Do I need a website for my small service business?

Word-of-mouth is genuinely a great way to build business. However, over-reliance on it is crazy, especially when you can just do a few things to make sure your business gets longevity. Owners always ask me whether they actually need a website, even if they're a small service business, but they're looking at it all wrong.

A website is an overhead, not magic

It's a mindset shift that you're going to have to take. A website is an overhead, not a magic money glitch. You will have to pay to get it done, and you'll have to pay a bit to keep it online.

But the other side of that is it's not a clear opportunity cost. If you don't have a website, or even worse- have a dodgy looking one, you're never going to hear all the customers that take one look and go elsewhere. So business owners think "Eureka! I don't need one".

But it's basically like cutting off your foot and thinking it's brilliant that you won't have to buy shoes anymore.

But I only want a website that does something for me

That's an actual phrase I got off a tradie who basically wanted a website that ranked #1 on Google, brought in loads of free leads, and looked nice. It's a great goal to have and perfectly achievable.

But, I asked him whether he was going to pay to get it designed and then someone to consistently manage his SEO and he practically ran away.

I don't know where this concept that you can just rank #1 on Google overnight came in, and why so many businesses that put zero effort into it think that they'll be able to out-compete people who do it for a living.

If you want to get the goals, you have to pay for somebody's expertise. Because you're in a competition with literally millions of others for the same few eyeballs.

But I could just do it myself on Wix!

You could. It would probably not look very good and be limited to just a brochure, but it's at least a step in the right direction.

Realistically, better marketing isn't just about the website. It's about building a system that helps your customers find you and choose you.

Yes, your website will look way better getting somebody with experience to build it. But it can also help you:

• (Actually) rank on Google
• Help you build systems that manage your new customer enquiries
• It can build ad funnels that drive new customers
• And help you automate the bits you forget to do

Your Wix website is just not even in the same universe unfortunately.

Three signs you're losing work because you're invisible online

You probably won't find out if someone went elsewhere, but these patterns will softly suggest they are...

Enquiries have slowed but your area hasn't. If word-of-mouth was filling your diary six months ago and it's quieter now, it's not always a coincidence. People who don't know you personally will Google you. If nothing comes up, a lot of them won't bother.

You're getting asked the same questions repeatedly. "What areas do you cover?", "do you do X as well?", "are you insured?". A website answers all of these before the enquiry arrives. If you're answering them on the phone five times a week, that's five conversations a website would have handled, saving you lots of time and adding credibility.

You haven't had recent enquiries that started with "I found you online". When that starts happening, something is working, even if it's just a Google Business Profile or an old Facebook page. If you aren't getting it, you need to sort it out.

Please don't get the cheapest on Fiverr to do it either

I'll be really honest, as someone who has used Fiverr and others myself. There's a real issue with quality on sites like those. The results you're seeing are often so cheap because it's people in poorer countries slashing prices to try and attract (relatively) wealthy clients.

You can find gems, which is where reviews and portfolios work well. But in my experience you get a job that technically fulfils the job description, but is a really bad attempt. If you're considering that, you're better off just doing it yourself on Wix and saving money.

The smart way to do it

Local businesses don't need to reinvent the wheel. You can have a really professional website, a proper Google presence and then some SEO content to slowly bring you more leads for free. That should cover most of your bases.

But ultimately, you're going to have to pay a little bit to get there.

However, when you do, you start getting more clients, being able to charge more and in-turn end up scaling.

It's the single biggest thing that your business can do to take it from floundering to flourishing, but you just have to be sensible with your options. If I were in your shoes, I'd find a solid professional, based in your country that can give you a clear set of outcomes and reviews from people that have done it before.

And if you want to do it all at fair prices, Sundrop was set up to serve you.