Podcast Episode 58 – Why Your Business Can’t Wait Until Next Year for a Website

In this episode, Chrissy Rey addresses the common tendency of small business owners to postpone website creation. She shares compelling statistics about online consumer behavior, addresses common objections to website creation, and provides practical steps for getting started immediately, including a free Website Quickstart Challenge.

Listen to the Episode

Show Notes

With 73% of small businesses already having websites and 81% of consumers researching businesses online before making decisions, waiting to create your website means missing out on valuable opportunities. Chrissy breaks down common excuses for delaying website creation and offers solutions for businesses of all sizes and budgets.

Key Topics Covered

  • Eye-opening statistics about online business presence (0:01:48)
  • Common reasons for website postponement (0:03:37)
  • Why social media isn’t enough (0:05:27)
  • Addressing budget concerns (0:05:43)
  • Solutions for non-tech-savvy business owners (0:06:49)
  • Practical steps to get started now (0:07:02)

Resources Mentioned

Key Statistics

  • 73% of small businesses have a website
  • 81% of consumers research businesses online before making decisions
  • Americans are projected to spend over $240 billion online during November-December 2024

Next Steps

  1. Start planning (goals, offer, target audience)
  2. Research website builders
  3. Set a budget
  4. Join the free Website Quickstart Challenge

Transcript

[00:00:08] ​

[00:00:08] Welcome to Website Success. I’m your host, Chrissy Rey.

[00:00:20] Today we are talking about something I hear all the time from small business owners. ” I’ll get to my website next year.”

[00:00:26] It’s especially common this time of year we’re in the fourth quarter of the year. And I totally get it. Building a website can be completely overwhelming, especially when you’re juggling a million other business tasks. It’s hard for a small business owner to really find the time, and the money, and everything else to get to your website.

[00:00:47] I just had a kickoff call for a new website that I’m doing for a client that’s been putting it off for three years. And each year she had a different reason. First, it was that she didn’t have the budget for it. And then she just didn’t have the time to write the content for it. And there was a different reason every year and she just kept putting it off and putting it off. And she would always say, I’ll get to it next year and then next year would come and she put it off again.

[00:01:14] But here’s the thing while she waited for those three years, her competitors built their online presence. They got their websites up. And she missed out on countless opportunities to connect with her potential customers that those competitors were able to take advantage of.

[00:01:30] So, today we’re going to talk about why waiting until next year could be costing your business much more than you realize, and I’ll share some practical ways for you to get started now.

[00:01:40] Let’s start with some eye opening numbers. You may not know this, but 73% of small businesses have a website. That means it’s more than likely that your competitors already have a website. And since about 81% of consumers are researching businesses online before they work with them, not having that website means that you are losing all of those potential customers.

[00:02:05] They’re not finding your products or services online. They’re finding your competitors instead. You’re also missing out on opportunities to showcase your work. And your competitors are getting those opportunities instead. And you’re losing the chance to build credibility and trust with your audience while your competitors are doing both of those things.

[00:02:26] In 2024, Americans are projected to spend more than $240 billion online from November 1st through the end of the year. That’s just two months. And that’s 240 billion with a B. You need a website to get in on some of that spending. So don’t wait. Start today.

[00:02:47] Now, why do businesses keep putting off creating their websites? I hear all kinds of reasons. Trust me, I’ve heard everything over the last 29 years. And some of the sort of core reasons that I hear are things like, “my business is too small, I don’t need a website just yet.” “I’m already on social media and I can just use Facebook or Instagram or whatever social media platform instead; I don’t need a website.” ” I don’t have the money to hire someone to make a website.” That’s another big reason. And one of the biggest ones that I hear, because I work with a lot of DIYers is, “I have no idea where to start. I don’t have the time to figure it out and I’m just not tech savvy enough to do it on my own.”

