In today's digital landscape, social media platforms have become powerful tools for businesses to connect with their audience, help with sharing content and assist in building a brand presence. From the quick scroll of an Instagram feed to lively discussions on Twitter or Facebook, social media undoubtedly has its merits. While these platforms offer a dynamic space for engagement, they can't replace the cornerstone of your online presence which is a professional business website.
Control and Customization
Social media platforms provide a predefined structure and design that can limit your ability to showcase your brand's uniqueness. A professional business website gives you complete control over the design, layout, and user experience. It's like having a digital canvas where you can craft a tailored experience that reflects your company's personality, brand identity, and values.
Owning Your Digital Space
Think of social media platforms as rented spaces in a bustling digital city. You're subject to the rules and algorithms of these platforms, which can change at any moment. A professional business website is a piece of digital real estate that you own. You decide the rules, the updates, and the content without worrying about algorithm shifts impacting your visibility.
Longevity and Stability
Trends come and go in the world of social media. What's popular today might be forgotten tomorrow. Your website is a stable and long-lasting foundation for your online presence. It stands the test of time serving as a reliable hub for your customers to find you regardless of shifting social media trends.
SEO Dominance
Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving organic traffic to your online space. While social media profiles can appear in search results, a professional business website has more potential to rank higher and gain visibility. Your website's structure, content, and meta tags can be optimized strategically to ensure you're found when potential customers search for relevant keywords.
Comprehensive Content Depth
Social media platforms are designed for quick interactions and concise content. When you have a complex message to convey or a wealth of information to share, a website offers the space to dive deep. From detailed product descriptions to informative blog posts, a website accommodates a breadth of content that social media can't match.
Conversion Power
While social media might be the starting point of engagement, a professional business website is where conversions happen. Whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form, your website's dedicated pages are designed to guide users through the desired actions.
Though social media is a valuable tool for engaging your audience and expanding your reach, it cannot replace the essential role of a professional business website. Your website serves as the anchor of your online presence, offering control, customization, longevity, SEO dominance, comprehensive content depth, and the power to convert. By integrating both platforms strategically, you can create a holistic online strategy that leverages the strengths of each, ensuring your business thrives in the digital age.

Do you need to build a website for your small business and are considering building one yourself?

If you don't yet have one, building a small business website is very important. Unfortunately, many people think that it's something that they can build on their own. Only after making a low-quality website do they realize that they would have been better off leaving it to the professionals.

If you want to find out why building a DIY website is a bad idea for your small business, read on and we'll tell you what you need to know.


1. It’s Not as Easy as It Appears

There are many programs and platforms whose marketing suggests that building your website is an easy thing to do. They make promises that you can build your website in a day or less without technical knowledge. This is why so many people who do not know how to build a business website choose to take it upon themselves to build.

Unfortunately, only after investing in software and programs do people realize that it's not as easy to build a small business website as they thought it would be. They get stuck with a half-built website that they don't know how to finish.


2. There Are Always Hidden Fees

No matter what platform you use to build your DIY website, you're going to face hidden fees. One of the most frustrating things that people face when they're trying to design a business website on their own is the expenses that they don't realize they have to pay.

It's easy to get excited when you find a website platform that advertises itself as an all-in-one easy solution for building a business website. But many people don't realize until after buying a subscription that they also have to invest in things like domain names, hosting and SSL certificates.

Many people also don’t realize they have to renew their subscriptions every year to keep their websites live. And if they help with updates, the fees are considerably high.

These hidden costs add up. In the long run, it's more affordable for most businesses to have hired professional help to build their website.


3. You Get What You Pay For

Your business is not going to stand out from the competition if it doesn't have an effective brand. It's hard to have a brand that stands out on your business' website when you choose to build it on your own.

The reason for this is that most people who choose to build their website for their small business are not experienced designers. When you do this, it's nearly impossible to make sure that your brand website looks professional and stands out from the rest.

It’s also easy to fall for low prices. Sure, building a website might be slightly less expensive than hiring a professional, but you get what you pay for. Those low prices tend to come with basic features and capabilities that won’t deliver the results you need to grow your business online.


4. It’s Easy to Waste Time in Learning to Navigate New Platforms

Even if tools such as website builders make it easy to drag and drop your needed elements onto a digital canvas to construct elements of your site, there are still many important things that you need to know how to do.

For example, if you choose to build a website on WordPress by investing in a costly theme, you still have to know how to download and install the theme. You also need to know how to navigate the WordPress platform to install add-ons, such as spam blockers and contact forms.

You need the training to do these kinds of things. If you don't yet have the training, you'll have to spend your valuable time learning how to do them before you can even get started building your website.


