I felt compelled to write a little bit about this after a few meetings in one week with absolutely amazing businesses who were struggling with their websites. Without naming and shaming anyone they were a number of Central Otago's best wineries. They make incredible wine, host incredible events and yet so many were putting up with the headache of a less than functional website.
An article around e-commerce and selling online is probably well overdue, but to keep this light, here are mistakes I see a few people making and a little guide on how to avoid the headache that a 'cheap' website can cause.
What A Website Should Help You Do
A good website should not be complicated to build, but behind the beautiful facade should be functions that help you:
- Reach more people
- Make more money
- Track your traffic and/or sales
- Make easy edits (with or without a professional).
- Measure the success of the activity you're doing
Common Reasons You Have Chosen A 'Cheap' Website
- “just wanted a presence”
- “can’t afford a proper one”
- “had a friend who offered”
- “did it ages ago and it still works, sort of”
- "don't have the budget to invest in one"
- "we'd just started out and lockdown hit and we had to get online"
Chances are this website still cost you quite a lot in time and energy.
Before you say 'YES' to a cheap website
Well before you say “YES” to a website based on any of the above there are a number of aspects to consider.
- A website should be an investment not a cost
- It should provide more than just a “presence”
- It should be functional
- It should enable you to generate income
- It should be a constantly evolving platform in line with your business goals and desires
Before You Start A New Website
Before you embark on a new or upgraded website you need to consider:
- The platform it is being built on
- Your ability to edit and manage it yourself
- It’s mobile responsiveness
- What purpose you want it to play in your business
How to choose a goodie…
Yes I am suggesting you interview anyone who offers to build you a website, even a friend.
A good website builder should consider the following factors…
- Your ultimate goals
- Your technological ability
- The imagery you have in place or if you need to improve this aspect to for real success
- Do you have a plan for driving traffic to your website?
- What social media do you have in place?
- Have you considered what people are searching on Google and how you align this with your words
- Once you’ve invested in getting people there how are you capturing their interest, their contact details or encouraging them to purchase so that you can contact them again later
They should be honest if they can't build you the mechanisms you need to get you where you want to be and should be happy to refer you on to someone else who can. If a website build is out of my scope I have brilliant partners who I can refer people to who I know do a great job.
Why Companies Who Invest Win In The Long Run
It could be that a higher upfront cost pays you in huge dividends later…
- The ability to work smarter not harder
- Ability to manage any aspects you want yourself
- Support for areas that you can’t
- Real business results (more sales or enquiries than you ever imagined)
Some technological food for thought 😉💭⚡️
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