It’s a comment I heard while on a call with a potential client this week.
They described how a colleague of theirs, a custom home builder, doesn’t have a website for the simple fact of “they don’t want to become too big.”
Ever since I got off that call, that thought has been circling around in my mind.
Not having a website in fear of becoming “too big” is such a wild thought, and for many reasons.
First, this could be isolated to this individual, but upon talking to my fellow web agency colleagues, they affirmed they have heard that too — and many in the same blue collar industries, like construction.
It’s possible that those in the construction business are never short of work, and feel that having a website would only make them “busier” than they already are.
However, there are so many reasons that having a website benefits your business — and becoming “too big” is not one of them.
Here’s my breakdown on the ways a website can help your business, regardless of how “big” you want to be.
Credibility and trust
It may be the industry that I am particularly in, with building websites, but if I am to work with a company, and they don’t have a website, it’s a red flag.
Take our custom home builder for example — something that costs upwards of half a million dollars (!) and you want to go and put your trust in someone that doesn’t even have a website for their company?
I for sure would never be willing to work with a home builder that didn’t have a website. I look at it as a “verification” that they are legit, real, and credible and the huge amount of money I’m about to give them is reassuring.
A website for a custom home builder can do SO much in terms of credibility. You can list your team, with photos, to add the personal touch. A photo gallery of your actual work. Maybe listings of homes you’ve built and are for sale. An About page to talk about your company, when it was founded, your principles and values, etc.
All of these things will help tremendously in obtaining new customer’s trust.
Without it, what do you have to show me that says I should believe you and you’re a credible home builder?
The luxury of choosing
Now, this argument continues with the thought of having a website will suddenly bring you too much work.
Well, without actually marketing your website — this isn’t necessarily true. It’s like the old saying, “build it and they will come” — except, with websites that’s not true. Just because you have a website, does not mean you will suddenly get a ton of traffic and leads.
However, let’s say you did do some SEO and marketing to promote your site — and you did get several leads through your site regularly.
Gaining leads does not mean that every single lead is legitimate, and in fact, they definitely aren’t.
Some may not have the budget. Some may want it today. Some just may want a house you don’t build.
At the end of the day, you could get 100 leads a week — but you only have to work with the ones that are qualified and that you want to work on. Being so busy that you have TOO many leads, gives you that luxury of picking and choosing the projects you want to work on and be a part of.
So why not garner as many leads as you can, and get to build only the most awesome houses you could dream of?
Saves you time
My last and final thought to this discussion weighs heavily on the idea that a website can save you a TON of time.
There are so many processes we as business owners perform on a daily basis — outreach, contracts, forms, etc. — but what if our website could be doing many of these things for us?
Continuing with the home builder example, what if you could have an intake form that garnered all of the necessary information about their house requirements? All you would have to do is send them the link, they fill it out, and you get it in your email inbox.
No pen to paper, no filing, no real admin work there.
Or, what if you were meeting with a potential client and they wanted to see examples of your past work. Just pull up your website and show them your gallery!
There are so many examples of how a website can help you save time in your day-to-day business tasks. And best thing yet — it’s living and breathing there 24/7, acting as a digital sales person for you.
So why not get a website?
As you can see, I’m passionate for many reasons of why a website is beneficial for you, and does not just equate to becoming “too big”.
It’s single-handedly the most powerful tool you can have for your business, and by neglecting to invest in one, you are losing out on far too much potential.
Your business does not have to be hindered by your thoughts of becoming “too big” — at the end of the day, you’re only hurting your business’ reputation and credibility.
