Why is it necessary to have a business website?

Orange juice?

Why did I choose a delicious-looking photo of orange juice for an article about business websites? That literally has nothing to do with the topic… or does it? You will find out over the course of the blog.

Owning a business website allows your business to reach a wider audience. Think of it like a virtual store that is open 24/7 and allows potential customers to learn about your products or services at any time. It can also help build credibility and trust with your target audience as your online presence provides a platform to showcase your expertise and customer reviews. It increases brand awareness, increases customer loyalty and (if done correctly) will ultimately increase sales for your business.

Can't I just use a Facebook page for my business website?

Uh, no. Although you could use one, there are several reasons why it's not recommended to use a social media page instead of a website for your business:

Limited customization options: Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram offer limited customization options, meaning you can't create an online presence that reflects your business or its brand values. An actual website allows for unlimited customization to make your business website exactly how it needs to be.

Limited Control: If you use social media as the primary online presence for your business, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that particular platform. These platforms are constantly evolving, meaning the way they work can change at any time.

Lack of Credibility: This is a matter of perception… and you will hear me say over and over again, optics are everything!!! A dedicated business website with a real domain that doesn't start with facebook.com, instagram.com or wix.com (more on that here) conveys professionalism and seriousness to potential customers.

Limited Analytics: Although some social media platforms offer basic analytics capabilities, they are typically limited compared to what you can get with a website's analytics tools. When it comes to true digital marketing, a website allows you to track user behavior, gain insights, and intensively test every aspect of your website. This not only improves the customer experience on your website but also increases sales and profits for your business.

Hire an expert or build it yourself?

Well, this is the ultimate question and one that I encounter often, so I wrote this article for you. Although my profession is a web designer and I hope to have you as a client... I understand that some of you would like to at least entertain the idea of creating your business website yourself. I hope to give you some pros and cons of both options so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed from here.

Hire or hire an expert

Pros

Guaranteed Results: An experienced professional or agency has the knowledge and expertise to create a visually appealing website for your business that is functional, responsive on all devices, secure, fast page loading and search engine optimization (SEO) is optimized and also meets current accessibility standards for people with disabilities (to avoid expensive lawsuits).

Time Savings: Hiring a professional allows you, as a business owner, to focus your attention on what you do best: running your business. Any issues that may arise regarding your business website should be left to a professional.

Customization Options: A professional knows the best options and plugins available to customize your business website so that it does exactly what your website needs to best serve your online customers.

Contras

Costly: Hiring a professional can be expensive, especially for small businesses trying to keep costs down. That's why many small business owners opt for the cheapest option, which is unfortunately the worst way to deal with this challenge. You can read more about this in my article “The hidden costs of cheap websites”.

Communication barrier: Communication problems can arise when the business owner and the web designer do not understand each other's language or technical terminology. This affects business owners who want to work with low-cost (cheap) web designers from other countries. Also, don't forget the time difference... when you're working, you're sleeping. This can limit communication to 1-2 messages per day.

Third-party dependency: After your website is built, it becomes old, stale, and outdated. The ability to easily update your new website is crucial to keeping the content fresh and ranking your site higher on search engines than your competition. Depending on the designer or agency, you may need to rely on them for website updates, content additions, and platform maintenance… all of which come with additional costs.

Create a website yourself

Pros

Cost-effective: It is a common belief that building a website on your own eliminates the need to pay for professional services. However, while this point is absolutely true, this argument is double-edged. What is your time worth? I explain this argument in more detail in my article “The Hidden Costs of Cheap Websites”.

Learning Opportunity: Creating your own website allows you to learn new skills like coding and design. If you're tech-savvy and have time to spare...let's go! I absolutely love building websites and have been doing it for almost 30 years. If you have the time and ability to learn, I highly recommend it.

Independence: You have full control over the website design and content and don't have to listen to anyone else's ideas or feedback. This is also a mixed blessing, as a professional knows what works where on a company website in order to be successful. They also know all the industry standards and have access to premium tools that cost hundreds and (sometimes) thousands of dollars to make them usable for customers.

Cons

Time-Consuming: Creating your own business website requires time, effort, and a certain level of technical know-how. Finding the appropriate amount of time can be challenging when you have other responsibilities to ensure your business runs smoothly. Again… what is your time worth?

Quality Concerns: I say this all the time…looks are everything! Homemade websites often lack that “professional look,” resulting in poor user experience and page rankings in search engines. If your customers don't like your website, it won't get any traffic... ultimately resulting in your time and effort creating it in the first place being wasted. Allow me to point out this little reminder about what your time is worth.

Limited customization options: Without prior knowledge of coding languages, it can be difficult to create custom features. You may not know where to turn for additional plugins that unlock powerful features on your website, and if you do, many of them cost money for a subscription.

Ultimately, creating a website itself comes down to personal preference, budgetary constraints, and technical expertise. While anyone can do it… the real question is why?

Finally… An explanation for the stupid photo

During my free consultations with clients, I share many sayings…one of which is “Is the effort worth the juice?”

See, anyone can make their own orange juice. I would just have to get in my car, drive to Walmart, buy a decent juicer, and get a few bags of oranges. Then when I get home I would have to read the instructions, juice all the oranges and put the freshly squeezed orange juice in my fridge until it's nice and cold. But that is not all. I would still have to rinse, dry and store the juicer, dispose of the dozens of orange peels, and finally clean the sticky spilled juice from my beautiful granite countertops.

When all is said and done... I have spent a few hundred dollars and wasted hours of time making something that I could have easily purchased at Walmart for about $5. I'm not an orange juice expert, but companies like Minute Maid and Tropicana are. They went to the trouble of making and bottling the juice for me. They delivered it to my store where it is kept nice and chilled and ready for me to enjoy. It already has the right amount of pulp that I like and probably tastes a lot better than what I can make... I think you get the point.

The lesson here is that the only actual benefit from this scenario was the satisfaction of having made my own orange juice. But…was the effort worth the juice? Not for me. I have better things to do with my time.

Is it worth it for you? Only you can answer this question.

Finally

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I offer free design and marketing consultations and am happy to help you avoid the most common pitfalls in identifying the right designer for your business.

Thank you for reading and good luck on your business journey!