Question: To have a website or not to have a website? That is the question.

Hey business coach — I was listening to a great speaker by the name of Greg Duncan and he quoted Bill Gates saying, “If your business is not on the internet then in 5 years you will not be in business.”

What are your thoughts on this?
Is a website really that important for the small business owner?
Do you think I should invest in having a website even though I own a local small business?

- Wilma Flinstone* (* Names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

Answer:

Aloha Wilma,

GASP?! Gulp! “Not” to have a website?! I almost can’t even fathom that question being posed in this marketplace of the new millennium.

My vote is DEFINITELY! YES! Get a Website. And do it Fast! I’ll even add to that - Get a business blog started as well.

In fact, some people are now creating a blog in the place of trying to create a website up and running.

Considering the fact that a nicely created blog can actually work much better for you, and it doesn’t come with all the added expense, planning and delays that a website will cost you – this is a great strategy for the small business owner on a shoestring budget.

It’s no longer the “big that eat the small.”
Now - “It’s the FAST that eat the slow!”

You’ve probably already been to a blog and you may not have even realized it, because blogs really can be created to look “pretty” and be functional at the same time.

Coach Deb

Here’s an excerpt from a web developer who was in the room that may help to understand why a website or blog presence is so important:

Sarah Lewis replied:

“Well, of course I’m biased, being a web developer, but I see a website as a huge asset. A simple reason is that many people START with the Internet when they look for information.

For instance, there’s a local restaurant I heard about from a friend… pretty unique restaurant in that they only serve crepes and their name is Square.

I thought about taking a friend there for lunch and so I searched for them on the net. Couldn’t find them. Finally had to call them to find their hours, and it turns out they have a website that is just not well positioned in Google (which is pretty bad, considering I’m searching for “square crepes boise” which is pretty unique).

Will this stop me from going there? No, because I’m particularly interested in their concept. If I was just looking for a restaurant to try, I wouldn’t have bothered to search them out further. They’re also wasting a great opportunity to entice me in with menus, specials, images, etc.

Obviously this will vary by industry, but I think that most businesses can benefit from a website…”

Deborah Micek
The Business Communication Coach
Business Owners Coaching Club

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