Does Your Business Need a Website?
Before we answer that, the truth is that you might not actually need a website for your business. Not all businesses want to grow and have more customers believe it or not. I can name several small businesses that are quite content with how they get customers through word of mouth or have enough recurring customers to keep them busy for a lifetime. So, before considering if you want a website, think about the purpose of a website. Sometimes a website is solely for growing a business, which in this case, you might not want to grow. However, depending on your business, a website might serve your customers by providing a convenient online portal or tool for whatever services you offer. Some examples of this might include scheduling, interactions, payments, etc.
With the reasons why you might not actually want a website out of the way, we can move on to why you should probably have a website. As mentioned, growing your business is hard, but the internet makes it much easier to be found. A high quality website boosts business revenue and drives traffic to the business because it allows them to find your business from wherever they are at that moment. People instantly google for businesses these days to get an idea of what your business does, what other folks think about your business, and if you seem reputable and worth their time. When someone needs something, say food for example, many folks are likely to go to their phone or computer and type in “food near me” or “restaurants nearby”. If they can find your website on Google and it looks like a professional business with quality foods and services, you stand a much greater chance of gaining their business. Conversely, if you have no presence online, they have no idea you exist unless they have heard about your business.
Unfortunately, the only way to answer this question is to ask a local website designer as they have the real answer. Why should you pick a local website designer over a big business with a team of web designers and developers? It seems obvious to me, but paying more for a local developer who knows the community builds a better website for your business because they actually care about the community. A local homebuilder isn’t going to build a junky house next to their house. Additionally, since local is the best way to go, a website in California will cost more than a website in Mississippi due to the cost of living in those places.
No matter what they say, there’s more to a business than pleasing customers. Websites can also take some burdens away from your employees. Having information readily available on a website can save a receptionist from a phone call because the person found the information they needed on your website. Business websites can serve so many different functions of a business, but you will need to get creative to utilize your website’s full potential. This is why it’s a great idea to have a local website designer/developer work with you. It gives them a chance to understand your business and offer suggestions about various functions or features your website could have to help your future customers, existing customers, and your employees.