How much can a decent website improve business?
Discussion
I was wondering - comparing a Wordpress template site versus something created by a small (cheaper) agency (well, web dev company) - for a small business, how much would business improve? B2C sector.
Any thoughts?
Or more to the point, why should I not just choose a Wordpress template and use that for a small business?
Any thoughts?
Or more to the point, why should I not just choose a Wordpress template and use that for a small business?
You need to work out what you are trying to achieve by having a website. If it is simply to allow people to find your contact details then something simple will probably do the job. If you are in a competitive market and your website is essentially your online shop front from which users will compare two or three businesses and decide on one then I suggest it should be something more special.
A website is an investment which can directly generate an income, not an annoying cost.
Decide on your business objectives for the website and then speak to someone about how to achieve them.
A website is an investment which can directly generate an income, not an annoying cost.
Decide on your business objectives for the website and then speak to someone about how to achieve them.
Altrezia said:
You need to work out what you are trying to achieve by having a website. If it is simply to allow people to find your contact details then something simple will probably do the job. If you are in a competitive market and your website is essentially your online shop front from which users will compare two or three businesses and decide on one then I suggest it should be something more special.
A website is an investment which can directly generate an income, not an annoying cost.
Decide on your business objectives for the website and then speak to someone about how to achieve them.
This !A website is an investment which can directly generate an income, not an annoying cost.
Decide on your business objectives for the website and then speak to someone about how to achieve them.
having been through this process more than once with companies 'wot is is we need our website to do' is as hard if not harder than any other part of the process.
getting it wrong will cost you in terms of time and money.
It all depends if you have a strong brand image or whether a website redesign by an agency will be part of an overall project to create a strong brand image.
And brand != good logo!
If you don't have a strong brand, then there isn't much point in engaging an agency to create a custom designed website for you because the look and feel of the website will not have a purpose, other than to look good.
A website should be a continuation of your brand, consistent aesthetically with your logo, letterhead, email signature, invoices, proposals, etc. But at the same time it should also convey the ideas and principles that make up your brand. This is what you pay an agency to create, alongside the direct requirements of the website (generate sales leads, product purchases, email sign-ups, etc).
So if you don't have a strong brand, there are plenty of very well designed templates out there that will give you a design every bit as good as an agency will give you. In fact the best templates can be sold thousands of times, usually at ~$50 a pop, so a good template will generate much more income than a basic brochure website for an SME would - so it's in the web developers/agencies interest to make these templates as good as possible.
And brand != good logo!
If you don't have a strong brand, then there isn't much point in engaging an agency to create a custom designed website for you because the look and feel of the website will not have a purpose, other than to look good.
A website should be a continuation of your brand, consistent aesthetically with your logo, letterhead, email signature, invoices, proposals, etc. But at the same time it should also convey the ideas and principles that make up your brand. This is what you pay an agency to create, alongside the direct requirements of the website (generate sales leads, product purchases, email sign-ups, etc).
So if you don't have a strong brand, there are plenty of very well designed templates out there that will give you a design every bit as good as an agency will give you. In fact the best templates can be sold thousands of times, usually at ~$50 a pop, so a good template will generate much more income than a basic brochure website for an SME would - so it's in the web developers/agencies interest to make these templates as good as possible.
No reason not to use WP. We use it for some very high value clients. Its an excellent way to build sites and there's little/any need to build a bespoke one for most small businesses.
How much it will improve your conversions is unknown. How many do you get now and why do you think you need a new site? Once you have it what are you doing to drive people to it?
How much it will improve your conversions is unknown. How many do you get now and why do you think you need a new site? Once you have it what are you doing to drive people to it?
sideways sid said:
Not sure what your business is, but in my case (consulting & financial analysis) my website has never generated a penny in revenue.
The company page on LinkedIn is much more fruitful & generates fewer correspondences from time-wasters.
Reads like you need to fix that website of yours. Have you invested in SEO at all?The company page on LinkedIn is much more fruitful & generates fewer correspondences from time-wasters.
Hoofy said:
I was wondering - comparing a Wordpress template site versus something created by a small (cheaper) agency (well, web dev company) - for a small business, how much would business improve? B2C sector.
Any thoughts?
Or more to the point, why should I not just choose a Wordpress template and use that for a small business?
You need a presence which looks good not only on a PC but also on mobile devices too, such as iPads, iPhones and Android based devices. Whatever you decide on a site, it needs to be responsive to the device being used to view the pages. There is no point having a site which is cheap and cheerful for the PC but looks bad on mobile devices.Any thoughts?
Or more to the point, why should I not just choose a Wordpress template and use that for a small business?
You also need to look into the SEO for your site and invest in expertise to get that right so people land on the right pages relevant to their searches. And no, I don't mean shelling out loads of cash on Adwords, a lot of this can be achieved organically. Remember that once folk are on your site, you need to capture them probably by using one of those online chat application where you can communicate directly with them or at least give them the option to ask a question and get a reply in real-time.
Look at your competitors, see how they do it and duplicate or do better.
Social media should compliment your presence, not the other way round. Everything you do should be a one way path to your website, which is the environment you have control over.
Your website is your shop window to the world, get it right and it'll reward more than word of mouth and other forms of old-media.
