What is a Website Worth in Cold Cash?
If you are reading this, then you know what a website IS. And you probably have some idea of how it can serve you. But many small business owners or prospective site owners don't have a clear concept of exactly what a site can do, and how valuable it will be to them.
Your website can serve a range of purposes:
As a receptionist. It can answer questions, receive mail, give feedback, hand out brochures, track customers, and even do more complex tasks than these which a receptionist can do.
As a sales rep. It can provide persuasive product information, show off the details, offer pictures, and generally provide the information to encourage sales.
As a customer service rep. It can take orders, receive payment, verify the payment, and send order confirmation to the buyer. It can provide information about various product options, and help a customer make choices.
As tech support. It cannot completely substitute for a real person, but it can answer questions about frequently encountered problems, provide troubleshooting instructions, and collect trouble tickets for review by a real person.
As a library. It can organize information, make it readily accessible to a visitor, allow searches, contributions, and other informational tasks.
If you hired someone to do the things that a website can do for you, you'd be paying much more than you'd pay for a website.
A site can provide the following value:
It reduces the cost to you for hiring support help that it replaces.
It reduces your cost of publishing promotional literature. It costs far less to publish online, and once an item is uploaded it can be replicated an infinite number of times.
It saves you the time it would take to answer repetitive questions. That leaves you the time to do more profitable tasks.
If marketed properly, it can potentially gain new customers for your business, and bring you income that you would not have without it. Done right, it can potentially earn you thousands upon thousands of dollars.
Done right, a website can be the primary sales and marketing vehicle for a sound and stable business.
Done wrong, all these benefits fizzle in a sea of unmet expectations.
If you have goals for using your site, and an exciting and solid online business concept that you wish to put into effect, then your website becomes the critical element in making it happen. With a website, you have a business. Without it, you have no ability to conduct business effectively.
It becomes very important then, that you either learn to do it right, or that you hire someone who will do it right. You don't have to learn everything, and your site designer doesn't have to know everything. But there is a set of minimum standards for functionality and usability that must be met. And those are things you must learn, or your site will not achieve its potential.
I believe that a business owner should not spend money on things that do not benefit their business financially. I believe that if someone cannot tell you how it will improve your income, then you should not buy. The purpose of a website, in business, is to make money.
A website has the potential to earn you substantial amounts. It can pay for itself over and over, and then go on making money for years. It will require maintenance and updating, just as a storefront would. It will require that features be updated as technology advances, just as you'd add new elements to a store downtown. But once it is started, it will become increasingly more cost effective as time goes on, if it is managed wisely and as a real business, and not as a hobby.
Building a website is WORK. You have to DO the work, or PAY for the work. Like any aspect of building a business, if you are not committed, and if you are not willing to learn what you need to learn, and back up your dreams with some solid effort and investment (time or money either one will do!), then you might as well not bother. If you prefer watching soaps to reading instructions, or cruising the malls instead of investing in a quality website, then by all means, go ahead and find out just how much you can earn from watching soaps and shopping.
A website is a useful tool, and a valuable one. Treat it accordingly, tend it wisely, and you'll be amply rewarded.
Written by Laura Wheeler
Owner of Skinny Shoestring http://www.skinnyshoestring.com/ – Laura writes instructional materials, produces infosites, and builds affordable websites for her business startup clients. Her varied experience allows her to give exceptional service, and to produce instructions on a surprising range of topics. Laura is a busy mom of eight, homeschooler, and home business owner.
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