5 Myths Small Business Owners Have About Creating Business Websites
By Athar Majeed
December 3, 2018 • Fact checked by Dumb Little Man
Many small business owners think that their offline business doesn’t need a website. Some business owners, on the other hand, start daydreaming of getting thousands of visitors as soon as they launch their website. Others assume that they don’t need website developers as they can make one with DIY tools.
Are you one of them?
Belonging to either league simply means that you have some greater misconceptions about a business website. And believing such myths can deprive you of the benefits of a website for your business.
Here is a list of common misconceptions about websites many small business owners have.
Myth #1: Only E-commerce Retailers Need a Website
This misconception is most prevalent among offline businesses. They think that a website is not worth their investment as they don’t sell online. Not having a website can cost them potential customers.
This is because 97% of customers look online to find local businesses or make a buying decision.
Keep in mind that a website acts as your virtual address over the Internet. Not having a website means you are missing out on a huge number of customers. Building one can help you gain credibility and trust, reduce your overhead expenses, exceed customer reach, and improve customer service.
Myth #2: A Website is Just a Luxury and Nothing Else
Do you think so?
A website is the face of your company over the Internet. It contains the logo of your company. It speaks about your services and it tells the story of your company. When a user searches for your business online, he or she will interact with your website.
This way, a website is useful in building a relationship with your customers and potential ones. You can give it a human touch by adding the photos of your employees or events. In other words, a website is your “silent salesperson”.
Myth #3: Once it’s Made, It’s Done
Many small business owners stop working over their websites once it’s launched. A website doesn’t work on the methodology of “set it and forget it”. While the process of building a website is time-consuming, the work shouldn’t be ceased once the website goes live.
A website needs constant updates to its content, structure, and layout to stay fresh. Besides, search engines also require the websites to be updated with their latest guidelines (algorithm). Otherwise, your website will look outdated and may attract penalties from the search engines for not following the guidelines.
Myth #4: Building a Website is Easy and Cheaper As Well
There are a lot of DIY website builder tools out there. While using them can save you money, you still need website experts to build a professional-looking website. They can help you determine the right web design that can work well with your user personas.
Then, there is the need to work over your site’s architecture and SEO as well. Website experts also ensure that your website runs smoothly and remains mobile-responsive.
That’s why you should consider website developers and designers to create one that meets professional standards. They can build your websites by using the prototyping tools required to speed up the work.
See Also: Be More Creative: How To Make a Good Eye-Catching Design For Your Website
Myth #5: Once I Create a Website, I Will Get Results Overnight
There are 644 million active websites on the Internet. And there would be thousands of websites selling the same services or products like yours.
It means that you can easily get lost in the crowd.
Luckily, with the right tools and techniques, you can increase your visibility to show up on Page 1 in SERPS, if not on the top spot. Invest in digital marketing campaigns, like SEO, for an effective promotion of your website.
Provide valuable content to the users to increase traffic towards the site. A web design should be mobile responsive and make sure to perform proper link building so that more users can find you.
In Conclusion
So, these are some misconceptions about websites you shouldn’t believe anymore. To build and operate a great website, a lot goes into functionality, navigating, coding, and appearance. Besides, the collaboration between web developers and designers determine the quality of an end product.
Athar Majeed
Athar Majeed is a co-founder of SavahApp, a product that helps teams with all-in-one platform for prototyping, design collaboration and workflow. Athar has a background in design and developing SaaS-based products. He’s learning tennis, photography and prefers audio books.