In our digital age, more and more people are taking to their computers and mobile devices for numerous things. This fact couldn’t pertain more to the consumer market if it tried. There is a high demand from the public for a business to have its own website. Whether it is to find a solution to a problem, procure much needed (or impulse) products, price comparison, or to educate themselves further on a business and its practices, there is zero deniability that your consumer will take to the internet. Instant gratification is a high demand in 2019, so we would typically much rather find an answer ourselves than leave the comfort of our homes.

If you are just starting, Hi. Hello. We welcome you and are here to help. We realize that this whole process can be overwhelming, but we hope to calm your nerves and make this an exciting endeavor.

So, grab your favorite comfort snacks, sit back, relax, and let us answer some of the most common questions that go hand-in-hand with leaping into the world of websites.

Why do I need a website?

If your business doesn’t have a website, you run the risk of losing potential patrons to your competitors who do. This is especially true if you are a small in-home business lacking a brick-and-mortar location.

Procuring a website will not only give you an edge with your competitors, but it will also provide you undeniable credibility. It tells the person behind the screen, that you mean- for lack of a better term- business.

Your customers will always have accessibility to your business. Imagine being able to reach your target audience 24/7! Gone are the days of losing business during closed hours. Depending on the services you include on your site, your patrons will be able to contact you, sign up for services, schedule appointments, or purchase your products at any moment of the day.

This accessibility goes hand in hand with reaching a wider audience. Let’s say you are based in the US and are selling a wonderful new item. Upon making it available on your site, anyone in the world will be able to get their hands on your product. Once your site is live it is available to anyone with access to the internet.

Your website will also save you tons of time. Everyone knows that time is money, and no one likes to lose money due to time constraints. The world we live in seems to get more fast pace with each passing day, and by having a website you will save so much time that could otherwise be dedicated to communicating with your consumer base.

Not to mention the time, resources, and money you could save in regards to marketing. A website can be your biggest marketing tool if you allow it to be, and who doesn’t love a good marketing tool? Not us for sure, and not your target audience.

Why should I pay when there are free options?

The simple answer to this is professionalism. Sure, any website is better than not having one at all, but a lot of these free site builders don’t offer options to put your best foot forward. Consumers are much more inclined to do business with a company that has a professional image, and the majority of these free services lack the tools needed to create that crucial credible image.

You may not believe that you can budget a web designer or that your company is too small to have one, but it is certainly an investment that will pay off in the long run.

How much is this going to cost me, exactly?

We’ve already covered the free option, and if you choose to go that route, you won’t receive any judgment from us. We’re not here to point our fingers, or try to twist your arm into purchasing anything that you don’t believe you need. If you currently have zero budget, you should look into one of the basic options just to get your foot in the digital age door. The option to spruce things up later is always there.

There are quite a few things that go into calculating the price tag of a website including; domain name, hosting, design, plugins/extensions, and complexity of the design.

For all of these things, we recommend using WordPress. If that sounds like a foreign term to you, don’t sweat it. We will be compiling another one of these fun-time information blogs devoted entirely to WordPress. So, keep your peepers peeled and check back with us soon for all things WordPress.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

The most important thing you will need is a domain name. Your domain name is the address where your customers visit your website. Ideally, it would be (www.yourbusinessname.com). Domain names typically run $15-$25 a year.

As far as the rest of the costs go, everything will differ greatly depending on what service you use for your hosting. If you decide to hire a professional web designer like ArchTronics for instance, (here comes the shameless plug), we would bring you in for a consultation to discuss your specific needs. After taking all of your desired components into consideration, we would then be able to provide you with a price point. Most web designers operate this way.

Let’s Wrap This Up

If you’re still with us, it’s time to bring in the statistics.

30% of consumers won’t do business with a company that doesn’t have a web presence.
75% of consumers judge a company’s credibility based on their website design.
If a consumer has an unfavorable experience on a company’s website they are 88% less likely to visit again.
As of 2019, Google receives over 63,000 searches per second on any given day. This means your consumer base is seconds away from locating your business if you have a website.

Once upon a time, consumers would take to their phone books, and thumb through countless yellow pages to find their desired business, but this is a practice that is becoming a thing of the past. Ask yourself this, when is the last time you picked up a phone book? When is the last time you used an alternative method to the internet- whether it be on your computer or mobile device- to locate information? I can say that it has been years for me.

Whether your business is big or small, a website will undoubtedly generate business, establish a beneficial repertoire between you and your patrons, and provide invaluable marketing.

We're here if you need us!

How can we make your digital dreams come true?