Five Reasons your website is pointless

Here at Hive of Many, we have designed quite a few websites. The opening question we usually ask is do you need a website? It’s not that the client doesn’t want a website, it’s more that they’re looking for a solution for a business problem. More often than not, what we’re being asked to deliver is to meet a marketing objective. Increased brand awareness, build know, like and trust factor, generate leads, grow an email list or sell more products. In the client’s head, the website is going to do something. That something is a creative problem we’re being hired to solve.

Here are our five reasons your website is pointless. They’re common side effects of websites without a strategy. It’s when we fail to solve that creative problem. When things are built without a clear objective in mind.

1. Your website exists but you don’t share it with people

What’s the point of being the best-kept secret on the internet? If you’ve gone to the effort of creating a website, surely you’d want to tell people about it. It sounds simple but telling people about your business is essential in generating revenue. It’s easy to think that “I’ve shared it with everyone already” or “everyone has seen it”. The opposite is probably true. It’s the simplest form of marketing. If you have it, share it!

2. You don’t add valuable content or share articles

Having a website is great – having a content-rich website is better. Adding valuable content to your website gives you more chances of being discovered online. Google, for example, loves websites with new content. If you desire SEO on your website, start by adding new content. If you want people to visit your website from other places, share it on social media or send the link to someone you know via email. 

3. You tried designing it yourself but don’t know about web design

When my car breaks, I ask a mechanic to fix it. If I need a new boiler, I hire a plumber to fit one. The same should be true for designing websites. 

As tempting as it might be to cut corners and save a few extra pounds by designing a website yourself, it can be detrimental to your business. When you design a website yourself and you don’t know what you are doing, your website is at risk of showing you’ve done this yourself and don’t know what you’re doing. This reflects on the professionalism of your business and brand. Are you willing to take that risk?

4. Your website doesn’t generate a passive income or capture marketing leads

What’s the point of your website? Did you think about the role it served within your organisation or do you just have a website? Why would anyone visit your website today, and then maybe again in the future? What purpose does it have?

You have a great opportunity to use a website to benefit your business. Is there a shop where people can try your products? Do you have resources they could try in exchange for an email address? Could I get a taste of your services at a low cost before I purchase your premium service? Why not use your website as more than an extension of your business card?

5. People visit your website but they don’t know what to do

People are lazy. We want things in an instant. When we look for things, our brain is hardwired to get what we want in the shortest amount of time. 

When people come to your website, they want to solve an issue in the quickest time. It needs to be obvious where to click and what you’d like them to do to get what they want. Use call to action and make navigation simple. If you want them to sign up for your email newsletter, make it prominent, not tucked away. If you want to increase sales, position your shop front and centre. Get people where they need to go or they will leave and find an alternative.

Conclusion

Having a website is great but there has to be a point to it. Don’t miss out on having something working for you while you sleep. There are infinite ways to design a website, landing pages or eCommerce sites. It can be confusing and fiddly to set up. Your time is better at creating products and delivering services, it’s why you started a business in the first place (not to become a web designer).

If you want some strategic direction for your website, please get in contact for a brew and a chat.