Clearing some of the dust for small businesses who have a need for a website but have no clue how to go about it. We'll debunk some popular myths.

Research shows that almost 80% of the world’s small businesses do not have a website.

It is hard to believe for a savvy entrepreneur that in this era of digital marketing and connected world theories there still exist many businesses that go without a website or are happy with a minimal web presence.

I agree that some businesses do not need a website. For instance, a local plumbing business would rather depend on word of mouth or local advertising. However, if you are selling something that has global markets then you need a website.

Most small businesses that do not have a website fall into 2 categories:

• Business model and marketing model does not need it
• Need it but have no clue how to go about it

For those who need it, there is actually no better low cost marketing and lead generation tool than a website. This article intends to clear some of the dust for the second category: the small businesses that have a need but have no clue how to go about it. We'll debunk some popular myths.

Myth 1: Need to be Technically Sound

More often the “secret” case for not having a website is that non-technical small business owners are scared of technical terms. They do not comprehend it hence do not want to spend more time understanding it.

A website must reflect the overall strategy and vision of the business AND have some "purpose". God knows, we small business people already have a lot of things on our hands to stop and try to answer all these questions.

But don’t be afraid of not getting a website because you are strapped for time to understand how it works. Get a company or person who can take minimal amount of your time and get going.

For instance, I have a questionnaire I send to my new clients who have a need for a website. But I don’t leave it to them to sweat out the answers (sometimes these “understanding” exercises have proven too much that they cancelled the website building itself) and waste a lot of time.

What I have is a questionnaire with multiple answers involving everything help from concept, requirements gathering, project management, technical analysis, architecture, development, quality assurance, delivery and maintenance.

All the client has to do is go through the question and select the answers that best suit his requirement. In 10 minutes I have a clear understanding of the requirement and I can provide a development quote.

(If you are interested in website development and would like to make your life easy by filling the multiple answers questionnaire then send me a mail, I shall send you the questionnaire for FREE).

Myth # 2: Costs are Too High

Most small businesses that have clue about how to go about it also find the issue of costs associated as one of the biggest challenges. More often than not, many SB owners don’t have a clue about the pricing so they do not want to get ripped off. That makes sense; no one wants to be ripped off.

First of all, small businesses do not need a massive website so they do not have to invest tens and thousands of dollars to get a website? Again, this depends on the type of website you are building – advanced or simple.

For instance, depending on criteria and depth of design and coding, I can help you get a website STARTING at $900 -- a professionally built, your brand customized corporate website. This includes

• Information architecture
• Content development
• Raphic designing
• Website development

If my research goes right, the same kind of website will cost about $5,000 in US.

So that cares of the requirement gathering and cost aspect of building a website. Could there be any other reason left? There is…

Myth # 3: Too Much Time and Effort in Maintenance

Along with effort and cost the thought of maintenance keeps small businesses whether to devote time for a website or not. Worry not; maintaining a website is not rocket science and most of the time you can make a deal with the website developer to do the monthly maintenance.

If you want to do it yourself, then there are content management systems which help you maintain your website easily and effectively. Most of the time all you have to do is: copy paste the content, create a page name and select the folder. That’s all.

Conclusion

So we have discussed the 3 things that stop small businesses from having a great marketing and branding tool at their disposal. If you have any questions regarding website development for your small business let me know; I shall try to answer as quickly and as accurately as possible.

If you are intending on building a website for your small business and are interested in the questionnaire (with pre answered questions to help understand what you need) mentioned above mail me about it and I shall send you the questionnaire for FREE.

Remember: No Obligations! You can use it to understand your website needs and you can send it to me for a quote OR anyone you please. This site is all about helping you help yourself better!

Contact Vishal Nayak to discuss your copywriting and marketing needs!