Why do you want a website?

Why do you want a website – and what do you actually want it to do? Are questions I often explore with my clients.

Many business owners are told they need a website (just as they’re told they need social media, email marketing or any other marketing tactic), but don’t always understand why – beyond “everyone else has one” or because they’ve simply been told they should.

Web designers are, of course, the experts when it comes to building websites and understanding what is commonly required.

But is their advice the only perspective that should shape the decision?

One principle I return to time and again – particularly with startups – is this: you don’t know what you need until you’ve done it. For businesses that have never had a website before, being asked what they want from one can be an impossible question to answer.

Perhaps as a result, many developers offer standard five- or ten-page website packages – typically including service pages, an “About Us” page, and similar content – because experience suggests that’s what most businesses tend to need.

But how often are those pages actively used to communicate with, nurture and convert customers?

Almost a decade ago, I attended a seminar that completely changed how I think about websites. It’s shaped the advice I’ve given clients ever since – often going against the grain, as many of my ideas do.

I don’t sell snake oil or off-the-shelf packages that businesses have been conditioned to believe they require. Instead, I work to understand the business: its offering, target market, wider audience and operating environment.

More importantly, I help the customer develop that understanding themselves – organising their thinking, experience and assumptions.

That’s because I’m a marketer. My role is to help my clients identify, anticipate and satisfy their customers’ needs profitably. I work with them to clarify goals and challenges, determine suitable tactics and campaigns, and measure the results. I also help them create processes that manage the customer journey and support smooth day-to-day operations.

The game changing seminar explored the traditional approach to website builds: they often take a great deal of time and money. This was illustrated on a graph – and then extended – because in reality, projects almost always overrun on both.

By the time a website is finally completed, everyone is so relieved it’s done and they can finally shift their attention back to daily priorities. The website is then largely forgotten… until it breaks, becomes outdated, no longer reflects the business or needs revisiting due to a change in direction or branding.

The alternative approach proposed was simple but powerful: build websites incrementally, based on the evolving needs of the organisation and its customers. Page by page. Smaller, more frequent investments of time and money, made with far greater intention.

That’s why I’m delighted to see my esteemed peer, Dom Wint of Clean Page Designs, offering a starter package for businesses taking their very first step into having a website.

If this approach resonates with you, you can find out more here: https://www.cleanpagedesign.co.uk/how-much-website-do-you-need/

So, the real question remains: are we building websites because that’s what web designers say is right – or because it’s what the business truly needs?

If you’d like to discuss your business needs, better understand your marketing situation, explore suitable campaigns and tactics, and either be connected with trusted experts or empowered to manage them yourself – in a space where you’re supported, challenged, reassured, and held to account – then I’d be happy to have that conversation.

We can either do that through 1:1 coaching, consultation and training sessions or through The Club, which offers weekly peer support sessions.

Want to find out more, get in touch for a chat or book a session here.