This is a common question small business owners ask when thinking about their business.
“I am advertising in other ways, business is fine without a website, and if I ever need one I will just do it myself.”
I definitely understand the rationale behind this statement. If leads are coming through and the cashflow is fine and customers seem happy, why change anything?
However, a key thing to remember is that a website is not just about getting work today; it is about protecting and growing your business tomorrow.
Exploring this in more detail …
“I am already advertising in other ways”
Networking groups, word of mouth, Facebook, Instagram, Checkatrade, Bark, flyers, business cards, referrals etc.. These all work and for many businesses they work very well.
The risk isn’t if these methods don’t work; the risk is that you only exist where those platforms allow you to exist and you are in their hands 100%.
If a social media platform changes its rules, reduces reach or disappears altogether, your visibility disappears with it. If your advertising costs rise, your profit margin shrinks. If referrals slow down during quieter periods, enquiries dry up.
Your website is the one place online that you fully own and fully control. It does not change its rules overnight. It does not charge you more because your business is growing. It works in the background whether you are busy, quiet, asleep or on holiday.
It’s less of an advertising channel and more of a digital shop window.
“Business is fine without one right now”
Many businesses are genuinely doing fine without a website.
However, the risky bit is the word “fine”. Fine usually means stable, not growing. Fine means things are ticking over nicely but not necessarily improving. Fine also assumes that nothing changes.
The risk is that markets shift and customer behaviour changes. New competitors appear all the time and platforms that once delivered leads can slow down. I.e. stuff changes.
A website is not just about fixing problems when things go wrong. It is about building a solid foundation when things are going right.
A calm, steady online presence gives you options and puts you in control. It means that if you ever want to grow, hire help, increase prices, change direction or reduce your hours, you have a platform that can support that change.
“If I want one, I will just build it myself”
This is probably the most understandable of all the responses. Website builders are everywhere these days. You can easily drag and drop your way to a new site.
The big question here is not “can I build one” but insteads “what will it cost me in time, stress and missed opportunities”.
A DIY website often looks finished long before it is doing its job properly. Behind the scenes there are technical settings, performance issues, security risks, backups, updates, SEO structure and user experience problems that are easy to miss if websites are not your day job.
That is why so many people end up saying “I built a website once, but it never brought me any work”. The website existed but it was not working.
Your website is often the final decision maker
Even when people find you through other means, they nearly always look you up online before making contact and this happens quietly and without telling you.
They check:
- Do you look professional?
- Do you feel trustworthy?
- Is it clear what you do?
- Are you easy to contact?
- Do others trust you?
If your website is missing, outdated or confusing, you may never know how many potential customers quietly chose someone else.
A website is not just about more leads
Yes, websites can generate enquiries. But they also quietly do many other important jobs.
They:
- Answer common questions before people contact you
- Filter out unsuitable enquiries
- Support higher prices by building trust
- Reduce time spent explaining what you do
- Help partners and referrers feel confident recommending you
Over time, this saves you time as well as winning work.
The hidden cost of not having a website
The biggest cost of not having a website is not always obvious.
It often shows up as:
- Missed opportunities you never knew about
- Long term reliance on platforms you do not control
- Struggling to stand out when competition increases
- Lower trust with certain customers and organisations
In some industries, not having a website does not damage trust at all. In others, it can put you at a disadvantage without you realising it.
A website does not have to be big, expensive or complicated
One of the biggest myths is that a website has to be a huge project.
In reality, a clear, simple, one page website done properly will often outperform a large, messy one built without a plan.
Your website only needs to:
- Explain clearly what you do
- Show who you help
- Build confidence
- Make it easy to take the next step
Everything else can come later if and when you need it.
The calm approach to getting started online
If the idea of a website feels overwhelming, the best approach is to start small and simple.
You do not need to launch a massive platform. You just need a solid starting point that:
- You feel proud to share
- Represents your business properly
- Works quietly for you in the background
From there, everything can grow naturally as and when your business does.