Do you really need a website? Some thoughts on why you do, and how to make it happen.

A recent Linkedin post got some traction by suggesting that not all businesses need a website.

Which honestly, is a bit of a headscratcher.  As my friend Tim Peter wrote in a counterpoint, that's like saying you don't need a phone number or an email address to run a business.

On this week's episode, I talk through why you DO need a website, even if it's just a simple one. I discuss the types of websites and their function; and give some pointers on how to work with freelancers or an agency to build one for your business.

And if you want an example of a simple Wordpress site that didn't cost an arm and a leg, check out my new site for Solent Strategies.


Links:

Read Tim Peter's  Linkedin Post about websites here
Subscribe to his "Thinks Out Loud" podcast here

Find the Wordpress MarketShare Data here

For more about building websites, listen to Episode 3 with Ian Loew

And for the Bourbon/Chocolate experience, visit the Stitzel-Weller Distillery 

Transcript

Maybe not every business should have a website. That was the premise behind a Linkedin post a few weeks ago, from someone who should probably know better.

I wasn’t sure if the author was seriously suggesting it, or if it was one of those sly wink posts designed to drive comments and engagement.a “prove me wrong” kind of post to get people worked up and goose the algorithm. I suspect it’s the latter because the author is someone who I follow specifically because they’re a respected expert on SEO and they typically post very informative content.

When I first saw the post, it annoyed me a little, but I simply wrote a comment and moved on. A couple of days later though, my friend Tim Peter came across the original post and it seemed to really get his goat. And Tim is one of those people who I’ll listen to more than my opinion. He knows what he’s talking about!

I’ll put a link in the shownotes to Tim’s own post responding to the idea that a business doesn’t necessarily need a website. But after some back and forth, it seemed like a good topic for a podcast. Tim may well cover it on his own show - Thinks Out Loud - which I hope you’re already subscribed to. If not, take a minute now to go and find it and follow. And then come back to The Marketing Mix, where we’ll talk about the importance of a good website…

[Opening Music]

One reason this subject caught my attention is that I’ve just spent a fair amount of time building my own website for Solent Strategies - with a little help from my friends. And I’ll get into that process later in the podcast.

First, let me expand on the initial Linkedin Post, and what I think the true idea might be. Then, I’ll dig into how a small business should think about, and approach, their own website

“Unpopular opinion: Not every business needs a website.”

OK, since a lot of people only skim social posts, they may have just read that first line. It could definitely grab your attention. Then it goes on to say:

If visiting a website isn't part of a buyer's journey, having a website could actually hurt a sale if it's done wrong.”

First of all, I find it hard to think of a business where visiting the website isn’t part of the buying process. Even for quick, low risk purchase decisions - like a local coffee shop or getting an oil change - there’s a good number of people who will check out the business on their phone before they walk through the door. So that seems like a red herring. Which then leaves us with the part about “hurting a sale if it’s done wrong”. I can see that one. If you have a website that looks dated, amateurish, or has wrong information on, that could have a negative impact. 

I was looking for a plumber a few weeks back, someone who’d been recommended to me. I went to their website and I got an error message that the website owner had not paid their subscription fee. So that does have a negative impact

But the answer then isn’t that you shouldn’t have a website. It’s that you should invest just a bit of time or money in having a decent one.

Now, the reason for having a website is different depending on your type of business, the size of your company, and the people you’re trying to reach.

For an ecommerce business, it’s obviously about bringing people in and getting them to the checkout page. That’s a subject all it’s own, and I won’t talk about that here.

But let’s assume you’re a B2B company selling a product or service either offline, or through a third party. In that case, there’s a few reasons you may want to have a website, or things you want to achieve via your website

If you have a new, or very technical product, the website is great for education. Explaining how it works and why someone needs it.

Some companies try to show their understanding of the industry, and the problem their customers face. So they use the website for Thought Leadership - with blogs, video and webinars to show that they know more about this than anyone else. That’s also known as Content Marketing.

Location and logistics. Where to buy through a partner. How to get started with the product. Who to call for help

And the one that applies to every business I can think of - and is the reason I think every company should have at least a simple website - is credibility. When someone Googles your company name, they expect to see a professional online presence - a virtual storefront - that gives them a level of comfort that you are a reputable company.

Now, think about the other things that will come up when they search for your company. Competitor websites. Maybe review sites. And almost certainly social media profiles.

So some will ask, why don’t I just invest in the social media platforms, since that’s where my customers are? If I have a killer Instagram feed, or if I’m active on Linkedin, doesn't that provide the same level of credibility?

Well, yes. Kind of. But there’s a couple of problems with this. Firstly, unless you’re very lucky, your customers will be active on multiple social media platforms. So it can become time consuming to be active - and consistently active - on lets say facebook, Reddit and TikTok. That actually requires more resource than building a simple website, over time.

