"Why does my business need a professional website?"

Not sure if your company needs a professional website? Here is a run-down of some of the questions you might be and should be asking yourself about your website requirements, along with the answers you've probably been looking for.

"Does my company NEED a website?"

Nowadays, any type of business can benefit from an internet presence. The days of "But I don't sell online so I don't need a website..." are gone. These days an effective, professional-looking website, regardless of its size and complexity, is the equivalent to a 24-hour-accessible advertisement for your business and is an important extra method of contact with potential customers as more and more people are now using the internet to locate the services they require.

"I already use newspaper advertising, won't that be more effective?"

A common misconception is that a website is a stand-alone method of advertising. Possibly the best use for a website these days is to use it in conjunction with your existing advertising. For example, imagine you have a half-page newspaper advertisement which features three or four product images and a carefully selected list of phrases to attract customers. Your website could have every product image, price, description, etc. you deal with as well as all of your company information meaning you can get across everything you need to potential customers. Then by simply adding your web address (e.g. www.yourcompany.com) to your newspaper advertisement, your target audience can quickly and easily have access to your entire product range which wouldn't be possible in the printed media. Then when they're on your website, you can give them the information which assures them that it is your company they should use ahead of your competitors.

"Won't people just contact me by telephone?"

Possibly, but these days many people want to know more about a company or its products before making contact. Also, depending on the nature of your business, some potential customers may fear a heavy sales pitch over the telephone. All of these issues can be covered by simply giving the customer the facility to read about your company and its services, so they can feel more confident in contacting you rather than your competitor down the road. Another major benefit is the use of email, which is frequently used by customers as a more comfortable first-point of contact before making a purchase. Even if you only receive a small handful of emails which lead to purchases, that's a small handful that could have potentially purchased from a competitor who did offer email as a method of contact.

"How else could I promote my website?"

If you have them, company vehicles are an excellent place to advertise your website. A web address is easier to remember at a glance by other drivers than a telephone number or street address. In addition, you can add the web address to invoices, receipts, company stationery, etc.

"I've had a website for some time but it doesn't seem to do anything for my business."

• Insufficient promotion of the website;
• Insufficient or poor quality content / information on the website;
• The website can't be found via a major search engine, (see below);
• The website looks outdated in today's business environment;
• The website is difficult to navigate / understand;
• There are elements of the website which are broken;
  • E.g. links, images. If your website looks unprofessional, your company looks unprofessional!

"Why can't I find my website using search engines like Google, MSN or Yahoo?"

There can be many reasons for this, although the most common two reasons are poor construction and unrealistic search phrases. A professionally-built website is easier for a search engine crawler to find and scan as the correct techniques are used in its construction, meaning a higher chance of becoming listed faster.

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