There are two types of websites these days: a point-of-presence and a sales tool.
The first type, a point-of-presence, is just a fancy directory listing: here’s who we are, here’s what we do and here’s how to contact us. We’re not talking about that sort of website – everyone should have one of those.
The second kind – a sales tool – is a very different kind of animal. It is usually a sophisticated (from a marketing standpoint) piece of software that takes visitors and, using some awesome kung-fu, jiu-jitsu and aikido moves, converts them into buyers.
It is this second kind of websites that the title of this #StartupBusinessTip is referring to. If you can at all avoid it, don’t get one. Why? Because of the tremendous amount of effort involved in creating and maintaining such a site, to say nothing of keeping it effective in the long run.
People think that because websites are virtual and it is just software, they are self-maintaining. Not so.
You should budget around an hour of your time per day for a simple blog. Triple or quadruple that for a more sophisticated site. I’m not just talking about the technical side of things but also about keeping the website effective as a sales tool.
You’ll need constant fresh content, you’ll need to monitor your visitors’ behaviour, you’ll need to understand analytics, and you’ll have to anticipate, tweak, pivot and dance a merry jig in response to a constantly changing environment – it’s a full-time job in itself.
So, again, if you can avoid having such a website, do so. Use the social networks instead. Much more effective for start-ups. Want help figuring out how? Sign up for the Expand Your Business Through Social Media workshop.
Now, if you absolutely must have a website that sells, then sign up for the Create Your Own Website And Online Store workshop.
You’ve got a lot to do so better start planning it all out.