Why Your New Website Is an Investment — Not a Cost

Whether businesses want to admit it or not, the marketplace is now firmly in the digital world. Thanks to the simplicity of search engines and the power of mobile devices, consumers do the vast majority of their product research and business discovery on the web.

If your company cannot be found easily, people will find your competition.

When business owners decide it's time to take advantage of the Internet with a new website, they may ask a number of firms for an estimate. However, more often than not, the estimates are vastly different for the "same quality of work" — sometimes ranging between $4,000 to $20,000+, which leads to a lot of confusion over what the true cost should be.

What's with this wide discrepancy?

The key reason for differences in price stems from the web agency's goal for the site. There are companies who only look at a site as a simple informational "digital brochure", and there are firms who consider them to be valuable marketing assets that provide long-term sales.

Your website has the ability to be a marketing piece meant to gain brand exposure, engage potential customers, and increase revenue by persuading visitors to become clients. Making your website work as a comprehensive online marketing tool depends upon the knowledge and capabilities of the team who builds it.

Experienced web teams are able to develop compelling websites that generate leads and connect to high-traffic digital media outlets, which ultimately creates sales for their clients.

So, how does a poor online presence hurt your business?

If local businesses decide to go the inexpensive route, they will typically end up with a vastly inferior website. This principle holds true for any product or service — if you purchase a cheap used car, you buy it knowing it won't last long and won't impress too many people.

Websites at the low-end of the price spectrum tend to be template-based, cookie cutter sites. They are basic and ineffective, and while they may cost less up front, they end up costing your company's bottom line in a variety of ways.

1. Lost sales - An overly basic website has the power to actively lose you sales. In the eyes of a client, a business with a simplistic look and feel is behind the times — outdated, disconnected, and out of touch with modern technology. No matter how well your sales meeting went, if a potential customer decides to further research your business they may lose interest when your site does not accurately portray your product or brand identity. Think of a website as your "digital storefront" — it's often the first point of contact customers will have with your company. This is how they will create their initial opinions of your service and make judgements about your reputation in the industry; ultimately helping them to decide if you deserve their business.
2. No new sales - Websites built incorrectly will not have the ability or infrastructure to generate more business on their own. They will lack the necessary components to provide increased online exposure and cohesive branding across the web. Properly developed sites will be created from the ground-up with search engine optimization (SEO) and digital marketing in mind. These websites naturally perform well in local searches which helps you to be found easily and more frequently in your area. They're also designed to connect with your other online media outlets, allowing you to maintain a unified message to your customers.
3. Poor user experience - A new site designed without accounting for user experience diminishes the opportunity to convert traffic into customers. User experience (UX) design is a key aspect of conversion rate optimization: maximizing the amount of web visitors who contact your business. Keeping the end-user in mind is crucial for providing an intuitive service to potential customers. It gives them an instinctive browsing experience by making your site easy to use and understand. Mobile design is also a very important part of creating a simple user experience. These "responsive" designs are optimized for any device including all sizes of desktops, laptops, tablets, or mobile phones. This allows your site to always be easy to read and navigate, which will keep web visitors on your site for longer periods of time (increasing the chance of a conversion).
4. Unsupported client base - Lastly, a weak and poorly structured site can be a major frustration to your current customer base. For example, if you run an e-commerce site and your ordering process is difficult, time-consuming, and unreliable then your clients may begin to look elsewhere for an easier experience. Likewise, current customers may turn to your competitors if they want to contact you or find directions to your store, but the correct infrastructure isn't in place to do so.

These situations are closely tied to user experience, and having a website designed to cater to the specific needs of your customers is essential to keep them for the long-term.

MustBeOnline builds your site into a business investment.

At MustBeOnline, we firmly believe in the marketing and sales power of your website. To take advantage of this opportunity and generate a constant flow of new customers, all of our sites are developed with:

• Intuitive functionality specific to your customer-base
• Responsive design for all devices
• Engaging copy to convert traffic into clients
• Technical SEO to maximize your online visibility

MustBeOnline's team of programmers and digital marketers are dedicated to your site's success because we know it isn't just your website — it's your business.

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