Originally posted on LinkedIn here.
No!
Wait… Yes!
Yes?
We get this all the time. “When you’re done with this project, can you take a look at my website? I haven’t really worked on it and “the guy” that normally does it charges me, but I don’t see any changes. HONESTLY, I THINK I DON’T NEED ONE, but take a look and tell me what you think.”
That’s life at Bar Mode. “You guys do amazing work, but I don’t think my business needs < insert one of the many things we do here>.”
ESPECIALLY websites. Established brick and mortar companies have very skewed ideas of their own brand. They can really lock on to their local brand, but when it comes to opening up to the World Wide Web, why?
I mean, think about it. Why does a local doughnut shop need a website? They wake up early, make doughnuts and close when they sell out. Their 8-hour day ends before lunchtime and they don’t even have a delivery driver. Why would they ever need a website?
Why? It should be the added 4th “w” in “www”. World Wide Web. Why?
Here’s how we, at Bar Mode, answer that question, and I’ll try to make it apply to as many business types as I can. I don’t mind if competitors steal this answer, because it’s way better than the tall tales you’ve been telling your past clients to sell a website (trust me, we have to come back through and fix your mistakes AND regain their trust in our industry as a bonus). So steal away you little sneak thieves.
“Why do you need a website? You don’t!”
And then I tie my black cape around my shoulders, put on my giant 1960s motorcycle helmet and hop on my bicycle and scream “vroooooom!” as I pedal away.
D-Lish-Us Doughnuts: “Tim… why do I need a website? I have regulars, we’re in the black. I keep my employee paid and I put food on the table. I just don’t see how I can add the internet to my current business model.”
Tim: “Why do you need a website? You don’t! Vrroooom!”
Seriously, you don’t. To whoever is reading this, no matter what type of business you work for, run, own or are starting, this applies to you.
You Do Not Need A Website.
BUT… your customers do.
You don’t need a website, but your customers do. Ooooh. Got ’em. Didn’t see that coming, did you?
Look, when you think about any outward, client/customer facing aspect of your particular business, is it for you or is it for “them”. It’s not for you. If it were up to you, you could do an outstanding job in your pajamas, on your living-room floor and deliver your products through the kitchen window while you eat a fried egg sandwich. You could save on printer paper by writing out your reports on the blank return envelopes that come in junk mail. All of your business email can be sent to xXTheRockXx@hotmail.
See my point?
Look around you. People are tethered to tech with no sign of change. When you see all of those “I need to talk to you about your SEO” articles, or “Hi, I’m <obvious fake name> and I can help you with your brand.” emails, those are stupid and overwhelming and you just can’t understand any of it.
Why can’t you understand SEO or back-linking or metrics or analytics or any of that? It’s because it not for you. That’s why. It’s for your customers to easily find you. And what will they find? A Facebook page? A yellow-pages list? A bad review on Yelp?
What they SHOULD find is up to you. And it starts with a website.
If all of that gets your BP over 80/120, then stop asking “why” about your website. Your website is the pot of gold and all of that internet talk is the rainbow.
Enough talk, go update your cringe-worthy website or get started on one. You owe it to yourself to help your customers and it will eventually pay for itself over and over again.
If you need help, look us up! We never sleep.
