In the ever-evolving digital landscape, having a website is often hailed as the cornerstone of success. Yet, amidst the fervor of establishing an online presence, myths and misconceptions abound, clouding the understanding of what truly defines a successful web presence.
Join us on an enlightening journey as we debunk seven pervasive myths surrounding the creation, maintenance, and impact of having a website. Let's unravel these misconceptions and uncover the truth, empowering you to navigate the digital realm with clarity and confidence.
Myth 1: Once Your Website Is Online, You’ll Automatically Attract Visitors
Getting your website online is only half the work. Many business owners suffer from a misguided expectation that their website will automatically start attracting visitors the moment it’s online. They believe that, since they’ve invested money to build a website, leads should naturally start flowing in.
It’s not that simple.
What’s the Truth?
In reality, attracting website visitors takes a significant amount of time, skill, and resources. You need to focus on things like search engine optimization, paid ads, guest posts, video ads—it takes a lot to generate traffic for your site.
Once you get started, you’ll find out which strategies work best for your website. The bottom line is, you have to take action; when you do, you’ll begin seeing an increase in traffic.
Myth 2: Only Online Businesses Need a Website
Many people think that having a eCommerce Website is only for business owners who are selling products or services online. Often, these people are business owners themselves but of the brick-and-mortar variety. They don’t see the value in having a website and are happy to generate leads through word of mouth like they always have.
What’s the Truth?
Whether you own a retail store, a house painting company, or a medical clinic, people are searching for you online. They use apps like Google Maps to search for businesses around them and learn more about those businesses. While some small business owners may be able to get away with not having a website, if their competitors are on the web, not having a website will, at some point, start to hurt sales.
All types of businesses need a website and not just to attract new people. Having one helps build a relationship with customers, too. The more information you provide for your visitors, the more trust you’ll earn, and that’s critical when you’re trying to grow your business.
Myth 3: If Your Website Looks Good, You’ll Start Making Sales
A well-designed website might be visually appealing, but it won’t necessarily account for an increase in sales. Some people think the design of their website has more to do with the overall performance of their business than it really does.
What’s the Truth?
A beautiful website is great for attracting new people and providing a pleasant user experience. However, it’s the quality of your products or services and your reputation in the market that really matter. You cannot hide the weaknesses behind a pretty website. People will see through it, and the word will spread fast.
If you prioritize your website’s looks over providing great products or services, you’ve gone off track. Don’t ever forget the purpose of your website. If you concentrate on creating real value for your visitors, your site will serve its purpose, and there’s no need to overdo it where design is concerned.
Myth 4: Once Your Website Is Up, the Work Is Done
When you build a website, that’s only the beginning. While most people understand the need to nurture and maintain other aspects of their business, they sometimes fail to grasp the fact that their website needs ongoing attention too.
What’s the Truth?
You’ll need to maintain your website. That includes renewing your domain registration on time, protecting your website from viruses and cybercrime, updating its design to keep up with current trends, and investing in promotion, so people visit it.
Myth 5: Building a Website Is Too Expensive
Many people are afraid to create a website, because they think it’s very expensive. They’ve been made to believe that creating a website is a long process, requiring them to hire a developer that will charge an exorbitant fee.
What’s the Truth?
The reality is, building a website is very affordable and with the availability of website-building platforms like Shopify, Stars Commerce helps you build your website within your budget and design that perfectly reflects your brand personality.
Myth 6: You’ll Top the Search Rankings from Day One
If you think you can get your website onto the first page of Google search results overnight, you’re fooling yourself! You’d have to be very lucky to quickly rank as the number one website, even if you were in a unique niche that shows up when people search for uncommon keywords.
What’s the Truth?
Getting your website on the first page of Google search results is like every other aspect of growing a business—it takes time! You need to invest a lot of effort into identifying the right keywords to optimize your website, building relationships to earn backlinks, and establishing your site’s authority. Don’t think there are any shortcuts when it comes to SEO.
Myth 7: The More Features, the Better
It’s a misconception that having more features on your website will make it better. Sometimes, people add features to their website without considering their value. They end up offering a whole array of things to their audience that aren’t really needed. More features mean more choices, and that just makes it tougher for consumers to make a decision.
What’s the Truth?
We recommend that you keep your website simple. Your audience doesn’t care about bells and whistles. What they care about is the value they get from your products or services. Too many features on your website will detract from the site’s main purpose, so it’s best to leave out any features that don’t add value for your visitors.
Myths: Busted! What’s Next?
You’ll hear people say a lot about what it means to have a website. Hear them out but take the information with a grain of salt, because myths like the ones we covered here are very common.
Are there any myths on our list that you believed to be true?
