What is a website worth?
A short, one-sided discussion on the value of custom digital experiences and their impact on your brand.
Building a website is incredibly easy nowadays. A responsive site built with Squarespace or Wix can cost $100 a year all-in. So why spend tens or hundreds of thousands building a custom website? The most succinct answer I can give is: for the sake of excellence, the extra 10%, the above and beyond. The funny thing is that extra 10% turns out to be worth a whole lot more than that in ROI.
Your website IS your brand
I’ve heard it said that the website is an ‘extension of your brand’. I beg to differ. A brand is not what you make it – it is what your consumer believes it is. There are no extensions of your brand, there is only the brand itself. When you boil it down a brand is ultimately nothing more than how people feel when they hear your name. Ergo every single touch point of your product, service, or company is critical to your identity. Fact: 75% of customers admit to making judgments about a company’s credibility based on their website design. Even if your product or service has nothing to do with design or technology, the concept still applies. For example a bad wine website equates to bad wine in the consumer’s mind.
Own your digital space
In one way or another your brand is unique – it has to be. Be it flavor, ease of use, or fragrant aroma… something about your product feels better than your competitors and your consumers understand this; they depend on it. Defining and owning this unique quality is the key to differentiation in a saturated market. Apply this principle to your digital presence and you’ll understand the necessity of a site that is uniquely you. Templates and ‘build your own’ services can create sites that are easy on the eye, but they will never be able to capture that “uniqueness” that your customers know and love you by.
How to know it’s worth it
Clients sometimes ask me, ‘can you guarantee a return on investment?’ A better question would be, ‘can you see into the future?’ and if my answer to that were ‘yes’, I wouldn’t be writing this article. There are too many variables associated with ROI to give a complete answer – but I can tell you the website plays a role. A better way to think about ROI is this: Your website is a silent salesmen, out there 24 hours a day making impressions, winning or losing business with every click. And just like salesmen, the good ones pay for themselves quickly.
The proof is in the pudding
The most successful brands in the world are always looking for an edge over their competitors, innovating new ways to grow, and improving upon old ones. That constant desire for improvement is what makes them the best and it starts with a humble and honest self-evaluation. Start here (awwwards.com)
Examples of incredible digital experiences (websites) in the wine and spirits world…
In closing…
In fear of leaving you hanging, I’ll answer the million-dollar question (and subsequent title of this article) by saying,it’s going to cost more than you’re probably hoping to spend. But it’s worth it. To find out exactly how much… click here.
