How to think about a website today
The COVID-19 crisis put into sharp focus the divide between those businesses that have invested in their digital presence and those which have not.
This includes those that haven’t really had to focus on their digital outreach before. If foot traffic or sales teams or word-of-mouth have been serving you well, why spend money on a website?
That’s been the situation for a lot of businesses and organizations in our area. When the pandemic arrived, many had to swiftly reevaluate the balance between their physical versus digital footprint. In almost every case, that digital footprint includes a website.
Related: The Small Business Marketing Gap
If you haven’t looked into creating a business website in the past several years, a lot has changed in terms of both technology and approach. Projects that in the past would have required tech expertise or custom coding can now truly focus on content, strategy and how the site will fit into a broader marketing program.
Websites are a central part of our work, and we have designed or scoped out sites for businesses and organizations in a variety of industries here in North Mississippi. We’ve also worked with clients to expand and make better use of the sites they already have.
Based on those conversations, here’s our take on how small and medium-sized businesses can approach this essential piece of their digital-presence strategy today.
How not to think about a website
1. THE DIGITAL BROCHURE
Previously, people have tended to think about a website almost like an online version of their business’s print collateral. Not just in choosing what content to include, but also in thinking about website creation as a fixed-term project that has beginning, middle and end. But launching a website is not the same thing as sending a brochure off for print.
The launch of a new website is itself a beginning, in terms of keeping the site up-to-date, adding new content and bringing people to your site. When a website isn’t part of a broader strategy like that, it will become out-of-date as quickly as a print brochure and end up just collecting dust on a virtual shelf.
2. THE VANITY PIECE
A website is something you have to have because... well, every business has one. It’s a place to present your business to the world, to showcase what you do and how smartly you do it. The design is tasteful, the imagery is sharp. The whole site is beautiful and looks professional. What’s missing? The most important part: Focusing on who your visitors are and why they are here.
When a website is designed and organized from the perspective of only what you want to say about what you do — rather than how your audience would want to learn and take action from their point of view — it’s like putting a big, pretty roadblock in the way of your site creating value for you. If you are not sure who is coming to your website, or why someone even would, these should be the first questions to consider.
3. THE TECHNICAL MYSTERY
So many outdated business websites were built a decade ago by IT professionals, and for good reason. The magic of translating design into code, of uploading HTML files to a hosting service or even an in-house server — this was solely the domain of tech professionals. It’s not like that anymore.
The truth is, anyone can build a website. There are lots of low-cost, drag-and-drop-style site builders that require zero knowledge of code, and there are apps and plug-ins to handle all almost any function you might need. Most every industry also has one or more makers of industry-specific website templates, which often come bundled with other relevant services. While there are still many reasons why a business or organization might need a custom-coded site, you need a reason these days to treat a website as a technical project as opposed to one focused on strategy, content, design and user experience.
“A website is not a stand-alone project.”
How to think about a website today
1. IT SHOULD BE A LIVING, EVOLVING THING.
If you have one of those outdated sites collecting dust on a virtual shelf, it’s time to embrace one of the biggest advantages of digital communication tools over print ones: You can always keep it updated.
Businesses surviving in the COVID-19 era and beyond have had to pivot swiftly, in terms of how they serve customers or even what they can offer. But long before and certainly after the crisis, websites need to be at least up-to-date — and ideally, growing with fresh content in the form of blogs, news or resources that grow your connection with your audience.
Creating fresh content gives you something unique to share on social media, bringing people back to your site. It positions you as a resource and as a leader and expert in your field, building awareness and loyalty from your audience. And over time, it demonstrates to Google’s site crawlers that your website is one that’s worth directing people to.
Learn about our team’s approach to website development and view our portfolio. About website design >>
2. IT SHOULD BE A PART OF A LARGER PROGRAM.
However you decide to pursue a new-website build, it will require some investment of time, money or both. Think through these questions to ensure your investment doesn’t go to waste:
What will give people a reason to visit your site?
How will people find your site if they don’t already know you and your brand?
Who will have the responsibility of making sure your website stays up-to-date?
How can your website best answer questions or serve functions that currently take time from you or your staff?
How can you make sure your website is not just serving as a reference but truly driving your goals forward?
Make sure your website is designed within an ongoing, integrated communications plan. Picture your website as a central hub in the middle. Your brand’s messaging, content and visual assets are all going into the site. Your search strategy, social media and public relations are then reaching out, bringing people back to the site — and, most importantly, to the calls to action that serve your goals.
A website is not in any way a stand-alone project. It is a flexible, stretchable container for your entire communications effort.
Learn more: How we build integrated communications programs >>
3. IT SHOULD WORK HARD FOR YOU.
Think of your website like you would an employee. It has a job to do, and it needs to do it well so that your business or organization can meet its goals. You’re not investing in it so that it can just hang out; it needs to get things done.
Unlike a human being, there are no limits on your website’s potential reach. There are no geographic bounds to its sales territory. It doesn’t run out of hours in a workday. It can just as easily connect with 10,000 people as it can with 10. Who wouldn’t hire a salesperson like that?
You should also expect a level of accountability from your website. How many people are visiting the site, and how are they using it? Are they taking the actions you want them to?
One reason why advertising and marketing dollars have flocked to digital platforms, as opposed to traditional advertising, is that you can track and see what’s working and what’s not. As your communication program grows, its strategy should evolve in response to data, your needs and those of your audience.
Making a plan for your website
To get started, think strategically about both your website and your broader outreach needs:
Who are the different types of people who would use your site? What do they want from your site?
When someone comes to your site, what specific actions do you want them to take?
How competitive is your market niche?
Do you want to use your website to attract people who are searching online for what you do? Or is the goal more to build trust and give information to those who’ve found you in other ways?
What kind of photos, videos or graphics do you already have that represent you well?
Do you have a tagline, narrative or other messaging elements that clearly articulate what you’re about? Would they be clear from the perspective of someone who’s never heard of your brand?
What does a website cost?
If your goal is to launch a new website, you’ll find a tremendous range in terms of potential costs. You can build one yourself for free or nearly free, or you can spend well into the tens of thousands of dollars for a very large or very custom site.
For Red Window, the cost of a website is based on its scope. How big does the site need to be? What kind of functionality does it need? And from a content perspective, what visuals or messaging need to be created in the process?
We can create your website design plan as part of an overall strategy to establish or elevate your digital presence. View our project portfolio >>
