It is probably no surprise that as someone whose life has centred around building websites for the last two decades I have no doubt that there is almost no small business which can’t benefit form from having a website and that I think that anyone setting up in business should make it a priority. However, in 2015 research revealed that 60% of the UK’s very small businesses (those with five workers or less) don’t have a website and only a third (33%) of single person businesses do. (Source)
The research, conducted among over 500 of the UK’s very small businesses – defined as those with five employees or less – unearthed some of the most common factors:
- Over a third (35%) felt their business was simply too small to warrant a website
- One in five (19%) cited a lack of time was preventing them from creating a website
- A further one in five (19%) feel cost was the major prohibiting factor
I don’t think any of these are good reasons for not having a website.
If your business is big enough that you have business cards, or drop off leaflets or advertise in the press, then you can increase the effectiveness in each case by adding your website address so that people can find out more about you and they can contact you directly from your website 24 hours a day. Even if you rely on word of mouth to find new customers, your website is a great way for people who have just heard of you to find out more about who you are and what you do.
As to time, the reality is that on most business websites, even ones with hundreds of pages, most visitors only look at one or two pages. All you need is one or two pages!
Cost should not be an issue. If you want a high end, high quality website, then yes, you can expect to pay someone a lot of money to buld it for you, but, if all you want is a straightforward couple of pages, then it can be done very cheaply, or even free. Yes, certainly I believe a better website is money well invested, but nicely done, basic, cheap or free website is a good start and certainly better than nothing.
