Why Isn’t Your Website a Priority?
As a web development and design agency focused on helping businesses, we have a lot of conversations with companies about growth. Every company is different so every growth strategy – and the accompanying results – look different as well. And just as there are many ways to succeed in business here in the twenty-first century, there are just as many ways to find your organization struggling to recruit new members, increase sales, or further the brand’s mission.
Without exception, we’ve never seen a business with a well-thought-out digital strategy that would be more successful without one. That is to say, companies that correctly invest in some form of online marketing are able to reach their goals faster than those that don’t. Notice we said “correctly” – not all digital initiatives are the same.
As a result, we often are left asking businesses why their website isn’t more of a priority? If the evidence shows that a strong web presence can increase sales, customer engagement, and business health, why do businesses so often neglect their digital strategy?
Four Common Reasons Businesses Don’t Make Their Websites a Priority
“We have other more pressing needs.”
In business life, as in daily life, things that are urgent take priority over things that are important. Unless your company spends the day looking at internet sales figures or digging through online form submissions, the company website is often out of sight and out of mind compared to the client that just called or the customer that walked through the door.
“We don’t know what to do.”
This reason for not making the company website a priority makes lots of sense. We’re still in the early days of the internet. and many business owners find the idea of a digital strategy to be overwhelming. Thankfully, “what to do” can be very simple and even small changes can mean significant gains.
“We have someone who handles it.”
This abdication of responsibility is a disservice to the company. Just as it makes sense to have a certified accountant, it makes sense to have a professional handle the website. But that can’t be done well in a vacuum. Handing off responsibility for a company website to someone else without guidance, collaboration or partnership is a recipe for disaster.
“We don’t have the budget to make the site a priority.”
As mentioned above, some very simple changes can make a big difference for a business website. The fact that so many businesses neglect their web presence means that simply having an adequate digital strategy can put a business light years ahead of the competition. Because so many people do not understand the role a website plays in their business, they ascribe an inaccurate cost to the website entirely.
“We are satisfied with the site as it is.”
Quite often we view this as an education problem. Some companies are certainly in great shape when it comes to their web presence. Most, however, are not. Short of 100% market share, every business has room to grow. Many business owners and operators are satisfied because they don’t know what is possible. In many cases, a short conversation about the opportunities being missed and the success a competitor has can be a real eye-opener and change that perspective.
Why Prioritizing your Web Presence is a Big Deal
Half a century ago cutting through the noise even in a crowded market was pretty easy to understand. Billboards, a radio spot, an advertisement in the yellow pages…these were investments companies were inclined to make because they could see with their own eyes the number of cars that drove by or measure the number of phone calls that came in. Furthermore, business owners have grown up in a world where this type of marketing was ever-present and understood.
The internet is still a little more unknown to many people and measuring the return on investment for digital marketing can seem a little fuzzy. Add in that an increase in website performance should lead to an increase in search engine rankings which should lead to an increase in site visitors which should lead to an increase in sales and…
It’s easy to see why all of this can feel theoretical.
Get Help Understanding Website Priorities
That’s why it’s important to work with a professional firm that focuses on business outcomes and your organization’s goals. The internet is the most powerful sales and marketing tool in world history. But, making your website a priority for your organization is key. Find an experienced guide for your journey to open the door to possibilities previously unforeseen. You’ll likely be surprised to learn how easy it is to start recognizing real and meaningful gains for your business after just a little bit of website tuning and tweaking.
Our team focuses on helping businesses that want to grow but haven’t found the right strategy to do so. Our experience with businesses has given us insights to help reach even the most challenging goals. So, why isn’t your website more of a priority? Contact us and we’ll work through those priorities with you.
