What’s the Purpose of a Website, and Do I Really Need One?

"What does a website do?" That is the question that I was asked recently. A genuinely inquisitive question from a person who could potentially benefit from having a website for his business but had simply never considered it before. And it got me thinking about the purpose of having a website. Of course in this example what he was really asking was "Do I need a website?", "What would it do for me?", and "What would be the benefit of having a small piece of the internet with my name on it?"

Who's Asking?

The answer to this question has many potential answers depending on who is asking the question. For example if you consider a business that sells goods, then the answer seems glaringly obvious. “Having a website will get you more sales” is the first thing that comes to mind. But how true is that? Why would having your own website and e-commerce system generate more sales than listing your goods for sale through a third party like Amazon or eBay? Likewise for a contractor who offers services such as an electrician or plumber, you may be tempted to answer “It will allow more potential clients to find you and enlist your services”. But when you think about it, the contractor can also achieve those same results by listing their services in old fashioned directories or using specialist third party online services such as MyBuilder or TrustATrader.

Social Media vs a Website

Why bother with all the effort and cost of getting your own website, when you could create a group or page on Facebook for free and be connected to over a billion users? Not to mention Twitter, LinkedIn and the countless other social networks you could join? Most companies now recognise that social media does have its place in business. Using Facebook as an example, you can post regular updates, upload a custom cover photo, and even sell products and share photos all whilst staying connected to your customers. But you will find that social media platforms can be limiting. Doing anything else other than outreach with your Facebook page will prove either tricky or impossible. The majority of the page branding will be decided by Facebook. Your domain will always start with facebook.com/. The way you share media, and sell products will be decided by Facebook. You will also get lost in the crowd. The simplicity of creating a Facebook group is also its downfall: it’s too easy, it doesn’t cost anything and anybody can do it! Your page will look almost identical to your competitors, and unless you get followed and keep very active you will be forgotten about very quickly. Social media should by all means be utilised; it is good for your business and used correctly will boost your recognition. But it is unlikely that Facebook or any other social network will ever be a replacement for having your own website.

Reasons and Benefits of Having a Website

The real purpose of a website is that it’s yours… all yours for you to do whatever you want with it. Here are the reasons why you should want a website:

• Cost effective advertising You won’t find a cheaper way of having a full page advert for your company permanently available to see 24/7.
• Online presence and branding Your website is a chance build your brand recognition; it can feature your logo and use your brand colours and fonts, etc.
• Search engine traffic People use search engines, particularly Google, to find almost everything online. And trust me, Google wants to display your website in its results when somebody is looking for you.
• Complete freedom and control With your own website it’s your decision how it looks and functions. Nobody else is telling what you can and can’t do, and you don't have to make your branding and functionality fit within someone else's framework.
• People expect you to have a website It instills confidence in your customers when you have a website. If you don’t have one it gives an unprofessional impression of your company.

Conclusion

Personally, I think the best answer the question “What does a website do?” should be another question: “What do you want it to do?”. As always we invite your feedback in the comments. How do you answer when a potential client asks why they need a website? Or have you ever asked the question yourself?