Do I need more than a brochure website?
A simple way to tell whether a few good pages will do, or whether your business would gain from booking, payments or a dashboard.
A brochure website is exactly what it sounds like: a few well-designed pages that say who you are, what you offer and how to reach you. For plenty of businesses, that is all they need, and there is no shame in it. A good brochure site, done properly, beats a clever system nobody asked for.
But some businesses reach a point where the website is the thing holding them back. Here is how to tell which side of the line you are on.
Questions worth asking yourself
- Do you spend time every week answering the same questions, or arranging bookings by message?
- Do customers ask if they can pay you online?
- Do you keep information in spreadsheets, and then retype it into your website?
- Do you lose enquiries because people cannot get hold of you outside office hours?
- Would it help your team to see orders, bookings or messages in one place?
If you answered yes to one of those, a brochure site is probably still fine, with some small additions. If you answered yes to three or more, your website could be doing a good deal of the work for you.
What "more" actually means
It does not have to mean something huge. Often it is one carefully chosen addition: an online booking form that holds a slot while someone pays a deposit, a simple shop for a handful of products, or a private area where you can update prices and news without touching the website itself.
The best approach is to start with the problem, not the technology. Write down the three most boring jobs in your week. Then ask whether a website could do them for you. That list is your brief.
Start with the three most boring jobs in your week. A good website can take some of them off your hands.
A sensible way to start
Build the part your customers see first, and add the clever bits when you are sure they earn their keep. A well-planned site can grow: the pages, the design and the foundations are chosen so that booking or payments can be added later without starting again.
If you are not sure which side of the line you are on, that is a perfectly good reason to get in touch. We will tell you honestly if a simpler site is the better answer.