Well, do you? The immediate answer to this question for most businesses in America is “yes.” However, out of all small businesses in the United States, a whopping 25% don’t have a website, and even more surprisingly, 10% of them have no plans to build one. When I read the last stat, I was shocked. It astounds me that someone could consider not having a website for their business in an age where the first place many go to find information is the internet, more specifically, Google.
At Webspec, we hear reasons all the time for why people either haven’t had a website or why they aren’t interested in getting a website. While some of these may seem valid to the client, when we hear them, here’s what we say. It may surprise you!
“Websites are too expensive.”
Websites are an investment, and typically investments take money up front to reap rewards in the future. We want to build a website that will be a beneficial investment for you. For instance, a new website may cause an increase in business, an increase in credibility (which in turn can increase profitability), or an increase in community engagement with your company. Whatever your goal is for your website, we will work with you to set you up for success.
We accommodate budgets of many shapes and sizes, which means that we will work with you to determine a plan to pay for your website in a way that won’t break the bank. Website payments can be broken down into monthly installments over a period of 2-12 months so that you can work a website into your budget. If there are a lot of features that you want to have on your site — but don’t necessarily need on your site when it launches — we can help you make a plan to separate these into phases, allowing you to budget for them and add new features over time.
“My customers come through word-of-mouth/referrals”
Congratulations on having an excellent referral network! While your industry might currently be one that relies on word of mouth for business, there is always room for a website. In the age of the internet, word-of-mouth referral doesn’t only come from the water cooler – it’s now communicated online through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well as through review sites like Yelp, Trip Advisor and Angie’s List. If you don’t have a website, interested customers can’t explore your business online after reading that review. This could mean the difference between getting a client or losing one!
“No one searches for my services online.”
This may have been true in the past for your industry, but with young professionals who are equipped with smartphones, tablets and Google that is changing. These young professionals are using Google in two ways — searching for jobs and searching for service providers.
Searching for jobs. A young professional, whether a recent graduate or someone with few years of experience, typically starts their job search online. If they start looking for careers on Google, a smattering of career websites and company websites with job listings will appear in the search results. Since company websites typically have more accurate information about available positions, they will likely start there. But, if the candidate finds your job opening on a career site, they will likely proceed to research your company further online to see if you’re legitimate and offer more job details on your website. In either case, if you don’t have a website for them to find, you could again lose out on the best candidate for your company.
Searching for services. The internet generation is beginning to rise through the ranks at companies into positions of influence and/or purchasing power. Chances are that they are going to turn to the internet to shop the market and make sure that the company they are currently using for services is still providing the best service for the best price. In these instances you want to have a website that will portray your company as one worth talking to. If you don’t have a website, you probably won’t even have a shot.
“None of my competitors have a website.”
All the better for you! Since your competitors don’t want to invest in a website, they won’t mind you taking all of the online leads. Chances are that people are trying to find your service online but since you and your direct competitors don’t have a website they are relying on their network to find them a place nearby to receive that service from or they are looking at companies outside of the area with websites to provide that service for them. Remember: you want to differentiate yourself from your competitors. What better way than to make your company more available to potential customers?
“I don’t have time to maintain a website.”
We’ve got you covered. Our content team is able to make updates to your site on regular basis. Just send over what you need done and we will make it happen! You can even retain hours with the team so that you have designated time each month for us to work on your website by adding photos, blogs, content changes and more. Add a monthly SEO retainer and we will help increase your rankings on Google, Bing & Yahoo as well.
“My customers don’t use the internet.”
As we’ve mentioned already, this is changing with the growth of the internet generation. As they become older and begin purchasing services either for themselves or for their company, they will likely start online. While your current customers might not use the internet or even a computer on a regular basis, the up-and-coming young professionals sure do — and not only on their desktop; the increase of mobile device use (such as smartphones and tablets) is on a steady rise every month.
“I don’t have time to go through the website building process.”
We get it! While we do equip you with an entire team here at Webspec to manage the project, design and program the site, and write and enter content into the site there will be a few meetings that will have to happen and some decisions that ultimately fall upon your shoulders. For this we recommend setting aside one hour to two hours a week to work on your website or delegate the task of decision making to a trusted individual at your company.
If this is just a really busy time, trust us, we understand and would love to sit down with you in a slower quarter. But if you notice that this has been your excuse for the last three years? It’s probably time to just bite the bullet and get it done. After all, it typically only takes a few months to accomplish.
“I already have too much business coming in! I don’t need anymore customers coming from a website.”
Glad to hear that business is booming — that is a great problem to have! When we experienced this here at Webspec, we found ourselves faced with two choices: turn away business or grow. We chose to grow and expand our team to serve the clients that are in need of a website or one of our other services. If you have been steadily flooded with customers and don’t see an end in sight, maybe it is time to consider growing. A new website can help you get even more business through the door, helping justify the expense of adding additional employees.
Websites also help to improve customer service. By providing your customers resources that can be accessed online 24/7, you’ll spend less time answering questions and more time focusing on serving serious customers who are ready and willing to spend additional money on your services. Let your website take some of the customer service burden off your shoulders and focus on growing your business.
“I’ll do it later.”
How many times have you said those words? Personally, I do on a daily basis, whether it’s doing the dishes after dinner, putting away laundry, or scrubbing the floors. Other things I could spend my time on appear to provide a greater reward, however, when I get home the next day, the work still needs to be done and I want to do it even less than I did yesterday. As humans, we put things off because the thought of doing them later relieves the current stress. The reality is that this pattern is a dangerous cycle to get into. If we are honest with ourselves, tomorrow never comes and you end up with a pile of clothes to put away that stretches to the ceiling, dishes that cause your kitchen to take on a rather repulsive smell, or in this case, a website that never happens.
It’s time to break the cycle of “I will do it tomorrow” and start taking care of business today. For me, it’s going home and putting away the pile of clothes in the laundry basket, and for you it’s getting a quote for your website and starting the process.
So What Now?
Do any of these excuses sound like things you or your boss has said about building or redesigning your company website? I would wager that at least one reason on the list hit home with you. The internet is not a fad that is passing through, it isn’t going to disappear from the business world, and it most certainly isn’t something you can ignore for your business any longer. It is time for a website!
The team at Webspec Design has worked with a wide variety of clients. Some have been in business for decades and needed a site redesign, while others were startups that needed a site to get their business going. You don’t have to be afraid of the process because we have successfully completed it hundreds of times. We know the questions to ask and features to include to develop a website that will not only impress your clients but aid you in winning their business.
Ready to join the online community and start reaping the benefits of having a website? Is it time for a redesign? Give us a call or drop us a note below. We can’t wait to partner with you on your website project!