[00:03:29] But, you know what I’ve also seen? The businesses that keep putting off their websites are also the ones who keep finding themselves scrambling to catch up later. They waited and waited for the perfect time to launch their website,

[00:03:41] and then they found it nearly impossible to compete. Their competitors were showing up on the search engine results and they weren’t, but once they finally took action, they weren’t really able to get any traction because their competitors got in on that space and really took it over and they couldn’t even get a toehold into that online space.

[00:04:04] Now, let me address some of those concerns that I mentioned previously, because you probably have at least one of them. So, if you tell me that your business is too small for a website, I’ll tell you that every business has to start somewhere. A website helps you look professional and credible from day one. And remember a website is not a static document. I get a lot of clients who they want their websites to be absolutely perfect from day one. It doesn’t have to be. Your website can evolve as your business grows. It can get bigger as your business gets bigger. You can start with a landing page that includes your contact information, and then you can grow from there.

[00:04:42] And if you think that you can stick with social media instead of having a website, which again, that’s one of the common concerns that I get, I’ll tell you what you can’t. How are your customers going to reach you when Facebook or Instagram goes down? And what’s going to happen when Meta changes their algorithm, yet again, so your customers no longer see your business posts on social media. And how are you going to handle it if you somehow lose access to your account or you managed to get banned? I’ve seen both of those things happen a lot, way more than you might want to hear. And you really need to have a backup plan.

[00:05:19] Social media can be a really important part of your online marketing, but it’s also kind of like building your house on rented land. You don’t own the platform and you don’t make the rules. So you really need to have that website so that your customers are always going to have a way to find you.

[00:05:35] Now another concern. If you tell me you can’t afford it, I’ll tell you that there are affordable options for every budget. You can make a website with any budget that you’ve got. You might have to put in more sweat equity into a website if you have a smaller budget. But keep in mind that the cost of all of those lost opportunities that are going to your competitors, when your potential customers are looking for you. Those lost opportunities should, once you capture them, exceed the cost of your website. So you do need to have a budget for creating a website that’s going to reach those customers.

[00:06:09] And then another thing, if you have no idea where to start. Don’t have the time to figure it out and think you aren’t tech savvy enough to do it on your own. I’ll tell you, I have your back. First, many website builders are very, very user-friendly. It’s not like when I started making websites back in the day that you had to figure everything out from scratch. You had to write all kinds of code. It’s not like that anymore. It’s a lot easier for non-techies to create your own website. Plus you have people like me who are more than happy to help you create your successful website.

[00:06:41] All right. So now that I’ve convinced you that you don’t need to wait until next year to create your website, right? Cause I’ve met all of your concerns. What can you do about it? Well, I’ve got a few things that you can try.

[00:06:54] Number one, start making a plan. Think about your offer, your goals and your target audience. And just start writing that down.

[00:07:01] Number two, research, some website builders to figure out which one might work for you. So you can try Squarespace, WordPress, Wix. There’s a whole bunch of them out there.

[00:07:10] Number three, set aside a budget. You need money to pay for at least your domain name and your web hosting. And you might need even more money. If you’re going to hire someone to help you with your website.

[00:07:21] And then number four, I want you to sign up for my website Quickstart challenge that starts on December 4th. It’s totally free. And I’ll walk you through those first three things. Plus I’ll help you get started with your content and your branding so actually creating your website is going to be a no brainer.

[00:07:38] I’ll put a link for the Website Quickstart Challenge in the show notes. So, if you are listening to this on your favorite platform, you can go to websitesuccessacademy.com and then go into the podcast section and find this episode.

[00:07:52] Now do you remember that client that I talked about earlier? The one that I had the kickoff call with. At the end of our call, she said, “I wish I’d done this sooner.” So don’t be like her. Don’t let another year slip by without getting your website up and running. The best time to start your website was last year. The second best time is right now. So sign up for that quick start challenge and get started with your website.

[00:08:14] If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, and come back for the next episode where we’ll talk about more things that you can do to make a successful website. In the meantime, Thanks for tuning in, and I hope to chat with you again soon.

[00:08:28] ​