Don’t forget the cost of bringing traffic to your website.
My first contact with a potential client will not only include a discussion on their requirements but we also talk about their goals and what they aim to achieve with the website.
There are some businesses that just want a presence – a brochure – and for them it is just about the initial cost of the site and their website hosting.
But more and more businesses see their website as an investment; as a way to target new clients or customers, and it is really important to understand right at the beginning what will likely be involved for them to achieve their goals.
Every visitor costs money
At Better Websites we have the ability and skills to create beautiful websites that are designed to encourage leads and wow your prospects, but to get visitors onto your site your websites need to be marketed effectively in front of them.
How much is it likely to cost to market the product to get enough leads for your business? This is the question we try to get some clarity on, on our first call with a prospect.
Luckily, the stats are out there and we can come up with good estimations of what is likely to unfold.
- We can see just how many searches your product/service gets. Is it popular or is it something people need to learn about?
- We can see how competitive a market is and just how strong is the competition? Would you stand a chance?
- We can look at what marketing options are out there? How much it is likely to cost per click? What will it take to rank well in Google?
- What percentage of visitors can we expect to turn into a lead? How many leads translate into a sale?
We are looking for the cost of the lead both in the short and longer terms.
It’s not always worth it
In some cases, I’ve dissuaded potential clients from spending lots of money by just going through the true cost of their website with them.
Very often, the competition is prepared to spend a lot of money to stay top dog and not let any upstarts get in their way. This means that there is a very high cost per lead.
In many sectors it is simply not worth it, as the income doesn’t add up.
So you ask – is it ever possible to go big as a start up in a competitive market? The answer is yes, but with a long-term plan that would likely be very risky and you will be unlikely to make a profit for some time.
Want some expert advice? With a FREE website business model review we can have a quick look at your possibilities and come up with a rough guide of your short and long terms costs. Simply schedule a half-hour no-obligation chat here and you stand to gain a wealth of understanding about your business going online.