Hey there and welcome back.
So maybe this new year you’re looking to create a new website for your business. And that’s great.
But before you take a headfirst dive into creating that new site and pouring in a lot of time and money into it, let’s first figure out if you actually need a new website in the first place. Believe it or not, there are some situations where it doesn’t make sense to create a new website, and instead can make some changes here and there.
So today let’s take a look at different situations to figure out if you really need a new website or not.
Before we get started, if you want to see more videos about digital marketing, ecommerce, web design and other website related topics, be sure to hit the subscribe button and to ring the bell for notifications.
Now let’s get started.
Do you have a website currently?
So the first question is pretty easy to answer. Does your business currently have a website?
If you don’t, you need one like yesterday. Being online in today’s world is not optional. People continue to shop and find businesses online more each year. And according to Industry Drive, about 40 percent of small businesses do not have a website.
Having your own website, and not just a Facebook page, allows you to get found in searches, especially those “near me” searches, which are more likely to result in conversions and sales. And it’s a great place where you can control everything. And given the rise of online shopping in recent years, selling products online is a pretty good business idea.
Plus, your website doesn’t have to be fancy. You can use Wix or Shopify or Squarespace or a content management system to create a website and just have all of your content and info looking pretty neat.
Make sure your business has a website.
Does your current website look nice?
Now the questions get a little bit more difficult and a little bit more subjective and you’re probably going to have to take a little bit more time with these.
The first of these is does your website look modern? Or to put it another way, if you came to your website as a first-time visitor, would the design push you away or would it draw you in to learn more about this business.
The design of your website plays a pretty big part in converting people into customers. People like to see images and read what you have to say. And usability and accessibility are crucial parts. If people can’t easily navigate and read through your website, they are just going to leave.
And if for some reason you have a Flash-based website, it’s high time that you create an HTML based website.
If you don’t like the design of your current website, creating a new website design for your business might be a really good idea here in 2021.
Can you do everything you need to do with this website?
Another thing to look at is to see whether or not you can do everything you need to do on your website.
Depending on what happens with your business, you actually might outgrow your website. For example, if you initially started out with a Wix or Squarespace website because you were just starting out and you needed something that fit your budget, you might have already outgrown what you can do on those platforms. Maybe you want to start blogging, but the platform you’re using just doesn’t allow you to do that.
Similarly, maybe you want to start an online store, but you’re in a spot where you just can’t do that. Or you want to have a membership section.
In any of those cases, you’re going to need a new website to do everything that you need to do. And it’s probably even a better idea to make sure that when you’re creating this new website you set it up to where you can add in different functionality to the website without having to redo everything, like building on WordPress so you can have a blog in the future.
Are there technical issues with your website?
Another thing to look at is are there any technical issues with the website that you can’t fix on your own.
Look for issues that inhibit your ability to either add or update content. Or they could even be issues with your website going down every now and then. At this point, your best bet probably would be to burn it all down (figuratively of course) and just restart with something new. And then when you rebuild it, you can avoid all of these issues.
And if you’re having problems with your website’s page speed, which is definitely becoming more important here in 2021, you also just might want to restart with a new website. And you just might want to make sure that the website is built with page speed in mind. You can only fix the issues in Google PageSpeed Insights so much before it just honestly becomes easier to build a new site.
And regarding SEO, if your website’s underlying code structure is inhibiting your ability to do effective SEO, then maybe it’s time to start with a new design with better code. Again, creating something from scratch with SEO in mind might be the best option.
Can you afford a new website?
Another big thing that you’ll need to take into account is whether or not you can really afford a new website. As I’ve talked about before, websites cost a lot of money, especially a custom website design. And depending on your financial situation, it might not make sense to create a new website.
Now, the good news is that there are ways to lower that cost as I’ve talked about before. There’s always the Wix, Squarespace and Shopify option. And then there’s also using a content management system like WordPress or Drupal and then installing a prebuilt template or theme and adding a few plugins. Both of those options might cost you a couple of hundred dollars.
But before you charge headfirst into creating a new website, make sure you can afford it. It will set you up for success later on.
Is your website helping your business?
Finally, all of this really boils down to one question: is your website currently helping your business?
Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. The purpose of your website is to help your business grow. Whether it’s just getting people to sign up for your newsletter, helping people discover that your business exists or something more complicated like selling products online or generating leads for your services.
And if your website isn’t doing that for your business, you it’s time to create a new one. You need to sit down with a web agency or developer and plan out a new website that does what you need it to do. You need to start from the ground up to create something that’s almost like an around-the-clock employee.
When all is said and done, that is the reason you need a website.
If it’s not helping your business, you need a new website.
Outro
So do you need a new website for your business? Do you have any questions about your specific situation? Be sure to leave them down in the comments section below.
On Wednesday we’ll be discussing the best contact form plugins for WordPress in 2021, and on Friday we’ll talk about where you can find a web agency or developer to build your new website.
To see those videos and more videos about digital marketing, ecommerce, web design and other website related topics, be sure to hit the subscribe button and to ring the bell for notifications.
Until next time, I wish you and your business the best of luck.
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