You Don't Need a Website
I’ve long suggested you must have a website. But recently, I’ve been rethinking this. Maybe you don’t need a website. Surely there are cases where a website isn’t important, right? What are those cases? Here are a few ideas.
You don’t need a website if…
- Your customers—and the people who influence them—have never used Google. Or Facebook. Or YouTube. Or LinkedIn. Or email. Or a mobile phone. And they never will.
- Your business has all the revenue growth it can handle.
- Revenue growth isn’t important to you.
- You have no competitors—and your customers have no substitute products.
- Your customers require no service or support.
- You have no customers.
If any of these are untrue, you need a website. And, increasingly, more than a website. You need a web presence.
What’s the difference?
A website is the place all of your online marketing activities lead. It’s your hub. It’s your home.
Your web presence consists of Facebook, Google, Google Places, YouTube, e-mail, Twitter, FourSquare, and on, and on, and on. They’re the the spokes of your web presence. They’re your customers’ online homes.
A web presence looks something like this:
When you put your hub (your website) together with your spokes (your web presence) and with the right measurement practices, you’ve given yourself the wheel your business rides on. A marketing engine that helps you get to where your customers where they live. And that drives them to where you live. One that answers their questions. That helps them solve their problems.
Unless, of course, you still think you don’t need a website.
Are you getting enough value out of your small business website? Want to make sure your business makes the most of the local, mobile, social web? thinks helps you understand how to grow your business via the web, every day. Get more than just news. Get understanding. Add thinks to your feed reader today.
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.
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