Why do you need a website?
As a developer, this is one of the first and probably most important questions I am asked, well hopefully this article will help guide you to your first website.
What is a website?
Before I explain why you need a website, it’s worth explaining a little bit about what a website is.
Well, to put it simply, a website is a place on the internet which typically contains content related to a specific topic, for example, the BBC’s Good Food website (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com) contains information about different recipes that you can replicate in your own kitchen.
You can think of a website like a flyer or a book or extended business card. It contains information that you can use to learn more about a particular topic, purchase from an online catalogue or simply call someone you need to speak to.
Why do I need one?
So, now we know what a website is, let’s get to the important part, why do I need a website?
Well, to explain this, I first need to ask a question. When you are walking through your local town, shopping centre or village high street, why do you choose which shops to go in and buy from?
There are probably a few reasons:
- you planned to go in there because of their reputation or
- they provide you with something that nobody else does or
- you saw something you liked when “window shopping”
These same reasons can be applied to websites. The majority of companies now have a website that people can use to view additional information about the products and services they offer. Some have even taken this one stop further by allowing you to purchase or reserve items online to pick up in store, B&Q and Argos are superb examples this.
So, why do these companies invest so much in their websites? The main reason is to offer additional services to their customers or offer different ways for customers to interact with them. This not only increases their revenue but increases their reputation and customer service opportunities.
Going back to the original question, now think about how you choose the sites you visit. Do you visit them because they look professional or do you visit them because they contain the information you are looking for? My guess would be that it is a mixture of both of these two answers.
A website should not only be a place to hold information, it should be an extension of your business. Regardless of whether you sell products or offer services, every business should have a website to provide potential customers with an easy way to find out what your business does and potentially contact you; it’s basically a giant advert.
So, what next?
- What kind of budget do you have to play with?
- What do you want to achieve with your site i.e. additional sales, increased number of leads?
- How do you want it to look?
- Does your business have its own logo?
- Does your business have a specific colour scheme i.e. business cards, bill heads etc?
- What information would you like to display on your site?
It’s worth noting at this point that brand awareness is as big online as it is walking down your local high street and is a big contributor to why businesses retain customers.
One thing you can do is to have a look around at some of your competitors and think about what you can offer differently to what they do? This could be something as simple as testimonials from your customers or a simple before and after gallery of the work you have done.
I realise there are quite a few questions to think about but these are the sort of things any decent design agency will ask you. After all, you are the only one who fully understands your business so how can someone produce you a website that truly reflects your business without finding out more about it?
Written by Matt Kellett - Matt is the Lead Developer for the Lancaster Development within BT Marketing Solutions. Matt has a passion for all things Web including social media integration, ecommerce and blogging.
If you are interested in getting a website but don't know where to start, you can get in touch with us for a no-obligation free web review. Or take a look at our Web design packages.
