A website is not right for every business, although it is recommended that every commercial business should undertake some form of marketing that doesn’t always include the development of a website. However, for the majority of businesses, success on the web can often mean the difference between profit and loss or success and failure.
Important points to consider are:
Do my customers and prospects use the internet? If you can’t find any statistics for your industry sector then ask your customers – it’s the most effective form of free market research
How many clients do I have, if offering a personal service to a handful of clients will a website add value and return the investment? It is important to highlight that if you are not targeting new prospective customers, a website can still add value. For example, a section on your website could house important documentation and information available for download when required by the client
Would prospects use the internet to find my services? Some businesses such as dry cleaners, often win customers by their business location. Others such as tree surgeons may win customers using word of mouth recommendation
How do I currently win business? If the way that you currently market your business is not producing satisfactory results then a new tactic may be required
How would I like to win business? Are you targeting the wrong sort of customer using your existing marketing methods, do your ideal customers tend to ignore you as they prefer to use the internet?
Am I currently generating enough revenue through other offline forms of marketing and business development. If you generate a satisfactory amount of revenue without a website you may feel it is not worth investing in one
Do you want to grow your business and extend your message to new audiences? This question is key, if the answer is no then a website is probably not right for you. If you do want to grow your business then a website is an extremely important part of your marketing arsenal
Can I afford to invest in a new website? When considering this question it is important to keep a focus on return on investment. Any money invested in a website today should provide return tomorrow as long as you have clear objectives and a plan of action
Do I have the time to effectively manage and update my website? There are a number of options for managing your website which can make the process more straight forward than you think (see Potential Barriers section beneath). Be sure to give this area some thought as a website containing out of date information can damage to your brand image
So if you think your profitable customers are online and want to grow your business and increase your customer base then investment in a website is the best course of action.
