5 Reasons to Invest in Your Website at Every Stage

5-reasons-invest-at-every-stage If you have a business, you need a website.

The obvious reasons:

According to HubSpot, 78% of people using the internet research products online. This means, when clients want what you offer, they’ll be checking your website, first.
A website is a foundational element of your brand that facilitates marketing, prospecting, exposure and business.
If you don’t have a website, you don’t exist.

Your website is your 24-hour online storefront.

It never closes or goes on vacation. And it should always be working for you.

No matter what stage of business you’re in, prioritize your website so it can help you grow, bring you leads and offer an exceptional user experience. It is one of, if not the most, important investments you can make for your business.

You may be just starting out and unsure about where to prioritize your site. Or your business is growing, your website has remained the same and you are so darn busy it’s on the bottom of the to-do list.

Start from where you are and move it to the top because the benefit is undeniable.

Here are 5 Reasons to Invest in Your Website

No matter what level of business you are at, these benefits of well-executed sites are ones you don’t want to miss out on.

1. Money a.ka. Return.

A website literally brings money to you. By drawing in clients and guiding them through the process of getting to know you, it sets the stage for purchase. When you invest in smart development, attractive design and effective SEO, your website is an active source of revenue.

2. Growth.

As an individual or small business that’s just starting out, you may be tempted to throw up a template site just to have a way for clients to reach you ‘in the meantime.’ Although this is a good idea for the short term, it’s not meant for a long term solution. Avoid the mistake of thwarting your growth with a cheap site that lacks functionality and scalability. Consider managed plans that offer an affordable upfront cost with complete ongoing maintenance for relatively little out of pocket. Or, begin simple within a platform that will support expansion and design upgrades in the future. We love WordPress for this exact reason – it supports growth. A website is meant to evolve with your business, and should reflect your success and increase it. Keep this in mind from the very beginning!

3. Following.

A website incorporates all the avenues that lead fans your way.  Strategically incorporating email collection and social media share, encourages clients to engage with you in many places. This keeps you top of mind, builds a relationship and provides you with opportunities to directly market services and special offerings while gathering a community of clients that love what you do. Woo followers with a site that showcases your business and give them a reason to tell their friends.

4. Rapport.

Research shows that you have anywhere between 2-8 seconds to capture a visitor’s attention and influence them to stay. When you invest in professional web development, design and content creation you have a much greater chance of making those six seconds fruitful ones. Dynamic, intelligent sites attract and engage clients, make them feel welcome and seamlessly guide them through the buying process. Investing in professional expertise ensures these elements are encouraging the relationship you want to build with clients via your site. It must function as an extension of you.

5. Flexibility.

Investing in your website at every stage empowers you to make necessary changes as your business evolves. With a platform like WordPress, you have endless options to make smaller upgrades over time, invest big upfront or expand when you are ready. Making a rushed decision that airs on the side of cheap, could easily lead to you having to scrap your site all together and start again, versus setting up a simple foundation with the capability to make improvements in the future.

How do you know when you’re ready to invest more in your website?

Ask yourself:

  • What growth point have we reached with the business? Is our website supporting and encouraging growth, or keeping us small?
  • Is our design consistent with our branding? Does the look and feel of our site mirror our company purpose and function?
  • Is our site up to date with current design trends? Does it look like it was built 5 years ago?
  • Is our content boring? If I was a client, would I read this, and enjoy it?
  • When I read our Services Page, am I emotionally affected, curious, motivated and driven to contact, learn more or buy?
  • Is our site functional and easy to update or is it a constant thorn in our workflow? Does our site empower us to make quick, current changes that benefit our clients?

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