But more importantly, you’re at the mercy of that platform, their algorithm, and their reputation.

Let’s say you have a solid following on Instagram, you post regularly, and you get good engagement. But then. overnight, they tweak the algorithm to favor a different type of content, and your traffic suddenly plummets. You realize that you don’t own that audience. You’re just borrowing it from the platform. Or let’s say - hypothetically - that a billionaire buys a particular platform, and it’s reputation tanks. There goes your primary outlet.

Whereas the website is something you own, you control. Tim Peter often talks about the Hub and Spoke model - where the website is the hub of everything you do, and your sales and marketing activities drive everything back to that center. Because it’s something you own. So that’s where you want your customers to be.

Let’s assume I’ve sold you on the need to have your own website. What are some things you need to consider?

Firstly, what are you trying to achieve. If it’s purely from a credibility standpoint - you want people to know you exist and you’re legit - then a single page website may be all you need. A description of your business, a few photos of your products, or maybe your team members, and contact details.

For educational content, you’ll likely need multiple sections of the website, to focus on specific applications or use cases. And to educate different types of customers, or at different points in their buying journey.

If you’re going after thought leadership, then it gets more complicated. You’ll need some additional pages for that content - a blog page, somewhere to host videos or webinars and so on.

If your product offering is complicated, you may need a product selector, comparison tools or how to videos

And for larger companies, you may find you need all of these things. So it can get quite complicated.

The good news is that there are different approaches depending on the complexity.

For that single page, credibility site, you can use some simple sites like Wix or Squarespace. They are easy to set up, and have fairly intuitive templates and page builders. And, more importantly, they’re easy to update as your business changes. If you’re lucky, you have someone on your team who’s willing to roll up their sleeves and work this out. But if not, there are plenty of freelancers you can work with to get this done for a relatively low cost.

As your needs get more complicated, the next level is to create a website using Wordpress. Which is an opensource website builder with tons of flexibility. There are - supposedly - over 800 million websites built on Wordpress, which is more than 40% of all sites worldwide. Pretty much anything you want to do with a website can be done with Wordpress. And one big advantage is that it’s so popular that there are a lot of people who know how to work with it. If you have marketers on your team, there’s a good chance one of them will have some experience with it. And if not, there are plenty of good agencies and freelancers out there. It also means that - even if you choose to use an agency to build it, you’re not locked in to their maintenance plans once it’s launched. 

When I launched my own consulting business, I started with a simple website that I built myself. I used a simple app called carrd.co that gave me templates to use and a lot of customization options. It was good enough to get started. But as a marketing consultant, a “good enough” website isn’t really good enough.

So the next step was to build a site with better design and a bit more depth, using Wordpress. I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted it to look, and what information I wanted to include. So I was able to sketch it out myself, And then I worked with two freelancers to turn that into a real website - first a graphic designer to lay it out, and then a wordpress developer. Now, again, I have some experience in this. I’ve built many company websites in my corporate career. So the freelance route worked for me. It’s also more involved and time consuming

For most business owners, though,  I’d recommend finding an agency that can help you with all the steps - deciding on the purpose of the website; creating the design; and building the actual site. A word of warning. The pricing to build a website can vary wildly. I remember one project I worked on a few years ago. I received quotes from $10k to $60k for the same spec. Making that decision can get quite involved, but a couple of pointers for you - look for an agency that specializes in websites. If they eat and breath websites, they will be more efficient, and will know how to lead you through the project. Whereas a design agency that happens to do websites will spend a lot more time-and money - on the design phase. If an agency tells you they’re going to start with a mood board - it’s time to look for another agency!

I’ve worked with a couple of small web companies who I’d be happy to recommend. Just reach out if you’re interested.

So, a simple Linkedin post led me to a whole discussion on website design. And the reality is, I’ve only scratched the surface. We went into much more detail when I talked with Ian Loew a few months ago - Ian builds websites for B2B manufacturers - so if you found my rambling interesting, I suggest you check it out - I’ll put a link in the notes.

Also, since I’m not interviewing anyone today, I don’t get to ask them about their drink of choice. So let me give you my own recommendation. I just came back from a few days in Kentucky, which included a fair amount of bourbon tasting. Now, where I come from, Whisky really means Scotch. So I’m not a big bourbon drinker. But one tasting experience really caught my attention. At the Stitlzer-Weller distillery - home of Pappy Van Winkle - we tasted bourbon with various types of chocolate. And it was eye opening to see how the chocolate changes the taste of the bourbon, Or vice versa. The difference between Dark and Milk chocolate was eye opening.  So grab some bourbon and some chocolate bars, and give it a try!

Thanks for listening to the Marketing Mix. I hope you found the conversation interesting. I look forward to seeing you on the next episode