When asking the question, “Do I need a website in 2020?”, some people say yes, some people say no. Let’s examine this a bit closer and clear up a few things. A better way of asking the question, “Do I need a website in 2020” is to say, “Is a website the answer?” Now we’re getting somewhere.
Asking the question Do I need a website in 2020, is the wrong question to ask. At least it’s not the first question to be asking. In this article, we’ll examine things in more depth. We’ll be asking the right questions, and arriving at the right answers.
Everybody needs a website – but why?
In his famous book, The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams hits the nail on the head. In it, he talks about the ultimate question, to Life, the Universe and Everything. Surprisingly (spoiler alert), the answer comes out as… 42! This humorous story has a profound, hidden meaning. To get the right answers, you need to ask the right questions.Morgan Freeman’s lovable character Red, in the Shawshank Redemption works this out. The last time he finds himself up for parole he’s asked whether he felt rehabilitated. He looked into the eyes of the parole officers, and asked, “What do you really want to know?” Let’s think about that for a while.
If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else
Sounds obvious doesn’t it? It all comes down to ambition and planning. What do you want to achieve? What do you want your website to do?
I’m sorry, but the only person who can answer that, is yourself. Or… maybe your better half? But seriously, you need to know what your goal is. Is it lead generation, or online sales? We wrote about this some time ago. When meeting new clients for the first time, the most important question we ask, is why do you need a website? Only when you know where you’re going, can you come up with a plan to get there.
Is Social Media enough?
Social media is a wonderful thing, but it has limitations. It is however, a great way to feed traffic to your website. In fact, we encourage our clients to have social media channels they can promote their content on.
I know it’s possible to run a business from social media alone. Many people do. Know that, if you have competitors, many of them WILL have their own website. Not having one, puts you at a disadvantage.
Another thing to bear in mind. The social media platform is not yours. You’re bound by their rules, and they can change at any time. Having social media is excellent, but you’re running a huge risk if it’s your only online presence.
Don’t let your competitors steal your business
Provocative as it sounds, that’s exactly what’s happing to you, if you don’t have a website. Your competitors, at least the ones doing more business, will have one of their own. That means that, business that you should be getting, is going to them. What are you going to do about it?
Don’t websites cost money?
There are a number of things you’ll need when creating a website. Whether you do it yourself, or pay someone else to do it for you. Not counting the obvious cost of a designer / developer, these are some of the things you might need to pay for:
- Domain name
- Hosting
- Logo or graphic design
How much you decide to spend on your website, depends on your budget and expected return on investment.
Here at BRIGHTON WEBTECH, we’re big fans of WordPress to build our websites in, although we’re used Joomla too in the past. The beauty of programs like these, is that they’re open source. Essentially, that means they’re free to use. So, our recommendation to satisfy your need for a website, is WordPress.
Let’s keep reading.
Expense or investment?
This is interesting. Let’s look at the definitions of each, according to Collins Dictionary:
- Expense (noun):
Expense is the money that something costs you or that you need to spend in order to do something. - Investment (noun):
Investment of time or effort is the spending of time or effort on something in order to make it a success.
So, which is it? The answer: it doesn’t matter. It could be either. You need to decide. What’s important, is how you think about it. An expense is something you have to have, a burden almost. But if you think of it as an investment, you’ll love it so much more. You’ll be inclined to look after it, feed and nurture it. It’ll be something that grows with you and something you’ll value. Hey, it makes you look more professional as well. Who doesn’t want that? If you’re still reading, I think I know which side of the fence you’re coming down on.
Can I build one myself?
Truthfully, you could. Would it be better than a professionally designed site? Possibly. The best amateur web designers, are better than the worst professional ones. If you do decide to go it alone, good luck to you. Here’s some things I’d recommend that you get your head around before embarking on such a project:
- Content writing
- Visual hierarchy
- Colour theory
- CSS styling
To answer this one fully, would take a whole article. In fact, it’s on my list to write. Watch this space, or better still, sign-up to our newsletter using the form on this page. We’ll keep you informed of new content.
So… Do you need a website in 2020?
To address the question, Do I Need a Website in 2020… the answer is YES. But, be absolutely sure of why you need it. A website provides a solution to a problem, whether it’s sales, lead generation, brand awareness or just community. If you have the interest, ability and drive to do it yourself, go right ahead. Do it now, because your rivals are already ahead. Don’t let them get away. Good luck.
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