I think it is fitting to kick this blog off by talking about why businesses even want a website. After all, it is the single most important question you need to answer before getting your business online. It is also the first question I ask people when they talk to me about developing their website. Why do you want a website? Most reply "because I'm not online yet," or "I'm going to start a business." However, it is much deeper than that.
Do you have something to sell? Are you simply going to direct local traffic to your store? Or maybe you're simply trying to build brand awareness. All very good reasons to build a website. Suppose though, you simply want a website. Anything wrong with that?
To help answer, let me share an experience. Several years ago I was approached by the owner of a small sports memorabilia shop. The owner had just setup shop and his storefront was amazing, to say the least. He told me he wanted a web site, and I said okay. As part of the solution, I developed a simple content management system so that the client could upload as much product as he could fit in his store. However, after I moved on and as months passed, I noticed that the site had very little product online compared to what he actually had to offer. In time the site was eventually loaded with games, trivia, and sound clips, but had almost no product. It was a beautiful site, just without any sports memorabilia.
Now at the time, the owner told me that his number one competitor also had a website. Only he worked alone out of his home. He had no storefront, just a seller's license and a very plain vanilla looking website. No games, no trivia, no sound clips. But his site had all of the sports memorabilia a boy could ask for. With his seller's license, he simply took orders online and drop shipped them directly to the customers.
Now according to the owner that approached me, his competitor was making millions. How much do you think he was making? Needless to say, not very much. Today I think the shop has long since closed along with that beautiful website.
Like so many people, my client simply wanted a website. He failed to align his online objective with the number one reason why he was even in business - to sell sports memorabilia.
I also realized that it isn't always about how great and wonderful your website looks. Sometimes it is simply about what it is your site has to offer - pretty or not. But that's another topic I'll blog about later.
For now, if you're thinking about getting your business online, ask yourself why? You should know why you're already in business or going into business. Just be sure that your online objective supports your business objective.
You may very well have a product to sell but choose not to sell it online. Perhaps you simply want to offer better customer support and direct traffic to your physical location or use your website to build brand awareness. Even if you want a fun site with with games, trivia, and sound clips, it is important to relate everything back to what you want to accomplish online and how does that support your business. In the right industry, fun features could be critical to the success of your website. Take Disney online for example. Their website wouldn't be what it is today without many of its games and interactive features. Kids will always go back for more!
Adios!
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