I’ve said it time and time again. I don’t believe in useless websites. In fact, useless websites may be my greatest pet peeve. I’m sure that you’re wondering why they bother so much, and lucky for you, I’m going to tell you. In a typical scenario for me as a web designer, I often approach a business about redesigning their website and they quickly respond, “We already have a website.” This may discourage a new web professional but as a seasoned veteran I even more quickly respond, “That’s great! How’s your website working for your business?” That question always makes them pause and think about what I just asked, and 95% of the people that I talk to can’t really answer that question.

My worst enemy is the web design firm that talked some unsuspecting business into shelling out a few thousand dollars for a website 5 or 6 years ago and now 5 or 6 years later that website not only looks the same, but it hasn’t generated one dime of business for the owner. It’s useless! Their website is nothing more than a glorified $3,0000 – $5,000 yellow page ad that no one will ever see and this makes my job exponentially harder when I try to explain to them why they need to have their website redesigned.  If I were them I’d be opposed to repeating this process all over again as well.

What they don’t understand is that their website doesn’t have to be a money pit. A well planned, well designed, and well marketed website can quickly become a revenue boosting component of your business. That’s why it’s so important to work with a web design firm that understands your goals for your website and can help you get there (That means that there is more to consider in this process than  simply finding the cheapest designer in town). Last week I working away in the office around lunchtime and decided to order pizza so that I wouldn’t have to stop working to go get lunch. Now I’m not picky when it comes to my pizza and so living in a modern metropolis, I have more places to order from than I have fingers. So how did I choose? For me, this was all about getting lunch ordered quickly so that I wouldn’t have to stop working. I chose Papa Johns because their website allows me to order a pizza and drinks in less than 3 minutes. I don’t have to find a number, call, be placed on hold, recite a credit card number, and verify an address. All that info is already in the system so just a few clicks and I have a pizza at my door in 30 minutes.

Sadly, 20+ other pizza chains lost my business because they don’t offer online ordering. They may all have websites, but I don’t surf the web to look at pretty pizza pictures. These chains just don’t get it, but  Papa Johns gets it. This is a great example of a using a website to generate business. No one uses phone books anymore, they use Google. So if I’m already searching Google for your phone number, why not allow me to order right then and there?
MORAL OF THE STORY: Having a website isn’t nearly good enough. You  have to use your website to interact and impact your customer base. Whether it’s ordering food, or offering coupons, or contests online, you can use your website to generate new and repeat business. How long are you going to miss out on your share of the billions of dollars generated online every year?

If you’re looking to get more out of your website, contact Sparxx Design. We’d love to help you discover new ways to make money from your website. Contact Us Today!