1

Why You Don’t Need a Website

Yes, that’s right, your eyes aren’t deceiving you; the title does indeed read “you don’t need a

website”. You see, in the present day, it is better not to have a website at all, rather than

have a substandard website that misrepresents your business. So many organisations

spend a heap of money on the interior of their business premises or shop floor, yet put up a

cheap looking DIY style website on the internet. It doesn’t make sense for a business to

spend big in-store but spend so little on an online store.

The internet has the potential to provide thousands more visitors than any high street store.

So why do people still pull the purse strings tight when it comes to investing in building a

shop front within the world’s largest marketplace?

Your Website is The Customer’s First Port of Call

Your website exists to interact virtually with potential customers who find your business on

the internet. Rather than phoning or calling into your premises to find out about your

services, a potential customer will visit your website as the first port of call. In essence, the

website is a very large, detailed business card. Your website tells a visitor exactly what your

business does. It conveys your values, mission, ethics, level of customer service and attitude

towards business. A website says so much without actually speaking.

Presenting Your Company to the World

When putting your business on display to potentially millions of people, the last thing you

want to show them is a dated website built in the 90s or even pre 2005. Web design and

modern day internet standards have moved on considerably in the last few years. An ancient

website gives the reader the impression that your company is lazy, old fashioned and

disorganised. A shoddy looking website suggests the services of your company will deliver

similar results. You need to demonstrate to your target audience that the mindset and skills

of your company are modern, even if the service you provide is based on skills from decades

past.

Avoiding a Bad Reputation

In the celebrity world bad promotion can often work in one’s favour, but unfortunately this

doesn’t ring true for website design. Bad promotion through a poor quality, outdated website

will repel potential customers. It isn’t just about losing sales; it is about the knock on effect of

a bad impression. The internet community is well connected. If your website looks cheap

and poorly constructed it reflects negatively on your business practice. People with a shared

interest in your industry will discuss your inadequacies and often leave negative comments

in forums and on blogs. A bad reputation spreads like wildfire, and once your reputation is

tarnished it will cost a lot of money spent on advertising to reverse. Better to invest properly

in a website from the start rather than have to spend money clawing back your reputation at

a later date.

2

Achieving an Admirable Brand Impression

A website conveys the ‘core story’ of a brand. Attached to a brand are the values of a

company, the style of conducting business, the level of professionalism and essentially the

complete personality of the organisation. When designing the brand of your website you

need to consider the following things.

• The Logo:

The logo is the silent voice of your business. The logo should appeal to the type of

customer you want to attract and correctly sell the image of your company.

• The Colour Scheme:

Once your logo is in place, the colour scheme of your website should compliment and

blend appropriately with your logo. There is nothing more unprofessional than having the

logo and the colour scheme of your website clash. Not everything has to be colour

coded, but ensure that the uniform of the site is pleasing to the eye.

• Images:

Images need to be appropriate and compliment the website. Images should seamlessly

blend into a page rather than distracting the user from more important aspects of the

content. Images should be neutral and leave no room for negative interpretation or

association by the viewer.

• Video Content:

When using video content be sure to use quality recordings. Amateur phone footage or

webcam recordings will reflect badly on the company. All content on your website should

be of a high professional standard.

• Textual Composition

A large aspect of your branding strategy is the implementation of effective copywriting.

The copy on your website provides the tone of your brand. For example, a music related

website might have a cool, friendly, perhaps conversational tone, whereas a financial

services website may choose to employ a corporate approach with a fair amount of

industry related technical wording.

All aspects of your branding strategy must work in harmony to deliver the correct image of

your business. You are not just selling services or products, you are selling a brand that you

want etched in the mind of the consumer. Good branding builds loyalty and loyalty increases

profits.

3

Creating a User Friendly Structure

It is said that you have approximately 7 seconds to hook a visitor before they click that

infamous ‘X’ button in the top right hand corner of the screen. If there is a single off-putting

aspect to the navigational structure of your website then you could be losing valuable

business. Complicated websites with fancy animations that distract from the desired action

are a thing of the past. Simple, user friendly websites that allow the user to dig down

effortlessly through content are the modern standard.

There is no shop assistant to show a visitor around your online store, therefore the shopping

process must be self-explanatory. The user must be able to get from the front door, through

the products/services section and to the checkout with ease. The slightest confusion has the

potential to end the transaction before it is completed.

Content That Compels

A website is based on information. Achieving the correct delivery of information is no easy

task. The copy must first engage the reader, and then provide the information they need in a

concise and interesting manner. Lastly, the copy must prompt the user with a call to action;

this usually directs the user towards a sale or to provide contact details. Unless you are

specifically an information portal, web pages should not be wordy. Most readers will not read

every word of the copy, they will skim read perhaps 30-40% of any given page. This means

the copy needs to be structured for skim reading by effective use of sub titles and concise

sentences. You should also use a reader friendly font and a font size that is suitable for all

ages.

Website Maintenance

No website gets it right at the first attempt. No matter how perfect things seem initially, there

will always be things you spot after the build that you want to change. Conducting a user

survey with clients, customers and friends is a great way to know exactly what is and what

isn’t working for the masses. Websites must move with the times and continual

improvements are a part of the process. It is advisable to conduct a website review every

few months and look to make enhancements. In addition to this you should be updating the

site with fresh content regularly. Search engines value new content and static sites often

become less popular. Provide new articles or blog posts, introduce new features or company

news updates. Keep things alive, fresh and modern.

Instani is an innovative web design company. Instani provides creative, cost effective, latest and

innovative Website Design, SEO and E commerce services to across the world.