6 Signs You’re Ready to Invest in a Professional Website
I think we can all agree that having an unappealing website is a major no-no in today’s world. Your website serves as an online hub where potential and existing customers can access information. For a potential client, a website can be the difference between inquiring with you.... or reaching out to your competitor. So whether it’s outdated, poorly designed, or non-responsive... a bad website can be a deal-breaker.
And while it may seem totally acceptable to rely on social media or third-party platforms like Stan Store, there comes a point where investing in an actual business website is critical to your growth and success.
Having a professional website does SO MUCH for your brand:
It increases your company's credibility, visibility, and functionality. Your business may provide a similar service or product as others, but having a branded website is one of the BEST ways to set yourself apart and compete in your industry as a legitimate, credible business.
A well-designed and properly optimized website also boosts your brand's visibility. If you optimize it for search engine optimization (SEO), your site can rank on Google and other search engines, attracting organic traffic to your site. All that increase in traffic? That means more eyes are on your site, more leads are hitting your inbox, and more sales are being made.
And of course, a pro-designed website gives you the opportunity to share information, provide value, sell your products or services, and connect with your audience in several ways.
So, while it is absolutely possible to run a business without a website, my opinion is that you still need a website.
Now that that’s out of the way—how the heck do you know when it’s time to invest in a professional, custom website?
Look—as a business owner, it's common to feel like you've hit a wall with your website.
Maybe you want to add e-commerce so your customers can easily shop online, or maybe you'd like to incorporate a course or a membership site, but you're not sure where to even start.
Maybe there are certain things you want to do with your website, but you’re worried you’ll break it.
Maybe you DIY’d your first site, and now you’re ready to take it to the next level.
That whole feeling of not knowing how to code and not having the time to learn can be extremely frustrating.
Allllll these feelings are common.
Couple that with trying to make the best financial and time-management decisions for our business is hard. (This whole running-a-business-thing is not for the faint of heart, am I right?)
But there’s going to come a time when you’re faced with making the jump to invest in a professionally designed website.
If that’s you, let me help you. Let’s look at some of the biggest indicators that suggest it’s time to invest in a custom website.... so you’re proud of it, so your target audience lands on it and says, “THIS. This is exactly who I want to hire.”
Signs it’s time to invest in a custom website:
1—Your current website lacks functionality.
A slow-loading website, broken links, or a confusing user experience can easily drive potential customers away. Pro-designed websites can address these issues... not only will they look beautiful, but they’ll also work beautifully. And when you have an aesthetic website combined with strategy and functionality? The likelihood of converting visitors into paying customers increases greatly.
Plus, when you hire a professional web designer, he or she can give you valuable insights and solutions to problems that you may not have even been aware of. With a custom web design, you can create a website that's both stylish and functional, appealing to your target audience and fostering long-term customer relationships.
2—Your branding feels outdated or no longer “feels right”.
Your brand’s visual identity plays a huge role in shaping how your clients and customers perceive your overall brand. By hiring a professional to help curate your brand’s purpose, positioning, personality, and visual identity, you can completely refresh your business and attract your audience in new, exciting ways.
Branding, though, is holistic. It’s not just your color palette, fonts, and logos. There’s an entire strategy to look at. We’re taking into account your messaging, your personality, your voice, your purpose. We’re looking at your brand experience: how you maintain customer loyalty, how your team dresses and speaks, how your brand operates, how your brand stands firm on your values, and how you greet customers as they walk in the door. Your brand strategy encompasses everything... and more.
And your website should be an extension of your brand strategy.
Your website should be working for you 24/7, as if it’s an additional employee.
And sometimes, business owners and brands push their websites to the back burner. When this happens, there’s a major gap in the impression you’re leaving to potential clients and customers.
Let’s look at some of the most common inconsistencies between a brand and its website:
The fonts, colors, and layouts aren’t cohesive. When you land on a brand’s social media, the fonts and colors should look similar to the website’s fonts and colors. The emails the company sends out should look and feel like the brand’s website. Using rounded buttons on your website? Then the buttons in your emails should be rounded. Everything should look the same....or at least similar. Can you throw in a fun, new color for promotional purposes? Absolutely. But generally, the fonts and colors should be steady.
Using cheesy, outdated stock images. First of all, hiring a brand photographer to take branded images of you, your team, your office, your products, etc. is always going to be a great investment. But if it’s not feasible for you, then invest in high-quality stock images. Haute Stock Co. is one of my favorite places for female entrepreneurs. Got an edgier brand? Try Editorial Stock Images. Are you a wedding pro? Check out Sourced. Just stay away from free, cheesy stock images. Please.
