A website is a collection of web pages and associated content that is made available on the internet or a private network.
It serves as a digital storefront for businesses, organizations, and individuals, allowing them to share information, sell products and services, set an evergreen funnel and connect with their target audience.
Personal and business websites have different purposes to be built for, some may be built to communicate product or services for potential customers, while some others might be a software, or websites that are built for games with different domain names.
A website can be as simple as one page containing some information, such as portfolio websites, or it can be as large and standard as Amazon, the biggest e-commerce platform.
The first page of any website is its homepage, which mainly contains a detailed introduction, but besides this, its foremost aspect is to give access to numerous web pages that have been interlinked
- Connect with Anyone
The fundamental benefit of a website is the ability to communicate with anyone, regardless of the technology they are using. World-renowned monuments are now within reach of our fingertips, and distant family members are also within sight.
- Reach Wider Audience
The most obvious advantage of a business website is the potential for reaching a wider audience. The internet is used by literally millions of people, all of them are looking for something and some of them might be looking for you!
- Stay Available 24*7
Having a website means that your company’s information and specifics about its goods and services may be viewed by anybody, at any time and from anywhere in the world. The internet is available round-the-clock, every day of the week. As a result, even if your actual location is closed, your business’s website will still be accessible to people.
- Express Yourself & Earn Online Money
There are millions of websites and YouTube channels offering DIY and how-to tips. Thus, websites are also an excellent method to express yourself creatively while earning money.
- Attract New Audiences through Website Development Online
A website may be updated to stay relevant to your business and attract new visitors once its design is complete. There has been an increase in the number of people utilizing blogs to market their businesses. As a result, businesses that blog see an increase in website traffic.
- Get Viral
Now that websites and social media are so prevalent, it’s feasible for a brilliant good or service to go “viral.” It is possible for even the tiniest firm to get international fame without putting out any work on their own.
- Protect your Brand Online
As a business owner, you need to have a website in order to defend your brand online. Somebody else might take your place online if you fail to have a website development online and register an appropriate domain name. You must also utilize Trademark Registration and Copyright Registration to further secure your business online.
- Start Business from the comfort of your home
Home-based enterprise or company formation is becoming more popular since website development allows entrepreneurs to save money on expenditures such as rent and fuel etc. It’s possible to work from home using a variety of technologies, website development and other free platforms.
The disadvantages of websites for your business
That’s putting it mildly. There are many costs and disadvantages associated with a business website, such as:
- Technical costs such as domain name registration and renewal, hosting service packages, etc.
- Website design, whether you decide to build it yourself using one of many CMS’ with their own subscription costs, or you hire a team to develop it for you
- Plugins and maintenance costs
- Marketing costs (all of the marketing methods mentioned in the previous section have their own costs)
Like with any significant business expense, you need to budget for a professional business website. That doesn’t mean websites will blow out your budget, but it means you need to be conscious of where you are spending your money and ensure it will result in a return on your investment and not a series of insurmountable disadvantages.
You have to secure your website
If your business website does not have a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate, don’t expect as much business. Professional businesses that expect customers to enter their payment details on their website need to be able to communicate that their website is secure. If they can’t, they are at a major series of disadvantages.
There are many different types of security disadvantages and threats for business websites; from hacking, to scammers, to spammers and everything in between. Luckily, there are many tools available to help you secure your website, but it is up to you to learn how to use them.
You have to actively engage your audience
There’s no point in your websites if they’re going to sit there dormant until you feel like updating them slightly a few months from now. If you want your audience to interact with your website regularly, you need to be updating it regularly.
Of course, don’t just upload content for the sake of uploading content. Your posts need to be frequent, but they also need to be high quality in order to attract attention organically. Your customers aren’t sheep that you’re trying to herd around, they’re people with problems that your business can solve. It is up to you to communicate that fact regularly using your website.
More tasks will be added to your daily operations
There are many tasks that need to be regularly performed once you have an operational business website, such as:
- Creating and uploading new content
- Facilitating customer orders
- Responding to customer enquiries
- Ensuring that the website is working properly
- Updating product/service information, etc.
Even if you hire staff to share this workload, one of the disadvantages of a business website is that you still need to regularly coordinate your staff, meaning you have to have at least a cursory knowledge of the tasks you are assigning. That means more time that you will need to dedicate out of your schedule to ensure everything is running smoothly.
You have to consider the ethics of your website
You have to consider the ethics of your business in general, but don’t be one of the many businesses that neglect this aspect when it comes to their website, as that attitude results in all kinds of disadvantages. You need to consider all kinds of ethics related factors, such as:
- The security of your customers’ data
- The moderation of your content to make sure it’s appropriate
- The needs of your customers
- The copyright details of any images and text that you appropriate
Many businesses get caught in scandals involving an errant post or an ignorant action that ends up alienating customers. Don’t fall into this trap.
Your content needs to be planned out
Many businesses plan out their content weeks in advance. There’s a reason for this. It’s a lot easier to stick to a content plan than risk posting content that deviates from your business’ brand identity; or worse, offends the sensibilities of your customers. The amount of disadvantages that come from poorly thought out content cannot be understated.
Additionally, content plans allow you to be consistent in your posting. Keeping a regular schedule of quality content is the best way to maintain customer engagement, as opposed to sporadically posting content to try and win back customers that might have moved onto one of your competitors.
Websites need maintenance
Technology is ever dynamic, and the internet is no exception. Whether it’s your plugins, your theme, your domains, or any other part of your website, you will need to regularly check and perform maintenance to make sure it is running smoothly.
