Let’s start with the fundamentals: What is a website?
The web has been around for a long time so it’s no secret a website is the headquarters of your company. Its the place all potential customers go to after they saw your advertisement, organic social media post or scanned your QR code. Some things have changed but the fundamentals are still the same. This may change in the near future due to web3 and the blockchain. But for now, a regular website cannot be missed in your marketing strategy.
The website is the headquarters of your company online. The same as it would be your physical headquarters, it’s the main operation and the goal is to get as much traffic as possible through organic and paid media to let the visitor flow through your customer journey.
The purpose of a website.
The purpose of a website is the same as having a physical shop. People can get a taste of the look and feel of your company, their questions are answered and there is an opportunity to take action if they feel like buying your product or service. It’s the place where the visitor can find information about your menu, schedule and opening times and will be the go to for that information.
So when it isn’t available, you would be missing out on potential clients or guests. Better yet, if you don’t have a website how will they even find you in search engines?
Well, luckily there are still social media channels through which you can run a full business and many have done it. And in some cases that’s great, but the customization a website offers gives you the chance to guide the user through your website and telling your story the way you want them to hear it. This makes communication clear and precise which... increases the likely hood for the user to convert to a paying customer, client or guest.
Whether the investment is the right one for your business is a question we need to get answered.
What should a custom website offer your business?
As a business, results matter. A fancy website with flashy things here and there is fine but what about the investment you made, are you going to get it back? Will it double? The answer is: it depends.
Like we said, the website is the headquarters of your company, it is created to guide visitors through a funnel of information that helps the visitor to decide whether your product or service is for them. And when they have decided, they can take action.
But a website misses one big factor which is crucial, there is no guy with a hotdog suit standing outside at the entrance of the headquarters to lure people inside. That’s where Search engine optimalisation, Search engine advertising, social media (organic) and social media (paid) comes in (or any local, physical advertising).
The goal of the website is to turn the created traffic into paying customer and not to create the traffic itself. As soon as they are inside we treat them with the information they want, guide them to the end of the line and help them make a decision. This could be to sell something or simply to inform. No matter the goal, the conversion happens on the website (mostly) and the attraction happens outside of it.
Its clear you need a website, but why a custom website?
To start, I am biased in my opinion as I exclusively creative custom websites. The reason why is fairly straight forward: it actually creates results for your business. And while there are many other reasons for me to do this (like the freedom of creativity as a selfish factor), the reason for your business is fairly simple: your customer is custom too.
There is not a one size fits all solution for web design for any industry and yes; while the design can be alike, the customer journey is not about the visual iterations. It is the guiding of the visitor through the intended story to actually achieve your business goals.
Of course the look & feel of a website is custom as well and matter a lot as this has to imply brand recognition, increases brand equity on the long term, makes information easier to process and stimulate emotion to connect with your customer by using the right colors etc. That’s what design is, it’s design. It’s creating solutions, not just artwork.
My honest advice.
Do you need a website in 2022? It’s a simple yes. But, do you need a custom website? That really depends on the current state of your business, the kind of business, the budget and the business goals.
One point I want to emphasize: don’t get a “half assed website” that is cheaper than a custom build one. It’s not about being pretty, its about being effective. If you don’t have the budget right now, Build one yourself (which does cost valuable time) or use a Webflow template, you can maintain this for a yearly price of €180,- per year and save up for the real work.
And if you are truly looking for a custom experience for your business and want to get real results, I pleasingly invite you to contact me.
