Do All Businesses Need Websites?

The big question for small business today: do all businesses need a website? Or, more specifically, does my small business need a website?

The short answer is a qualified 'yes'. All businesses need a website, unless they can answer yes to the following questions:

Do you have all the customers you want, need, or can serve? If yes, you won't benefit from a website. One of the primary reasons businesses need a website is to secure more customers. If you don't need or can't serve more clients, then your business doesn't need a website.

Is your customer demographic 100% older people? By older people, we mean 75 years or older, because senior citizens use the internet quite a lot, with the exception of those seniors who were already senior citizens when the internet came into widespread use. One caveat - every day, those web using younger senior citizens are getting older, so if this is your demographic, you will need a website in the coming years to access web-savvy seniors.

Is your business super-small and 100% of your clients are referrals from other clients? This would be another business that might not need a website.

Even those businesses who answered yes to the above questions could benefit from having a website, but could legitimately say that their small business doesn't need a website.

What does a website do for small businesses, or, why all businesses need a website:

A website is an interesting entity. It functions as an advertisement, a phone book listing, a point of contact, and sometimes a storefront. We'll look at these functions in turn.

Small businesses need a website to advertise their business.
We live in an age of nomads, with people moving constantly. The Welcome Wagon is an ancient concept - people new to the area look for local services they'll use. Even if everyone knows that Betsy's Salon is the place to go for a wedding hairstyle in Springfield, many potential new customers will turn to the web for this search. They'll go to one of the major search engines and type in: Wedding hairstylist, Springfield. If Betsy's Salon isn't there, Betsy lost a sale. And the only way to be there for customers who are searching for you online is to have a website. By the time the potential customer walks away from the computer, they've already made their decision.

Small businesses need a website as a 'phone book listing'.
You may already know this: the day of a physical phone book is quickly passing. Fewer and fewer people are turning to the actual yellow pages and more and more are turning to the internet to find a business they already know. With cell phone technology allowing web access, it's easier to go online than find a phonebook. How committed is your customer base? What if they want to make an appointment at Betsy's Salon but Betsy's phone number is nowhere to be found online? Do they love Betsy enough to ignore all the other salons that are listed online?

Small businesses need a website as a point of contact.
First impressions are everything. If you have a clean, professional website that offers the right 'feeling' for your business, that first impression can overcome resistance to using an unknown entity. This is particularly useful for services in which the customer will never enter your office: landscaping, painting, housecleaning. All are image dependent, and having a website gives you the chance to reinforce a professional, competent image. Further, small businesses need a website to answer questions people would ask if they were talking to the owner/operator. Does Betsy's do nails, too? Is Betsy's open on Saturday night? Does Betsy stock XYZ product line? Do I need an appointment at Betsy's to get a touch up? What are the prices?

Small businesses need a website as a storefront.
Most small businesses with a website don't sell anything online, but some do. It wouldn't be useful to Betsy to sell hairstyles online, but that's not true for everyone. And every person who sees Betsy's website is the same as a customer walking past the window. An opportunity for you to grab their attention. If your business would benefit from selling online, then it obviously needs a website.

It probably is now clear to you that all businesses do need a website, so you will have more questions. Best to get them answered before charging ahead into the online unknown. Some will be covered in other articles like How To Get a Business Website or at Radsoft's Getting Your Business Online Workshop.