The worst thing you can do is neglect maintenance and end up with a website that doesn’t work. Sure, if a problem arises, you can fix it. But, in the time it takes for you to fix that problem, you’re risking losing customers to competitors with a more functional website. While you can certainly argue that it might not take long to fix said technical issues, it also doesn’t take long for a customer to consider taking their business elsewhere.
Should I get a website for my business?
The answer to this question is unequivocally yes.
A website is an invaluable resource that offers an immense wealth of advantages for businesses that want to attract customers and remain competitive in the constantly changing business landscape. To not have a website is to severely handicap your business.
However, keep in mind that starting a website is as big a commitment as starting a business. It’s an important factor that you need to constantly be aware of and you need to be prepared to put a lot of effort into if you want to experience all of the advantages a business website has to offer.
Where can I get the best quality website for my business?
Organise A Free Consultation with Us
If you want a good business website, you need to consult with professionals that can help you make the most of the advantages that a business website provides. Digital Treasury have used their expertise to help many different startup websites break away from the clutter with elegant and effective website designs.
Get in touch with us to talk about your website design for startups
The disadvantages of websites for your business
Yes, there are disadvantages when it comes to owning business websites. However, none of these are deal breakers. Instead, they should be considered when you take on a business website.
Cultivating your business’ online presence is a lot of responsibility. It’s not a one-off process, and it can significantly affect your business success, particularly if you don’t take it seriously. That is why we’ve listed all of the disadvantages of business websites below, so you have everything you need to know at the ready.
Websites aren’t free
That’s putting it mildly. There are many costs and disadvantages associated with a business website, such as:
- Technical costs such as domain name registration and renewal, hosting service packages, etc.
- Website design, whether you decide to build it yourself using one of many CMS’ with their own subscription costs, or you hire a team to develop it for you
- Plugins and maintenance costs
- Marketing costs (all of the marketing methods mentioned in the previous section have their own costs)
Like with any significant business expense, you need to budget for a professional business website. That doesn’t mean websites will blow out your budget, but it means you need to be conscious of where you are spending your money and ensure it will result in a return on your investment and not a series of insurmountable disadvantages.
You have to secure your website
If your business website does not have a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate, don’t expect as much business. Professional businesses that expect customers to enter their payment details on their website need to be able to communicate that their website is secure. If they can’t, they are at a major series of disadvantages.
There are many different types of security disadvantages and threats for business websites; from hacking, to scammers, to spammers and everything in between. Luckily, there are many tools available to help you secure your website, but it is up to you to learn how to use them.
You have to actively engage your audience
There’s no point in your websites if they’re going to sit there dormant until you feel like updating them slightly a few months from now. If you want your audience to interact with your website regularly, you need to be updating it regularly.
Of course, don’t just upload content for the sake of uploading content. Your posts need to be frequent, but they also need to be high quality in order to attract attention organically. Your customers aren’t sheep that you’re trying to herd around, they’re people with problems that your business can solve. It is up to you to communicate that fact regularly using your website.
More tasks will be added to your daily operations
There are many tasks that need to be regularly performed once you have an operational business website, such as:
- Creating and uploading new content
- Facilitating customer orders
- Responding to customer enquiries
- Ensuring that the website is working properly
- Updating product/service information, etc.
Even if you hire staff to share this workload, one of the disadvantages of a business website is that you still need to regularly coordinate your staff, meaning you have to have at least a cursory knowledge of the tasks you are assigning. That means more time that you will need to dedicate out of your schedule to ensure everything is running smoothly.
You have to consider the ethics of your website
You have to consider the ethics of your business in general, but don’t be one of the many businesses that neglect this aspect when it comes to their website, as that attitude results in all kinds of disadvantages. You need to consider all kinds of ethics related factors, such as:
- The security of your customers’ data
- The moderation of your content to make sure it’s appropriate
- The needs of your customers
- The copyright details of any images and text that you appropriate
Many businesses get caught in scandals involving an errant post or an ignorant action that ends up alienating customers. Don’t fall into this trap.
Your content needs to be planned out
Many businesses plan out their content weeks in advance. There’s a reason for this. It’s a lot easier to stick to a content plan than risk posting content that deviates from your business’ brand identity; or worse, offends the sensibilities of your customers. The amount of disadvantages that come from poorly thought out content cannot be understated.
Additionally, content plans allow you to be consistent in your posting. Keeping a regular schedule of quality content is the best way to maintain customer engagement, as opposed to sporadically posting content to try and win back customers that might have moved onto one of your competitors.
Websites need maintenance
Technology is ever dynamic, and the internet is no exception. Whether it’s your plugins, your theme, your domains, or any other part of your website, you will need to regularly check and perform maintenance to make sure it is running smoothly.
The worst thing you can do is neglect maintenance and end up with a website that doesn’t work. Sure, if a problem arises, you can fix it. But, in the time it takes for you to fix that problem, you’re risking losing customers to competitors with a more functional website. While you can certainly argue that it might not take long to fix said technical issues, it also doesn’t take long for a customer to consider taking their business elsewhere.
Should I get a website for my business?
The answer to this question is unequivocally yes.
A website is an invaluable resource that offers an immense wealth of advantages for businesses that want to attract customers and remain competitive in the constantly changing business landscape. To not have a website is to severely handicap your business.
However, keep in mind that starting a website is as big a commitment as starting a business. It’s an important factor that you need to constantly be aware of and you need to be prepared to put a lot of effort into if you want to experience all of the advantages a business website has to offer.
Where can I get the best quality website for my business?
Organise A Free Consultation with Us
If you want a good business website, you need to consult with professionals that can help you make the most of the advantages that a business website provides. Digital Treasury have used their expertise to help many different startup websites break away from the clutter with elegant and effective website designs.
Get in touch with us to talk about your website design for startups