If you think you are ready for a new website, you may be wrong
Are you starting a business and looking for someone to build your website? Or you may have been in business a few years but are just now looking into establishing an online presence. If that’s you, then there are a few things you should consider before shelling out the big bucks for a new website. After considering these key points, you’ll know whether you are ready to invest in a professionally designed website.
You aren’t ready if these points apply
1. You don’t have a business plan
Your business plan, whether it’s formal or written on a napkin, will guide all decisions regarding your business. If you don’t have a plan, you won’t be able to articulate your goals to your web designer. If you can’t articulate your goals, your designer will be working on assumptions, and you probably won’t end up with a website that works with your other marketing tools to build your business.
What to do
Take some dedicated time to sit down and write out your vision and goals for your business. List what you want to achieve in six months, one year, five years, etc. How many products will you have? Will you expand (locations, employees, etc.). Decide what values do you want to emphasize. Create a description of your company as if it were a person. All of these things will help you form a business plan that will guide your business in all of your decision-making steps.
2. You’re in a hurry
If you’ve begun a business and you want a website within the week, you are setting yourself up for failure. Yes, it is possible for someone to build a website in a hurry, but it most likely won’t be a quality site. If you are in the frame of mind that you need it yesterday, then you aren’t ready for the proper process of getting a quality website out of your designer.
What to do
Stop. Take a breath. Go back to point one and create your business plan. Then go through the processes of branding your company (the best way is with a professional brand designer). Remind yourself that it’s better to do it right the first time than to rush into something that isn’t what you need. I’ll have an entirely different article about how to get ready, but a good place to start is by knowing what you want to say about your business and your products or services. It’s always best to have your copy ready before the design begins. Ashlyn Carter has lot’s of helpful YouTube videos and some templates to help you write. Being prepared will help you spend your money wisely, and your web designer will deliver a higher quality website when everyone goes through the proper process.
3. You aren’t willing to spend the money
Good websites aren’t cheap. And even if you find a $200 website, it never ends there. You’ll end up with extra costs for each part of your site that wasn’t included in the $200. Then there’s hosting, email hosting, maintenance, support, etc. It all adds up, so you need to be prepared to invest.
What to do
Reframe your thinking about how you spend money for your business. Weigh the pros and cons of your expenditures and make decisions based on your business plan. If you look at the expense as a good investment for building your businesses instead of trying to find the cheapest option out there, you’ll be closer to being ready to take the leap.
4. You think a website will make your business successful
Even the prettiest websites won’t generate business if they aren’t being used correctly. Your website is just one part of a successful business plan. It takes consistent attention to content and maintenance to keep things working. If you build a site and then do nothing with it when it’s done, then you may as well have never built one. It’s just a business card when left alone.
What to do
Be prepared to keep your website fresh by consistently adding new content. Decide if you are willing to put the time in to do it. If not, then know that the cost of a plan or retainer to have someone else do it is a smart investment for your company.
There really is hope!
So, there it is. Those are some of the reasons that you may not be ready to invest in a professional website. It is really important to approach your investment with a realistic understanding of the attention, time, and processes that are necessary to build a quality website.
But, if you aren’t quite ready, there is hope! I can talk you through the steps you should take to prepare yourself to begin your project. I offer a free 30-minute discovery call that helps you understand what you’ll need to do to move forward and if my services are a match for you. If they aren’t, you’ll still have a good idea of the direction you want to go. Click the button to schedule a time. I look forward to hearing from you.