This may be a question you’ve asked yourself before. Whilst a lot of industries have fully adopted the age of the internet, some aren’t quite as on board with technology. For old school companies or businesses who primarily operate through word of mouth marketing, it can seem pointless to set up a website and start marketing online. However, by ignoring the internet, businesses can miss an untapped audience who may need their services.
My business doesn’t operate online?
When people think of businesses online, big sellers such as Amazon, ASOS and others might jump into mind. Of course they need websites – they primarily sell online. For businesses like trades, greengrocers, bakers and more, the internet doesn’t often fall into their standard sales funnel, but it really should. A website gives you a presence online and allows you to be found by people within your local area and beyond, depending on how well you market it.
Even if you don’t want to commit to a website, a well-managed Facebook page can act as a brilliant point of reference for any business, featuring updates, reviews, testimonials, examples of work and more. Having all of this information online and easy for users to find means that interested users can easily find out the information they need before taking the plunge with you. Although social media profiles are useful, we would still recommend a website over this as it is much more customisable, allowing you to share the exact information you want to share in the way you want to.
Can I just have a blank website with my contact information on?
Technically, yes! You could do exactly that and it would allow new users to find you online. However, without a good amount of content, your website will be poorly optimised for search engines, making it hard for your site to show up in relevant Google Searches. Content and information is key for Google being able to work out what your website is all about. By having multiple pages with interesting information relevant to your business, you improve your site’s optimisation.
From a user point of view, you need to be conscious that this is likely someone’s first impression of you. A well thought out, easy-to-use, aesthetically pleasing website can attract and maintain users. By making something incredibly simple, or very confusing, you immediately put people off. If they’re put off by their website, it lowers the chance they’ll contact you for work. Think about when you visit websites, if one looks a bit dodgy, you normally leave it rather quickly!
Your brand image is everything you do, both in person and online. Whether you’re part of the trades industry working on site, or posting on social media, you’re representing your brand. As a reflection of your brand, a website can help to shape your identity. Ideally, you should think about your website early on in your business and brand’s journey.
Why don’t I just use a random template or site builder?
Whilst these are both viable options, you’ll likely be stuck with something you don’t truly love. Unless you have experience creating websites, it’s always better to get in touch with a company who does (like us!). We work alongside businesses to create website designs that truly represent the brand and their ideals. Templates have definitely gotten better over the years, but they’re still very limited in what you can do with them. We have years of experience in creating websites and have an in-depth knowledge of how users like to use websites. Additionally, our team of developers are all experienced code writers, meaning that we can create custom functionality from scratch. Whether you want to sell things, book meetings, share images or anything else, we can come up with a solution.
Your website needs to be high quality because it’s an integral part of your business. It can be as much of a sales tool as an actual sales person if leveraged correctly through marketing. If you think your business needs a website, or your existing site could do with a facelift, why not get in touch and find out how iTCHYROBOT can help?