Do I need a website?

When starting up a new business or developing an existing business, there’s a few key areas that will get ticked off your to-do list almost automatically.

Clever accountant – Check

Business banking – Check

Business cards – Check

Logo – Check

Website? – Hmmm, maybe later?

Most business start-ups need to choose their marketing carefully. They account for a lot of financial spending in the initial outlay down to what will bring back the quickest return of expenditure. But is neglecting that web presence really the best corner to be cutting when you’re starting out?

“I just don’t think many people will look for me online – I’m not sure it’s the right marketing tool for me?”

The web is 24/7 consumer shopping at its best. It’s a constant advert for you and your business. It’s that one piece of marketing that repeats itself to people day in and day out without you having to be there. Good content to download and available everywhere – wherever the net is – so is your business for people to browse, if you’re online, that is.

Consumer behaviour! Without a web presence, you won’t ever find out who’s been looking for you but can’t find you online. In a True Local search, we've seen cases where competitors are winning business simply by having a website up. They may only have a basic website, but nonetheless, it’s there for the world to see!

“I’m already listed in online directories – isn’t this enough?”

In the current digital age, people looking for your business will undoubtedly be doing it online or on a mobile media device. This means if they find a reference to you online – they’ll more than likely want to browse your website. If you don’t have a website up – well, then you’ll find that they’ll keep searching until they find a competitor of yours that does.

My wife explains this all better than I ever can….

A simple real-life scenario of how effective a website can be for any business is my wife’s example from last night. She’d decided we’d be having a takeaway, and so had gone online, found a great fish and chip shop (albeit three suburbs over), browsed the menu and location, checked for parking and found they’d received some good reviews.

All the information she’d found out on the net and by looking through their website. Basic point is proven about the effectiveness of being online. What the owner of the takeaway may never realise is that the small website he commissioned some while ago has now just bought him two new repeat customers from three suburbs over!

There’s a minefield of options available to you when looking at your first online presence. Get it right, and you’ll have yourself the best sales team working for you 24/7, 365 days a year.

At alta|image, we’ve been changing the way people view their online presence. And whilst we still handle conventional print marketing, getting online really is a great, low-cost and effective repeat solution for new start-ups, or even established businesses who may be looking to sharpen their competitive edge.

Get quotes to build your website.

About Author Scott Swinton

As the Studio Director of alta|image Scott Swinton started off over 12 years ago, graduating in London, England, with a distinction in Print Media/Marketing & Graphic Communications, C&G London, 07 Jun 00.

He then went on to work for some high-profile digital media design companies across Europe, the US and Australia before settling in Brisbane and starting alta|image – a multi-faceted Digital Media Studio incorporating everything from web to print media. We now serve clients remotely all over the world, from Brisbane to Perth and from Texas to Orange County!

Constantly striving to maintain a competitive edge in one of the fastest emerging and ever-changing marketplaces, alta|image keeps itself and its team members ahead of the game by constantly innovating and upskilling where required. From new web design practices and development changes to SEO and online marketing campaigns and even back to the more conventional changes happening within the print design arena.