5. You Won’t Create the Right First Impression

As your business' most important tool for advertising, you want to make sure that your website is the best that it can be. It's the place that your potential customers will find out about important things, such as your stories, services, products, and where you're located.

This is why, when it comes to your website, first impressions are more important than ever. Before they even navigate beyond the homepage of your website, they're going to form an opinion about your brand. And this is why it's essential that you grab their attention within the first couple of seconds that are on your website.

Professional website designers know exactly how to do this. On the other hand, those who choose to build their own websites will have to find out how to do this through trial and error. In the meantime, they'll probably lose many valuable leads.


6. You Won’t Have Search Visibility

Most people who are trying to design a business website on their own think that the actual design of the website is all that matters. What they don't realize is that this is only one of many important things that you need to know how to do if you want to build the best possible website.

Something that is equally important as designing a website is search engine optimization (SEO). Though there are website builders that claim to have SEO tools, these tools are usually very basic. They do not offer the types of features that a small business needs.

Skilled professionals know how to do things, such as writing search-friendly content for the websites they're building. This will make sure that potential customers can find your business online.


7. You Won’t Have Support While Building a Small Business Website

Did you know that those who design their websites spend less than a quarter of their time actually designing it and more than three-quarters of their time troubleshooting problems that come up? Small business owners who decide to build their websites don't take this into account.

Only afterward, when it's too late, do they realize how difficult it is to find the support they need when technical issues arise. If you're building your website on your own, expect glitches. And be ready to spend endless hours trying to figure things out that go wrong.


8. Your Site Won’t Be Optimized

Small businesses need websites that are secure and that have performance speeds that are fast enough to handle high traffic volumes. One of the worst things that can happen to your website is that it crashes at a key moment when you need it the most.

This is why professionals offer technical solutions to these problems by optimizing your website. By hiring a pro, you'll have peace of mind in knowing that your website will be dependable. You'll also have to figure out confusing details, such as SSL certificates.


9. The Site Will Be Costly to Make Changes To

Those who are trying to build their own website only realize afterwards how difficult it is to make changes to the site they've made. They make the mistake of thinking that they'll improve their site later on by hiring a web designer. The problem is most web designers will insist that you rebuild your site on the platform they use.

If they would have simply had their website designed by professionals from the start, it would have saved them lots of money.


10. Your Time Is Better Spent on Other Things

Chances are that you've got a long list of things that you need to accomplish every day that you show up for work. If you're a small business owner, you should be focusing your energy on growing your business.

If you decide to build your website, you'll be distracting yourself from the things that matter most to you and your business. If you're not trained as a web designer, why spend your time trying to be one?


11. The Pros Do It Better

A web designer who knows what they're doing can take the burden off your shoulders. You'll have less to worry about, since you can put your trust in somebody who has many years of training and experience in building websites.

You'll also save money in the long run because professionals know how to build a website that can convert visitors into paying customers.


Don’t Waste Time Building Your Own Website

If you've been thinking about building a small business website on your own, keep in mind that it's not as easy to do as it might seem. You'll have to pay hidden fees, and will probably have to spend many hours troubleshooting problems that will come up. Why not hire professional help to build your website instead?

If you’re interested in learning more about the advantages of hiring our web design firm, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here for anything that you might need. 

93% of surveyed shoppers make buying decisions based on online reviews. That's a huge percentage! If you run a business, your reviews are vital to your success.

You may think that you're sure to only ever get positive reviews because your products or services are fantastic, so you shouldn't bother monitoring them. In reality, knowing how to track and how to respond to online reviews is a must. One bad review can make a huge negative impact.

You need to have a reputation management strategy in place and you need to know what to do when good or bad reviews start popping up. Let's talk about it! Read on to learn all about responding to online reviews (good and bad).


Why Is It Important to Respond to Reviews?

There are many reasons that you, as a business owner, should be responding to both positive and negative reviews. That's right, even positive reviews deserve responses!

While responding to positive reviews gets less valuable as time goes on, in the beginning, it will help you establish yourself as responsive and kind. Responding to negative reviews is important long-term.

Here are a few (but not all) of the reasons why it's so important for business owners to respond when they get a good or bad review online.


It Improves or Solidifies Your Online Reputation

Your reputation is everything as a business owner. You could have the best products or services, but with a bad reputation, you still won't gain customers. Public opinion is a driving factor behind your success.

Let's say you're not paying a lot of attention to your reviews and they're starting to lean negatively. Your star rating has gone down. Every low rating or negative review is a sign to potential customers that your business isn't worth using.

When you respond to negative reviews, you show customers that you're making an effort to improve. Even if nothing needs improvement, you're clearing the air so that the commenter doesn't have the final word.

When you respond to positive reviews, you're showing customers that you're listening to them.
Both of these things will make huge improvements to the reputation of your business and online branding.


