Does your business even NEED a website?

For the skimmers, in Spring 2025, the doors will open for a Website in a Day group program where I will be holding your hand (on Zoom, that is ) creating your very first (or next) website using Podia. If you want to save your spot in line, click the waitlist button below!

Well I officially survived the September launch of MarketingClub.ca so it’s back to business as usual with my own stuff, and back to my usual communication schedule with you - phew!

Honestly, the amount of emails you have to send during a cart open period for a course or membership is overwhelming, and I’m thankful that we’re through it, and that you stuck around LOL

I wanted to talk about something today that I get asked about a lot.

And it’s something that I also see posted in business Facebook groups, and online in places where people are too shy to ask their trusted marketing expert.

And honestly, they are afraid for good reason.

Because most marketers and web designers will tell you whatever you need to hear to get the sale (aka - get your web design business). You might see where I'm going with this...

But that’s not me.

So the question is: Does my business actually NEED a website?

Do most businesses NEED a website?

Yes. And I’ll tell you why in a second.

But do you need a website to launch, get going, and make sales?

Not necessarily!

Here's why a business needs a website:

1. 24/7 Availability: A website acts as your digital storefront, accessible to potential customers at any time, even when you're not physically available.

2. Credibility: This is the most important one - having a professional website lends credibility to your business. It's often the first place people look to verify your legitimacy. Aka, if you don't have one, you might look a lil' shady - oh no!

3. Cost-effective Marketing: Compared to traditional advertising methods, a website is a relatively inexpensive way to showcase your products or services to a global audience.

4. Customer Service: A well-designed website can provide instant information to customers, reducing the load on your customer service team.

5. Competitive Edge: If your competitors have websites and you don't, you're at a disadvantage. A website levels the playing field.

6. Alleviating Administrative Work: For example, my website has direct links to purchase services (which means no custom proposals I used to make or sending manual invoices - hooray!). You can also automate people booking free discovery calls with you etc. It's a huge time saver!

But there are things that get in the way of entrepreneurs launching their websites even if they know they need one.

Sometimes it's lack of design skill (which can be overcome with tools like canva and AI art generation), or sometimes it's simply the platform they have chosen is far too complicated for what they need, so they give up--Eek!

While most businesses benefit from having a website, there are some situations where you might not immediately need one or can delay creating one:

1. Local service-based businesses with a strong word-of-mouth referral network: If you're a plumber, electrician, or house cleaner with a full client list from local referrals, you might not need a website right away.

2. Businesses selling exclusively through marketplaces: If you're selling products solely through platforms like Amazon, Etsy, or eBay, you might not need your own website initially.

3. Brick-and-mortar stores with a loyal local customer base: If you have a physical store that's well-known in your community and doesn't rely on online sales, you might be able to delay creating a website.

4. Businesses using social media as their primary online presence: Some businesses, especially those targeting younger demographics, might find success using only social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok for their online presence. (Caution: You do NOT want all your eggs in this basket, as social media channels can be shut down, and you don't own those profiles, whereas you do own your website!).

Your website creation does NOT have to be overcomplicated. Start small and build on it.

I've prepared a really basic website checklist to help you out if you're just starting to explore creating your site, or if you're getting ready for a redesign.

*Keep in mind, product based websites will be different. This is a list for a service based business or a course or membership site.

1. Your website platform of choice! This one is very personal and I’d recommend making sure the platform you choose is easy to maintain and edit (especially key if you are DIYing your site). You’ll also want to see if it integrates with other tools you use or if it can sell your products or services for you. I use Podia for my website, selling my services, my blogging, and my email marketing!

2. Your navigation: (home, about, services, blog, contact). Those are the usual suspects. You can have as much or as little content as you choose when you launch and you can add more content as you go!

3. If you are a course creator or membership site owner, then you also need sales pages for those programs

Each page should have:

• A clear and compelling message

• Easy-to-navigate menu and page structure

• Mobile-friendly design (does it scale properly for a phone and tablet?) - this is called “responsive web design”

• Fast loading times (don’t get stuck here, but later on you’ll want to make sure things are not bogging your site down).

• Clear call-to-action buttons (ie. what do you want people to DO)

• Up-to-date content - old sites can have outdated content (don't worry, mine probably does too! It’s best practice to do a sweep of your content at least once a year).

• Contact information easily accessible - bonus points for a direct “book a call” with me page (like this: emptydesksolutions.ca/workwithme)

• Integration with your social media profiles (if you want to send traffic there as well)

• A mix of copy (the words) and images or video to make it visually appealing and engaging.

Remember, the most important piece is creating a site that speaks to YOUR ideal audience.

Pro-tip: The opinion of your cousin, friend, neighbour etc is NOT valid if they are not your target customer.

I’d love to hear from you on what part of creating your website was the most challenging (or is still holding you up today) so that I can create more free resources to help you.