Around the world, there are 1.8 billion websites, of which 200 million are active. And the average Australian internet user spends over six hours a day online.

Should SMEs have a website of their own?

Ivana Katz from Websites 4 Small Business sees many who think social media alone is enough, but she believes that is a risky strategy. 

“A website should be the centre of your marketing strategy. Everything else such as your social media pages can link back to this,” she says.

There are many reasons for this, but one is that a website is harder to disable or delete than a social media account, and while it can still be hacked, it is easier to back up and restore. Plus, social media changes all the time – for example, Google shut Google Plus with very little notice to its millions of users.

Perhaps most importantly, a website is a business’s chance to shine. 

“Social media pages all have a standard look. A website is a chance to show some personality. Think of it like a hub of information and a showcase of your business that is open 24/7,” she says.

Websites can serve a number of purposes – most of Ivana’s clients are service providers like coaches, so they use their website for reasons like establishing credibility, providing information on their products and services, and ways to contact them. However, it’s possible to have websites that are directly money-making, such as ones that sell products or services.

How much should a website cost?

Ivana says a business can expect to pay from $1200 up for a website designed by a professional website designer, depending on size and functionality needs, such as an online store or appointment booking calendar.

And while she says it’s fine to keep it simple and cost-effective, anything under $1000 might not be built or maintained up to standard.

“Many times, I’ve had people come to me for help because they’ve built a website on the cheap. Then there’s no one available to contact for help and it takes months to update anything.”

She also says that businesses should think beyond setup costs. Ongoing costs include domain names, web hosting, SSL Certificates, and promotion.

“Follow the 80/20 rule,” she advises. “20% of your resources on building and 80% on promotion.”

How to promote and maintain a website

The first option for promoting a website is search engine optimisation (SEO) which can be effective but takes a lot of time to establish and maintain and is best done with professional help. Google and Facebook ads are fast and effective, but cost money. Or then there’s linking back to a website from other content on social media.

As for maintenance, Ivana recommends businesses invest a couple of hours a week – this includes adding new content such as a blog but also just checking it’s all in order.  She’s seen cases where a client’s website has been hacked and the content changed, and they haven’t even noticed for some time because they haven’t been visiting their own website.

Other advice Ivana has is:

  • Don’t make the website all about yourself. Instead, make it clear what problems you solve for customers. You have less than a minute to grab people’s attention and keep them there.
  • Have an FAQ section so people have a central place to find information easily.
  • Try building an information hub to help your customers and drive traffic to your website. For example, her client who is a marriage celebrant included links to other wedding services like florists. 
  • Include useful content such as videos and original photos 
  • Make sure branding such as logos is consistent
  • An SSL (security certificate) and fast load times are a must
  • A website can be a great place to get people to sign up for a newsletter, however, they are unlikely to enter their email address unless you offer them something of value, like a checklist or a mini-course
  • Think about calls to action to help convert website visitors – where do you want to send your reader next?

How we help

Running a website also means having in place policies for internet usage and risk management. My Business Workplace has a range of specially-designed templates to help you out, including:

My Business Workplace also offers cyber-security awareness training to ensure your employees know how to keep your online presence safe and secure.