You'll Build Trust and Relationships

Part of owning a business is building relationships and trust with your customers. Responding to reviews (both negative and positive) is a great way to do that.

When you respond to someone who's upset with your products or services, you're showing them that you want to make it right (or at the very least, explain the situation). Someone who was previously angry may calm down and see you and your business in a better light. You can regain their trust.


You'll Give Yourself an Opportunity to Grow and Learn

Reviews are gifts. Even negative reviews are opportunities for growth, so try to see them that way. They may feel like personal attacks (and in some rare cases, they may be), but they're learning experiences.

When you actively engage with a negative review, you're letting an unhappy customer teach you something that may improve your business. At the very least, you're learning an important lesson in politely and respectfully communicating with others.


Some Tips for How to Respond to Online Reviews

Responding to online reviews is tricky. There are infinite possible responses you can give, but if you want to make a good impression, you have to be careful.

Remember, you're representing your business. Your response will determine how customers see you, and it may sway them toward or away from your business.

Here are a few helpful tips that can improve your responses to online reviews.


1. Respond Quickly

It's important to respond as quickly as possible (without being too rash). When you let a bad review stay up for too long without responding to it, more people will see it. This is bad for your reputation.

You may also forget about it. It's easy for reviews to slip your mind when you have so many other responsibilities as a busy business owner.

Take a brief amount of time to decide how you're going to respond. While you should respond quickly, don't let yourself be careless. Give yourself time to cool off (if the review was inflammatory) and decide what the best response would be.

Ignoring bad reviews won't make them disappear, especially if you don't have many reviews to start with. Even if you're feeling anxious, responding within a few days (if not a single day) is a good move. Get it over with.


2. Learn From Your Reviews

When you get a review, try to take something from it.
If the review is positive, keep in mind what you're doing right and make a note to continue doing it (or even expand upon it).

If the review is negative, determine what you can change. In some cases, negative reviews aren't actually your fault, but don't jump to that conclusion right away.


3. Be Polite

Politeness is key when you're responding to online reviews regardless of whether they're positive or negative. Even if a review is downright mean or inappropriate, you need to stay as professional as possible.

You have your reputation to consider. While it's tempting to respond to negative reviews with the same energy the customer used, you're running a business. Consider how that would look to other people.

Your response is public, so it's best to take the high road.

This can also help you diffuse the situation. Often, people who leave negative reviews just want to know that someone is hearing their concerns. When you respond with kindness, their motivation to "fight it out" may dissipate and they may open themself up to a rational and calm interaction.

Use restraint.

Some brands can get away with "sass" in their responses, but this is a risky move and that sass has to be part of their preexisting brand image. It's also carefully crafted, not just an "off-the-cuff" remark.


4. Keep It Brief

For both positive and negative reviews, it's best to be brief (while still being thorough).

For positive reviews, a quick "thanks!" and perhaps a CTA of some sort (such as asking the customer to tell their friends or check your shop later for new products) is more than enough to make an impact. Most people don't expect responses to positive reviews at all, so you will stand out.

For negative reviews, you will need to go into more detail, but not too much. Make sure you address the problem, apologize, and give your customer steps to take.

It's often best to save the longer conversations for private messages or emails so you don't draw too much attention to the review but you still pay enough attention to the customer.

If you are defending your business against a troll comment, you may have to go into more detail, but just offer enough information to clear the air. Remember that most people won't sit and read long comments, so you don't gain anything from writing several paragraphs in response.


5. If It's Negative: Make It Right

If someone leaves a negative review (and the review is legitimate, of course), you're being given a great opportunity to make things right. How will you do that?

Again, it's often best to take this conversation into private messages or emails to make sure you can fine-tune your next steps to the disgruntled customer's needs.

Sometimes being heard is enough and the customer won't want anything else. Telling them that you're going to make changes to ensure the problem never happens again can be comforting.

In other cases, you may want to offer a coupon, replacement item, or service (depending on what it is your business offers). Note that discounts, replacements, or "freebies" might seem bad for business, but this isn't the case if it means salvaging your reputation and making a customer happy.


6. Be Authentic and Empathetic 

Customers value honesty and authenticity. While you should be professional in all of your responses, you should also be human. Many customers respond negatively to responses that seem too "corporate" because they seem inauthentic.

Connect with your customers and you'll gain their trust.


Responding to Online Reviews Is Essential

Learning how to respond to online reviews is tough, and it will be a trial-and-error process. As you progress, you'll discover the best ways to communicate with both happy and unhappy customers while maintaining your professionalism and your reputation.

Speaking of your reputation, are you in need of a reputation management strategy? We want to help. Learn more about our services so we can start working together today.