One of the most common questions I get from beginning bloggers and business owners is whether or not it’s time to invest in website design.
While I’m of the belief that the website design is not the most important thing in business, it actually does matter. Bad design and functionality is also a terrible pet peeve of mine. However, this doesn’t mean you should spend thousands of dollars of your hard earned cash trying to invest in website design.
Here are some of the ways you can tell whether or not it’s time to invest in website design for your business.
Do you have a marketing strategy in place?
Before you go and invest in website design you must first understand your marketing and how it works in your business. You could have the most beautiful website on the web, but if you don’t have a good sales funnel or even a call to action it will not matter.
So, before investing thousands in website design, first, consider doing your marketing homework so you and the designer can work together to make sure the design will actually boost your business.
Did you just start this blog or business?
If you just started your blog or business it may not be the opportune time to invest in website design. Quite frankly, you probably don’t have the money at this point to invest in good design anyway. Even if you did, I would refer you to the first point in this article.
Additionally, you don’t know whether you’re going to stick with this project yet. This may be a business where you have to pivot to something else and the mermaid fin will no longer work for your new tool business. Don’t spend a lot of money on something you’re just trying out.
Fortunately, there are tons of free and low-cost options available to you when you’re first starting. To give you an idea, I did my own design for years before I brought on a designer.
Is it time for a rebrand?
If you’ve been in business for some time, have a better understanding of marketing and you are thinking it may be time for a rebrand, then it may be worth investing in website design.
I recently had a coaching call with a client who is in this exact position. She’s been in business a year and a half and she’s starting to see how her marketing could benefit from a new design. Granted, she’s been doing her research for some time and she has a good understanding of marketing so she can direct her designer.
This was also the position I was in back in early 2015. My business changed tremendously in 2014 and my website was not reflecting my new direction. It was a clear cut sign that it was time to invest in website design.
Can you afford it?
Good website design is not cheap (and it shouldn’t be), so if you’re going to invest in a great piece of graphic wonder, then you better make sure you can afford it. Sometimes our decision really does come down to dollars and cents and there’s nothing wrong with that. Also, I’ve found that a good designers can’t stand subpar design either — go you will still get something pretty great.
Final Thoughts
While investing in good web design can and will boost your business, you need to keep in mind that there’s a right time to do it. By keeping these tips in mind you’ll be able to know when that time comes.
