How Much Should You Be Investing In Your Website?

At your company, who decides how much should be budgeted for your website upgrades, maintenance, and online marketing?

If it’s you, what criteria are you using to determine your annual budget?

Besides the obvious hosting & security…how much should you plan for? What kind of priority should your website have in your budget?

Even if you don’t sell anything through your website…even if it’s just an online brochure and nothing more—your website is the face of your business. It will be the face of your business for many years to come. It will often be the very first impression you make. What’s that first impression worth to you?

Think of your website as a member of your sales team. With 81% of consumers saying they will conduct online research before buying any product that costs $100 or more (RetailerDaily.com), you need people to be able to find your website among the clutter, and you need your website to “close the sale” as effectively as your best salesperson. Is it up-to-date? Is the content interesting? Is the user going to find what they are looking for quickly? Is your company’s image and knowledge obvious the second they see your home page?

Your site has the potential to meet more people, to interact with more people, and to sell your company to more people than any salesperson you have—and it’s selling for you 24/7. So why not budget like it’s a full-time member of your sales team? You pay your top salespeople well. You pay them benefits, expenses, give them training and perks. Often this puts their total compensation at $100K or more. So why is your online budget so much less?

Make your company website a high-priority. It’s an online world.