Edited by Chest Rockwell on Tuesday 17th June 14:24
Chest Rockwell said:
You need a presence which looks good not only on a PC but also on mobile devices too, such as iPads, iPhones and Android based devices. Whatever you decide on a site, it needs to be responsive to the device being used to view the pages. There is no point having a site which is cheap and cheerful for the PC but looks bad on mobile devices.
You also need to look into the SEO for your site and invest in expertise to get that right so people land on the right pages relevant to their searches. And no, I don't mean shelling out loads of cash on Adwords, a lot of this can be achieved organically. Remember that once folk are on your site, you need to capture them probably by using one of those online chat application where you can communicate directly with them or at least give them the option to ask a question and get a reply in real-time.
Social media should compliment your presence, not the other way round. Everything you do should be a one way path to your website, which is the environment you have control over.
Sorry buy this is pretty bad advice to give without asking questions first, without knowing the target market and typical user for the website.You also need to look into the SEO for your site and invest in expertise to get that right so people land on the right pages relevant to their searches. And no, I don't mean shelling out loads of cash on Adwords, a lot of this can be achieved organically. Remember that once folk are on your site, you need to capture them probably by using one of those online chat application where you can communicate directly with them or at least give them the option to ask a question and get a reply in real-time.
Social media should compliment your presence, not the other way round. Everything you do should be a one way path to your website, which is the environment you have control over.
All changes should be done based on facts, not opinions or popular ideas at the time. If Google Analytics suggests that a number of users are viewing the website on mobile or tablet devices then provision that into the requirements of the website. If, after talking to potential viewers/customers you find that a lot of them use social media in certain ways, then build that into your marketing strategy.
Don't just chuck work and money at a website without having a pretty good idea why you're doing it and that it'll make a difference once it's done.
jammy_basturd said:
Sorry buy this is pretty bad advice to give without asking questions first, without knowing the target market and typical user for the website.
All changes should be done based on facts, not opinions or popular ideas at the time. If Google Analytics suggests that a number of users are viewing the website on mobile or tablet devices then provision that into the requirements of the website. If, after talking to potential viewers/customers you find that a lot of them use social media in certain ways, then build that into your marketing strategy.
Don't just chuck work and money at a website without having a pretty good idea why you're doing it and that it'll make a difference once it's done.
If mine was bad advice, I'd say yours is terrible advice. The OP mentioned B2C...I seemed to remember that being Business to Customer? And how does analytics figure when you don't provide such access to those platforms in the first place? Responsive designs is not a reaction to opinions or popular ideas, it's a response to fact, being most customers will access sites using mobile devices more than PCs and Laptops.All changes should be done based on facts, not opinions or popular ideas at the time. If Google Analytics suggests that a number of users are viewing the website on mobile or tablet devices then provision that into the requirements of the website. If, after talking to potential viewers/customers you find that a lot of them use social media in certain ways, then build that into your marketing strategy.
Don't just chuck work and money at a website without having a pretty good idea why you're doing it and that it'll make a difference once it's done.
If you build it, they will come?
It's about opening doors, not closing them.
Chest Rockwell said:
sideways sid said:
Not sure what your business is, but in my case (consulting & financial analysis) my website has never generated a penny in revenue.
The company page on LinkedIn is much more fruitful & generates fewer correspondences from time-wasters.
Reads like you need to fix that website of yours. Have you invested in SEO at all?The company page on LinkedIn is much more fruitful & generates fewer correspondences from time-wasters.
Frimley111R said:
I agree but a responsive site (one which works on mobile devices) is not an option on any future site in any sector.
Not quite sure what your getting at here? For instance, when I surf Currys on my iPad I get a site for mobile devices as opposed to the full blown thing I'd see on a PC. Of course, I could go down and click 'Full Site' but the site is far more optimised for my iPad than the PC version. As that site is a B2C site, I'd say they have got it right.Edited by Chest Rockwell on Tuesday 17th June 15:08
Frimley111R said:
if he doesn't do anything to drive traffic to it then I am not surprised it doesn't generate enquiries.
It's not about 'driving' traffic to your site, it's about making sure your site is accessible to all and can be found with regards to keywords related to your business. I know Black Hat World and all the others talk about 'driving' traffic but, in my opinion, the key is accessibility, relevance and, of course, SEO. None of which costs the earth and is far cheaper than 'old-media'.Chest Rockwell said:
Frimley111R said:
I agree but a responsive site (one which works on mobile devices) is not an option on any future site in any sector.
Not quite sure what your getting at here? For instance, when I surf Currys on my iPad I get a site for mobile devices as opposed to the full blown thing I'd see on a PC. Of course, I could go down and click 'Full Site' but the site is far more optimised for my iPad than the PC version. As that site is a B2C site, I'd say they have got it right.Edited by Chest Rockwell on Tuesday 17th June 15:08
Frimley111R said:
Yes. What I mean is that the number of people accessing websites using mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones is increasing rapidly and is already at 30%. Sites which are not responsive, i.e. they do not reformat/prioiritise content for these devices will compromise their conversions (visitors to leads). We haven't built any site in the last two years that isn't responsive. Of course some sites will be access via mobile devices more than others but it still doesn't make any sense not to 'future proof' a new site for this.
Apologies for misunderstanding you, but yes I believe you're 100% correct.And in my previous post I got you're and your mixed up too LOL
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