Gene Crawford: Is a New Website a Good Investment in This Economy?
With all the ups and downs the economy has been throwing at us lately, many of my clients are asking themselves the same question: is this really the right time to have my website designed or upgraded?
I suspect the answer you find to that question will have a lot to do with your profitability for the next 12 months. That's because, like a new employee or an improved piece of equipment, a good website shouldn't cost you anything -- it should earn money by improving your marketing and productivity.
A modern, functional, professional-looking website is one of the most valuable investments you can ever make. It's like having your best salesperson, your strongest client letter, shiniest storefront space, and most courteous customer service professional all wrapped into one -- not to mention working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for customers and prospects all over the world.
If it sounds like I'm a bit overzealous in my assessment, consider this: how many new customers can any single person bring in per week? Can they reach potential buyers at the exact moment that they are thinking about your product and service? What about answering your twenty frequently most asked questions instantly, or sending routine orders straight to your inbox without requiring you to copy down payment information? These are just a few of the things a good website can do for you, day in and day out.
With that in mind, the question isn't really whether a new site is a good expense, but what kind of design or upgrade you should be looking at. The perfect website -- one that looks good, does everything you want it to, and helps you meet your business goals -- doesn't happen by accident. It's nearly always the result of careful planning and collaboration between the client and a dedicated design team.
To get your money's worth, and use your online presence to actually grow your business in a tough economy, do a bit of planning before you fork over your deposit check. Think carefully about what types of products and customers you're doing well with at the moment, as well as which aspects of your business you'd like to emphasize going forward. Don't worry so much about the specific features (like video, flash animation, blogs, etc.) that you'll want to incorporate for the moment -- your design team can help you figure out which options make the most sense. The one thing they can't do is tell you what your company needs in the first place.
There's never a bad time to put one of your most powerful marketing tools to work, and a new website could be a driving force that helps you gain ground during the current slump. But to make it worth your time and money, you're going to have to plan ahead and see your new design for what it is: a chance to boost your bottom line in any economy.
Gene (@genecrawford) is a designer with more than 10 years experience creating simple, user specific, and elegant web sites and applications. He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Art Currently he is President and co-founder of Period Three (Period Three) a full-service web-design agency in Columbia. Editor of Unmatchedstyle.com one of the longest running website design galleries on the web, instructor of web design at South University/Art Institute and organizer of ConvergeSC South Carolina's yearly web design, development & marketing conference.
