Do You Need a New Website?
Companies that saw the vision have thrived.
By Mary Ann Wells
In the markets we service, Industrial and Manufacturing, some business owners aren’t sure if they need a website at all, let alone updating their current site. Often, especially if they’ve been in business for a long time, they feel their customers and potential customers already know them. Let me explain why that idea is not really a good one.
First, your customers, whoever they are, come and go. They retire, they pass on, they sell their companies, or leave it to the younger generation. If you rely solely on the new owners to continue their relationship with you, you will find yourself with a dwindling customer base. You need to bring in new customers with new business for your company to grow or even to just maintain its status.
Twenty or so years ago, when websites were a new concept, some companies got a website simply because they were told they needed one. The website wasn’t necessarily an effective tool for bringing in new business nor was it discoverable by search engines. The result was the website did little for their business other than give them a web presence.
On the other hand, some business owners recognized the potential their website offered. They got a website that would “speak” to their audience and work as a 24/7 salesperson. It also addresses their HR issues, reaching out to prospective new employees, and providing them with a platform for PR allowing them to tell everyone about what’s happening at their company. All of this is for an extremely small amount of money compared with hiring agencies, headhunters, and sales reps to do all of this for them.
The companies that saw the vision have thrived. The companies who didn’t invest in their website and expected that it would provide an ROI with no effort were disappointed.
An Analogy
As an analogy, consider this: two business owners buy trucks and put them in their parking lot because trucks are the latest and greatest thing. One company uses the truck to carry goods, visit clients, etc., and maintains and updates the truck over time, making it more efficient for his company. He even adds advertising on the side of his truck, so everyone sees his business name as he travels around. The other leaves the truck parked to rust away over time and continues to use his horse and wagon.
That may sound funny to you, but the Internet in the 21st Century is what the automobile was in the beginning of the 20th Century. Think about it. Then ask yourself, “Am I getting all I can get out of my website?”
A free site evaluation by Web-Kare can be an eye-opener. We know the manufacturing and industrial markets and we view websites differently. We look for the potential gain a website can offer you, not just a bunch of bells and whistles and pretty pictures. We also know how to get your website noticed by the right audience. The site evaluation is free and there is no obligation to use our services any further.
Web-Kare is not paid to promote any product or service in this Need2Know section. We feel that it is important to educate business owners about possible vulnerabilities to their business so they can decide how to handle them. If you have questions or wish to know more, please use the “I Need to Know More” form below.
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