We’ve heard it over and over:
“Our website is not important because it will not bring us any business.”
Really? Isn’t your website important? Are you sure?
I decided to write this article because it is easy for companies to get tunnel vision when visiting their company website. It’s easy to think, “Hey, our website doesn’t bring us any potential customers, so it’s not that important”. But thinking in this way is a mistake. You need to have a broader view of the website.
Don’t just consider cost and return on investment, because there are many things that are difficult to measure, but still relevant. In other words, outdated websites need to consider many hidden costs.
My goal in this article is to outline 3 of these hidden costs so that you can fully understand your site. I may outline more in future articles, but these three are crucial. So let’s get started.
Hidden Cost #1: Sales Frustration – “Aloof Albert”
What happened here? Well, Albert missed something crucial. Their outdated website may indeed attract very little new business into the company. What Albert didn’t realize, however, was that 2 out of 4 recommended potential customers would visit the Commercial Care website for research. They didn’t find Albert on Google initially, but after being recommended to him, they searched for it on Google and finally entered his highly neglected website.
Unfortunately, all their services are outdated, and many employees on the website do not even work in the company. This caused severe damage because:
Albert’s company looks much smaller than it is
Potential clients mistakenly believe that commercial care cannot provide some critical services they need
Although Albert has many comments on third-party websites such as Yelp, the site does not have any recommendations. Charles told Albert that potential customers bluntly said to him that their website looked outdated, which is why they worked with another company.
The bottom line is: when your website is out of date, it can make it harder for your sales team. The last thing you want the salesperson to think about is, “boy; I hope they don’t visit our website.”
Albert should have long realized that even if its website does not promote business development from a search engine perspective, it can indirectly encourage business development. Potential customers only need your company name to log in to your website.
Hidden Cost #2: Missed Marketing Opportunities – “Puzzled Patrica”
What happened here?
Well, it’s simple. Although the Visioncast website looks good, it is six years old and challenging to manage. As a result, Tina’s ability to create ads for AdWords campaigns is minimal, and conversion rates are frustrating.
The principle is: when you use an outdated website, regardless of its appearance, it can significantly hinder your marketing efforts.
Patrica should listen more to Tina’s concerns. Tina found a web development agency that could rebuild her website at a very reasonable price. If Tina can get Patricia’s support, she will be in a better position and will immediately stop looking for a job. Unfortunately, Patrica (Patrica) found the whole problem confusing, and it seemed that he was not prepared to rebuild.
Hidden Cost #3: Recruitment Woes – “Frustrated Frank”
So what’s going on? After careful inspection, the B&W website has been seriously ignored. Their service is not only outdated, but the page does not even work correctly. When you browse a website, it will often give a code error notification, which does not make any sense to website visitors.
Over the years, search engine traffic has been reduced because the website is not suitable for mobile devices. James and Frank do not know this, but potential job applicants are not interested in it because the company does not seem to be interested and knows nothing about the employee’s culture or welfare.
This is the principle: if you are unwilling to invest in an online business, your company may lose its appeal to employees and suppliers.
If James is more involved, he will find that the potential candidates have little appeal. If the company realizes the hidden cost of owning an outdated website, they can solve this problem and many others.
Conclusion
I decided to publish this article as a fictional story because the story is easier to remember. Too many companies have missed the critical considerations of their websites, and thus bear hidden costs. In these examples, the hidden costs come from lost sales, lost marketing reach, and brain drain. How do you measure these things?
The company will do an excellent job of keeping its website “always improving”. Whether you use a web design company or all your internal work, your website’s continuous investment will have a profound and extensive impact.