It's not like the 00's... but not how you would expect
Does your business rely on e-commerce?
If you sell products or services online, a website is essential. Regardless of the industry you’re in, if your business relies on e-commerce to make sales, then having a website is an absolute must.
If your business does not rely on e-commerce for sales or leads, then a website may not be necessary for your marketing strategy. You can still get found online through search engines like Google and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram—but this might not be enough for all businesses in 2023.
Do you have a physical location that you'd like to promote?
If you have a physical location, your website can be a great way to promote it. You can show photos of the inside and outside of your business or product, as well as maps and directions from nearby locations. Be sure to include menus, hours and contact information on your site so that potential customers know where you are located before they get there.
"Sales are growing year on year online and it's important to be present and stand out among your competitors to not be left behind in your industry. It's unfortunately a necessary evil to have a website in todays economy."
Is your client base mostly in an area with reliable high-speed internet access?
You may need to consider different options if you are in an area with unreliable high-speed internet access. For instance, if your customer base primarily uses mobile devices and they aren’t at home or work often enough to have reliable high-speed internet, you may want to consider other alternatives such as creating a mobile-friendly website that can still be used when there is no connectivity.
However, if you are based in an urban area where high speed internet is more reliable and affordable than ever before; this is not something for you to worry about!
Does your business require you to take orders?
If you have a business that requires people to place orders, then yes, you should absolutely have a website. It’s the easiest way for people to find out about your product and make an impulse purchase. If you’re in the business of selling furniture or clothing or food items or whatever else someone might want to buy online, having a proper ecommerce website is almost inevitable.
However—and this is important—if your business doesn’t involve taking orders (for example, if it doesn’t have any inventory), then having an informational website can still be very useful for driving traffic back towards your physical location(s). The more exposure you get online leads directly back to how many people visit your store and what kind of profit those visits generate!
Useful Tips
Do you want to aggregate social media information and activity into one place?
Can your customers easily reach you by phone, email or text?
Before you make any decisions, think about how your customers are going to reach you. For example, if they want to reach you by phone, email or text; will they have an easy time of doing so?
Let’s say someone has some questions about a product and wants to speak with a customer service representative.
Will that person be able to easily find the contact information on your website or elsewhere online (e.g., social media platforms)?
If not, then maybe it’s time for a new website!
Are there few businesses in your area that do what you do, and do they all have websites?
It's probably still good to have a website.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that a website is just one piece of your marketing strategy. If you don’t have a website, there are still many things you can do to reach your audience and grow your business, including social media pages and search engine optimization (SEO). It might be time to revisit these techniques if they haven’t been working as well as expected lately!