One question I hear quite often from small business owners is: “Does my small business really need a website?”
It is a fair question. With Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and other digital platforms making it easier for businesses to reach customers, many business owners wonder whether investing in a website is still necessary.
My answer is simple: before you decide whether to build a website, first understand what you want the website to achieve for your business.
I will endeavour to keep this article as short and practical as possible, but if it gets a little longer than expected, bear with me.
By the end, I hope we can understand this concept a little better.
Before You Read On, Know This
- A website is more than just putting information about your business online.
- Your website represents your business and can become a central point for your customers.
- Before spending money on website development, there are important decisions you need to make.
Let’s look at seven of them.
1. Know the Purpose of Your Website
I have met several clients who decided not to renew their hosting plan after the first year of launching their website.
In some cases, the problem was not that the website was bad. The problem was that the business owner was not sure what the website was supposed to accomplish in the first place.
The first major question every business owner should ask is:
“What do I want my website to do for my business?”
It is surprising how often, when I am contacted to build a website, I ask the client what they intend to achieve with it and they become unsure of how to answer.
Before you start building, you need a clear picture of what you want to achieve.
Are you trying to showcase your products? Do you want customers to contact you? Do you want to collect enquiries? Do you want people to book appointments? Do you want to sell products directly online? Or do you simply want to provide information and establish a professional online presence?
These questions need to be carefully considered.
Here are some questions you should ask:
- What do you want the website to achieve?
- Do you want to attract more customers?
- Do you want to sell products online?
- Do you want to showcase your services?
- Do you want to receive enquiries?
- Do you want to build credibility?
- Do you want to provide useful information to customers?
Always remember: the purpose of your website should influence its structure, content and features.
2. Know Your Target Audience
One advantage of working with someone who understands digital marketing is that they can help you think beyond simply putting your business online. They can help you consider who you are trying to reach and what you want those people to do when they visit your website.
Questions such as these need to be answered:
- Who are your customers?
- What problems do they have?
- What information are they looking for?
- What would make them trust your business?
- What action do you want them to take?
For example, imagine you run a grocery business in a busy part of town.
Who are you trying to reach?
Are your potential customers bankers, civil servants, company employees, students, families or residents within your area?
The answer can influence your website’s content, design, language, offers and even the way you communicate with visitors.
Knowing your target audience also helps you determine the tone of your blog posts, the type of content you publish, the services you highlight and the calls to action you use.
A website should not be designed for everyone. It should be designed to communicate effectively with the people your business wants to serve.
3. Decide What Type of Website You Need
Another important consideration is deciding what type of website your small business actually needs.
Not every business needs a large, complicated website.
If your budget is limited, you can start with a simple, professional website that communicates what your business does, presents your products or services and gives customers an easy way to contact you.
You do not necessarily need to build everything at once.
For example, depending on the nature of your business, you may need a:
- Business or company website
- Service-based website
- E-commerce website
- Portfolio website
- Booking or appointment website
- Educational website
The important thing is to choose a website structure that matches your business goals, budget and ability to manage it.
Start with what your business needs, not simply what looks impressive.
4. Prepare Your Content Before Development
This is something many small businesses overlook.
It is important to prepare the information and content that will be used to build the website before development begins.
After all, you understand your business better than your developer does.
A developer can structure and present your information professionally, but you are the person who knows your products, services, customers, history and business goals.
Business owners should prepare information such as:
- Business description
- Services or products
- Prices, where appropriate
- Quality photographs
- Logo and branding materials
- Contact information
- Business address or service locations
- Customer testimonials
- Frequently asked questions
The more prepared your content is, the easier it becomes to build a website that accurately represents your business.
5. Choose a Good Domain Name
Choosing a domain name may look simple, but it is something worth taking seriously.
I often take the time to research and suggest suitable domain names for small business websites because many business owners are not familiar with the considerations involved in choosing one.
Your domain name becomes part of your business’s identity online. Ideally, customers should be able to remember it, spell it and associate it with your business.
A good domain name should generally be:
- Easy to remember
- Easy to spell
- Relevant to the business
- Professional
- Not unnecessarily complicated
Where possible, choose a name that can remain useful as your business grows.
6. Choose the Right Person or Company to Build It
I have had to rework several websites in the past because the business owner initially thought having a website was mainly about creating a beautiful interface.
A good-looking website is important, but a business website should do more than look good.
If a website does not clearly communicate what a business offers, attract the right audience, provide a good user experience or encourage visitors to take the desired action, its visual appearance alone may not achieve the business goals.
This is why I normally advise business owners to consider working with someone who understands not only website development but also areas such as digital marketing, content creation and search engine optimisation (SEO).
A developer with knowledge in these areas can think about the website from a broader business perspective: how the content should be structured, how customers may find the website through search engines, what information visitors need and what actions the website should encourage.
Before hiring a website developer, consider:
- Their previous work or portfolio
- Their understanding of your business
- Their communication and responsiveness
- What is included in the quoted price
- Whether they provide maintenance and support
- Who will own and have access to the website
- What happens after the website is launched
Do not choose a developer simply because they can build a beautiful website. Choose someone who understands what the website needs to accomplish for your business.
7. Have a Plan for What Happens After Launch
Launching your website is not necessarily the end of the project.
One mistake some small businesses make is treating the website as something they build once and then never touch again.
Your business will change. Your services may change. Your contact information may change. New products may be introduced. Customers may ask new questions. Your website may also need software updates, security checks, backups and other maintenance.
Think about these things before the website is launched.
Ask yourself:
- Who will update the website?
- Who will maintain it?
- How will you keep the content current?
- How will you handle backups and security?
- How will you measure whether the website is helping the business?
A website should be treated as a business asset that can grow alongside the business.
Final Thoughts
Building a website for your small business should not begin with the question, “How much will it cost?”
It should begin with questions such as:
“Why do I need this website?”
“Who am I building it for?”
“What do I want visitors to do?”
“What information do they need?”
Once you have clear answers to these questions, it becomes much easier to determine the type of website you need, the features it should have and the kind of person you should hire to build it.
A website does not have to be massive or expensive to be useful. What matters is that it serves a clear purpose and provides value to the people you want to reach.
Build with purpose. Build for your customers. Build with the future of your business in mind.
If you have a website project you would like TechForest to handle, explore our services to see how we can help you build a professional digital presence for your business.