5 Common Misconceptions About Creating a Website
A website for many businesses is a lifeline. It broadens the market you have access to, and to be quite frank your business will struggle in 2023 without one. That’s not just for businesses selling a physical product but for those of all natures. 81% of shoppers conduct online research before buying, and as one of their first port of calls, will turn to a company’s website to learn more about what they do. Web development is one of the core services we provide as an agency, and over the 22 years we have been running, we’ve come across quite a few misconceptions. To put them to bed and help you in understanding what you’re paying for, here are some common misconceptions debunked.
1. You’re Sorted
While you may have thought of everything possible and had your website designed to perfection, there’s continued investment needed to keep it running smoothly. As time goes on, search engines change the way they rank, meaning that you may need to improve elements of your website so that pages load faster as we’re already seeing. Failing to meet these increasingly important technical SEO metrics can lead to a loss in rankings. Also, your site will likely grow, or pages may no longer exist resulting in a poor experience if redirects aren’t put in place and your site is not structured correctly. User needs change with time too, so you will need to look at ways to keep it enticing.
2. You Will Have Thousands of Visitors from The Jump
Wrong. SEO, or search engine optimisation, takes time to build. To gain a position at the top of the search results, you will need to build authority which comes from a range of factors, but particularly having a depth of content and a backlink profile which will take time to build. Once established you can benefit from high-quality traffic to your site, and favours from Google in terms of CPC for any ads you display.
3. They Are Only for Online Businesses
Businesses of all shapes and sizes can benefit from a website, even those who rely on local trade. When we’re in need of particular goods or services, the majority of us will turn to Google as it’s fast and filled with relevant information. Search engines, therefore, can bring the right traffic to your site, and help you get noticed by those with an intent to purchase. To maximise sales and take a larger slice of the cake, develop an online presence and make yourself known.
4. You Need The Coolest Features
The best websites are often the simplest as they don’t have heavy code and load faster. What’s important is that your site gets your message across quickly and easily, whilst also being visually attractive to come across professionally and engage.
5. Anyone Can Create a Website
It is true that anyone can create a website. Thanks to CMS platforms such as WordPress, Squarespace, and many others that require little code, it’s no longer a job only developers can do. However, to do the job well, we’d recommend having it done by those with experience. This will save you future headaches, ensure that everything is technically sound before you go live and give you the best chances of ranking on the results page.
If you would like help developing your company website, or a review on how you can improve your own, feel free to get in touch.
