Putting Your Worst Foot Forward: Why No Website Is Better than a Bad Website

The old line “all publicity is good publicity” may be comforting, but it’s not something a business should rely on. Whether in advertising, storefront window displays, printed promotional materials, or online presentation, giving potential customers or clients a good first impression is vital. So, which is worse; making a bad impression or making no impression at all?

The Invisible Business ( Online, at least. )

Let’s say your business has no website, but does frequent, well planned and thought out advertising in newspapers and on the radio. Optimum? No, but if your ads are good it can still work well. Problem is, you’ll lose potential customers if your competitor has a good website to match your advertising. To a growing percentage of the population, who search online for whatever product or service they need, you’re invisible. That’s not good and it’ll cost you money, BUT it may well be better than having them find you but choose your competitor because your website makes them think you’re unprofessional, or worse.

Don’t Panic ( But you do. )

Now, let’s say your cousin Thelma ran into your competitor at a party and heard all sorts of stories about the money he’s raking in because he has a website, and, as payback for your having pushed her into a pond when you were ten, she rushes to tell you what a chump you are for not having a website. What do you do? Well, if you’re like most people, you’d decide you need a website, fast. There’s your problem. What’s your hurry? Like any business investment, a website requires research and planning. It shouldn’t be a snap decision. It shouldn’t be thrown together overnight. Take your time. Do it right. You want your website to make a good impression, not to look like it was thrown together in half an hour.

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish ( Your Next Mistake )

So, Cousin Thelma’s finished calling you a chump, and goes on to complain that her son Delbert hasn’t had a job in three years and he’s driving her up the walls. That starts you thinking fond thoughts of young Delbert and you remember that your mother said he “knows all about computers.” Maybe he can make a website for you? Better slow down and think. Maybe you can get a relative to build you a website for next to nothing. You need to ask yourself if it’s going to look like it was done on the cheap. If it does, that’s not going to give potential customers the right idea, is it?

As Time Goes By ( And you let it slide )

Well, Delbert tried his best to build your website. Threw in all the latest bells and whistles. It’s a bit hard to use, though, and doesn’t seem to have brought in many customers in the twelve years it’s been sitting there.Sometimes you wonder if having a website was worth the trouble, and when you look at it that row of flying pigs that seemed so clever when it was new start to get downright annoying. Here’s another time to stop and think. A website that hasn’t been updated in years is not going to give a good impression of your business.

And the Moral of the Story…?

Your website is an important business tool. If badly designed and developed, it can give the impression that your business does slipshod work, that you’re cheap, that you’re unprofessional. Yet, if it’s well designed and stands out from the crowd, it will give potential customers and clients a good first impression more effectively than any other advertising or promotional material. Don’t rush. Don’t skimp. Don’t cut corners or take the easy way out. A website is an investment and requires careful planning. Do the research. Ask advice. Think long and hard about what you want your website to show and say about your business, then find competent professionals to make it happen. It’ll be worth the extra effort. Better to make a good impression, or even no impression at all, than to put your worst foot forward.

Related posts:

1. Apples and Oranges: Why a Blog Is Not an Informational Website