on Google, leveraging social media to promote your content and engage with your audience, and even exploring paid advertising options to reach new people. 

But the work doesn't stop once you've attracted visitors to your site. Analyzing your website's performance is equally important to understand how people are interacting with your pages, identify areas that need improvement, and continuously optimize the user experience. Tools like Google Analytics provide valuable insights into metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rates. 

By digging into this data, you can pinpoint opportunities to fine-tune your site, whether it's speeding up page load times, making your layout more intuitive, or adjusting your content strategy to better resonate with your target audience.

Key Considerations for Small Business Website Ownership

The web platform you select needs to align with your specific type of business, budget constraints, and level of technical know-how. First and foremost, think about your specific type of business and target customers. 

If you're a local retail shop or restaurant, a website may be less critical than claiming your Google My Business profile and building a strong presence on Yelp, Facebook, and Instagram. But if you offer professional services, sell products online, or want to reach a broader audience, a well-designed website is essential. It instantly boosts your credibility and allows customers to learn about your offerings anytime. A website also gives you a platform to share valuable content, collect leads, and even make sales or book appointments. 

The next consideration is your budget and technical know-how. If you’re starting with a low budget and you have time to dedicate, there are many free platforms that offer drag-and-drop website builders such as Wix or Weebly. Website builders are most of the time simple and free to use. However, these platforms usually keep their business name in the domain that comes with the free site, so they offer low cost monthly plans for a personal domain.

Open-source content management systems like WordPress and Drupal require some advanced technical knowledge and constant dedication. This option is usually for businesses with a flexible-high budget and those that are willing to hire a team to maintain and manage their website. Going this route requires choosing a company to host the website, purchasing a domain through a domain provider, and a CDN provider.

Deciding if a Website is the Right Move for Your Small Business

Now you know the ins and outs of determining whether your business truly needs a website. You understand the key factors to evaluate, like your target audience, industry, and business goals. You have a clear picture of what website ownership entails, from the initial development costs to the ongoing maintenance and updates required to keep your site relevant and secure. And most importantly, you're equipped with a framework for thoughtfully considering this important decision, weighing the potential benefits of establishing an online presence against the investments in time, money and effort required. 

With this knowledge, you can move forward confidently, whether that means diving into the exciting world of websites or deciding that now's not quite the right time for your business.