Do you need a website in 2024? Probably.

It’s not like the 00’s… but not how you would expect

Think back to when you had AOL dial-up internet. Remember those long, drawn out downloads of music and photos? That’s the way things have been for most small businesses trying to get their name out there. There were fewer resources available, so you had to be more creative with your marketing strategies.

The internet was still new then and it took a lot longer for people to discover your business; this meant that if you wanted them to find you, you needed something more than just a website—you needed some kind of physical presence like a bricks-and-mortar location or an actual phone number where they could call or text.

These days though (surprise!), everyone has high-speed internet access so almost anyone can find any business’ site within seconds…and therein lies the problem: Everyone has these sites now so what makes yours unique? How do you stand out among all the other options when it comes time for someone looking for what you offer?

Does your business rely on e-commerce?

If you sell products or services online, a website is essential. Regardless of the industry you’re in, if your business relies on e-commerce to make sales, then having a website is an absolute must.

If your business does not rely on e-commerce for sales or leads, then a website may not be necessary for your marketing strategy. You can still get found online through search engines like Google and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram—but this might not be enough for all businesses in 2023.

Do you have a physical location that you’d like to promote?

If you have a physical location, your website can be a great way to promote it. You can show photos of the inside and outside of your business or product, as well as maps and directions from nearby locations. Be sure to include menus, hours and contact information on your site so that potential customers know where you are located before they get there.

“Sales are growing year on year online and it’s important to be present and stand out among your competitors to not be left behind in your industry. It’s unfortunately a necessary evil to have a website in todays economy.”

Is your client base mostly in an area with reliable high-speed internet access?

You may need to consider different options if you are in an area with unreliable high-speed internet access. For instance, if your customer base primarily uses mobile devices and they aren’t at home or work often enough to have reliable high-speed internet, you may want to consider other alternatives such as creating a mobile-friendly website that can still be used when there is no connectivity.

However, if you are based in an urban area where high speed internet is more reliable and affordable than ever before; this is not something for you to worry about!

Does your business require you to take orders?

If you have a business that requires people to place orders, then yes, you should absolutely have a website. It’s the easiest way for people to find out about your product and make an impulse purchase. If you’re in the business of selling furniture or clothing or food items or whatever else someone might want to buy online, having a proper ecommerce website is almost inevitable.

However—and this is important—if your business doesn’t involve taking orders (for example, if it doesn’t have any inventory), then having an informational website can still be very useful for driving traffic back towards your physical location(s). The more exposure you get online leads directly back to how many people visit your store and what kind of profit those visits generate!

Useful Tips

Ask your audience where they have found your website with a small questionnaire via email or even just a chat in person or on the phone. This will keep you in communication with your customers which is great for business moral and also will let you know how they found you.

Do you want to aggregate social media information and activity into one place?

f you have a website, you can use it as a hub for all of your social media activity. Here are some potential benefits:

You can aggregate and display content from multiple social media platforms on one website. For example, if you have a Facebook page and Instagram account that each serve the same purpose (e.g., promoting your business), you could use your website to display both those accounts’ content in one place. If someone visits your company’s site but isn’t logged into any of these services, they’ll still be able to see what’s going on with your brand across all these channels so they don’t miss anything important happening or new products being released by checking back frequently at this single location instead of keeping up with each platform separately.

You can use the same URL across different platforms because they’re all owned by the same person/company (i.e., yours). This makes it easier for search engines like Google to notice that there’s only one source of information coming from someone called “Jennifer Smith” rather than multiple sources scattered around different sites called “JenSmith32.” It also makes it easier for people visiting one page within this network (e-commerce store)

Can your customers easily reach you by phone, email or text?

Before you make any decisions, think about how your customers are going to reach you. For example, if they want to reach you by phone, email or text; will they have an easy time of doing so?

Let’s say someone has some questions about a product and wants to speak with a customer service representative.

Will that person be able to easily find the contact information on your website or elsewhere online (e.g., social media platforms)?

If not, then maybe it’s time for a  new website!

Are there few businesses in your area that do what you do, and do they all have websites?

Do I actually need a website in 2023?
If there are few businesses in your area that do what you do, and they all have websites, then you probably need a website too.
If there are many businesses in your area that do what you do, and they all have websites, then you probably don’t need a website.

It’s probably still good to have a website.

You’ll probably still need a website in 2023. It’s hard to imagine that you’d be able to stay competitive in the next few years without having one. As we mentioned above, there are so many benefits that come with having an online presence—it’s just not something you can afford to ignore.

The future of online business is uncertain, but here’s what we know right now: If your customers can’t find you online, they’re going somewhere else. Companies that do well on platforms like Google and Facebook are able to reap the rewards of being part of these networks while also maintaining their own websites where they can tell their story and sell directly to consumers (and generate leads!).

If your business doesn’t have a strong web presence by now, whatever “solution” you find may not last much longer than it takes for someone else who does have a good website solution—and no matter how good those solutions are today, they will only improve over time as technology advances further into this century! So get started now!

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that a website is just one piece of your marketing strategy. If you don’t have a website, there are still many things you can do to reach your audience and grow your business, including social media pages and search engine optimization (SEO). It might be time to revisit these techniques if they haven’t been working as well as expected lately!