“We have a website but please don’t look at it, it’s out of date and it doesn’t properly represent our business anymore.”
How many times have you used or heard this phrase when meeting a new business contact and exchanging business cards?
Have you ever stopped to think about how that sounds as a first impression?
- You are not capable of keeping your own business and service offerings up to date.
- You don’t care enough about the first impression you or your company makes to prospective partners.
- You are asking the potential client to make their judgment of your business entirely on the conversation ahead?
Your website may be the first interaction a customer will have with your brand.
Back when you embarked on your first website, as a business owner, you understood the necessity and power of what a website can do, so why is it now less important?
The most common reasons we hear are:
- “We have been too busy to keep it up to date.”
- “The whole experience was so difficult, it took too many hours and we don’t have the time to go through that again.”
- “The person that set it up has left the company and we don’t have access or know how to update it.”
Let’s look to answer these scenarios:
- “We have been too busy to keep it up to date.”
This excuse can only work for so long. If you have indeed, successfully managed to navigate through your list of excuses, gained the client’s trust and won some business there will come a day you will hope they will pass on your services and recommend you to someone else. When this new potential business partner then comes across the same out of date website they will rightfully start to question how organised your company really is. How motivated are you are in the progression and growth of your business and how will that ultimately affect them as a client. Not to mention they may have an awkward conversation with the client that referred them to you.
- “The whole experience was so difficult, it took too many hours and we don’t have the time to go through that again.”
We experience this all the time. The answer is simple, you chose the wrong web agency as your partner. There could be a couple of reasons for this, however, trying to cut corners, financial constraints lead you to use a cheaper unreliable source or maybe you just don’t know enough about web design to make an informed decision. This should not put you off moving forward, just like any other service industry you start with research, you ask friends or clients who they have used, try not to depend entirely on Google as a search medium. Web design is not as difficult as many companies try to make out and this will be something we will touch on later around – What to look for in a Web Agency.
- “The person that set it up has left the company and we don’t have access or know how to update it.”
This is common and completely understandable. When you are setting up a business you concentrate on the parts you understand and you trust other elements to people with the skills you possibly don’t have. Your company website could have been one of them.
However, your website is a vital informational and marketing asset for your business that should be utilised at every possible moment. Given the current situation with Covid19 a lot of businesses who are still looking to be proactive are focusing on how they increase their digital presence and ultimately throw some hours into the build or restoration of their company website.
If you use this time to look at your website not as a hindrance but as a tool to help propel your company and move it forward even in these testing times it can be a valuable and worthwhile experience.
The next time you pass your business card you will be proud to say “please check out our website” you can direct them to your services, case studies or portfolio of work to demonstrate how you have helped businesses like theirs and you can start to make the right impressions from the first interaction once again.
I titled this post:
Having an out of date website is like sending the tea lady to greet your clients.
Think about it, she works for you and she knows the company she works for but does she know how to sell the company. Would you leave it to chance?
If you are reading this and thinking “this is me” then that’s what you are doing.
Every time someone new visits your website you’re leaving it to chance.
Feel free to drop us line anytime and we will be happy to make the first steps together.
Steven
