Even if you're not planning on selling online, a well-crafted site is essential for any business.
Have you ever said the following: My business is very small, just me and two employees, and our product really can't be sold online. Do I really need a website?
That is one of the most frequently asked questions of the digital business age. Even if your business is small and sells products or services you don't think can be sold online, you should have a website!
Don't be too quick to dismiss your product as one that can't be sold online. Nowadays, there's very little that can't be sold over the internet. More than 20 million shoppers are now online, purchasing everything from books to computers to cars to real estate to jet airplanes to natural gas to you name it. If you can imagine it, someone will figure out how to sell it online.
The point to be made here is that you should at the very least have a presence on the web so that customers, potential employees, business partners and perhaps even investors can quickly and easily find out more about your business and the products or services you have to offer.
But, it's not enough that you just have a website. You must have a professional-looking site if you want to be taken seriously. Since many consumers now search for information online prior to making a purchase, your site may be the first chance you have at making a good impression. If your site looks like it was designed by a bunch of colour-blind monkeys, your chance at making a good first impression will be lost.
One of the great things about the internet is that it has levelled the playing field when it comes to competing with the big boys. As mentioned, you have one shot at making a good first impression. With a well-designed site, your little operation can project the image and professionalism of a much larger company. The inverse is also true. Many big company websites are so badly designed and hard to navigate that they completely lacked professionalism and credibility.
When it comes to benefiting from a website, company size does not matter. It doesn’t matter if you're a one-man show or a 10,000-employee corporate giant; if you don't have a website, you're losing business to other companies that do.
Here's the exception to the rule: It's better to have no website at all than to have one that makes your business look bad. Your site speaks volumes about your business.
Your website is an important part of your business. Make sure you treat it as such.