Ask yourself: are you proud of your website? Does it really look like your brand? Is it attracting your target audience? Is it something your target audience wants to look at? If you’re claiming to be a luxury company, does your website give luxury?
If you’re answering “No” to any of these, you may want to look at hiring a Brand Strategist, too... or at least make sure you hire a Web Designer who will strategize some of this with you.
3—You want to not only stand out from your competitors but be better than them.
How many times have you heard that “the market is saturated”? Blegh.
I mean, they’re not wrong... but also—I don’t know about you, but I’m kinda tired of hearing the same thing. Womp womp.
Regardless, you’ve got to pop out from the pack.
And one surefire way to do that is with a knockout website design that wows your potential customers.
Having a website is no longer a luxury, it's a must-have. Not having one means missing out on hordes of customers and revenue. And, if your competition has a website and you don't, you're in deep trouble. Your target audience will have an easier time finding and choosing your rival over you.
And I hate to break it to ya, but it's not enough to just have a website – it needs to be a true representation of your brand while outperforming your competitors. Simply copying your competition is a mistake that will only make you blend in with the rest. Instead, use your creativity to distinguish yourself from the crowd. Ask yourself, what can you do to make your website a million times better than theirs?
But even if you're the only game in town, a website can make you more accessible and encourage more business. So don't wait—let your brand shine with a bespoke website design that screams, "I'm the best!"
4—Your business and brand goals have changed.
Has your target audience changed?
Have you changed, added, or removed services and/or products?
Have you repositioned your business within your industry... or even a new industry?
If so, it’s likely time for a professionally designed website that can strategically and beautifully represent these new goals. If you try to just “fix it”, it’s likely not going to feel good or even like the best it can be.
5—Your website looks awful on mobile.
I’m hoping that by now, your website isn’t a total disaster on mobile devices. But at this point, your website needs to look KILLER on mobile because over half of your website visitors are looking at your website from whatever tiny device is in their hands.
And if your website doesn’t look well on a cell phone, you’re missing out. It’s that simple. In all likelihood, people are coming to your website, getting frustrated, and quickly exiting... moving on to your competitor’s site.
Your website needs to be able to respond well to whatever device someone is using. Looking on a 13-inch Macbook Pro? Your website needs to look good on it. Looking on a 27" desktop? Better look great. Scrolling on an iPhone 15 Pro Max? You better believe your site needs to look fantastic.
This is what we call a responsive website.
And having a responsive website isn’t just ideal for user experience—Google loves it.
And if Google loves a responsive website, they’re going to give those websites a boost in SEO. If your website looks like crap on a cell phone, Google doesn’t think it deserves to be on that first scroll of searches. And I agree.
Listen—if your site isn’t performing well on mobile and desktop, it’s time for a redesign. It’s difficult and time-consuming (not impossible) to make a site responsive without starting from scratch.
6—You want a better user experience.
We all know that looks aren’t everything, especially when it comes to your website and its performance. Sure, a beautiful design can help, but what really counts is how user-friendly and engaging your site is.
If you’re not getting the clicks and conversions you crave, it’s high time for a website makeover.
A top-of-the-line site should be intuitive, with crystal clear calls-to-actions and valuable content that makes customers stick around and click that “Add to Cart” button.
Let’s talk about valuable content for just a minute.
The heart of marketing success? It's all about the value your website offers.
Fact: Every curious clicker who lands on your site is searching for something valuable, and if they don't find it, poof! They're off to the next one.
Get this: 81% of all prospects will snoop around online before purchasing (Source: GE Capital Retail Bank). *Gasp*
So, it's more important than ever to have an irresistible digital hub that delivers exceptional value.
Now, listen up: Your website should be a treasure trove of resources for your visitors, telling them everything they need to know about your team, history, solutions, and processes. By creating an inviting experience, you'll build a connection with your visitors, making them comfortable enough to approach you for at least a chat.
And here's the secret sauce: Keep adding value to your website by offering visitors educational resources, like blog posts or videos, to help them make informed decisions. Trust me, it's the golden key to keeping visitors coming back for more.
Make your website the go-to source for valuable information about your organization and a resource for learning.
Taking the time and investing in a refined website design and functionality can pay off in a BIG way.
There you go—6 signs it’s time to invest in a professional, custom website. Still have questions? Let’s chat. Interested in working together? Let’s chat.
