Does Your Small Business Really Need a Website? Here's What You Should Know

If you google "how to have a website", the top results are dominated by companies that offer website builders and web design agencies that are trying to sell you their services. But do you really need a website? The short answer is: it depends. Having an online presence can help customers find you, trust you, and choose you. But a website is only one of the types of online presence, and you don't always need a fancy or expensive website.

In this post, I’ll break down what it means to have an online presence and the basic tools you need to get started—whether you’re just testing the waters or ready to grow.

What on earth is a website anyway?

A website is like a shop front where people can find you to conduct business, except it's online.

There are three key parts to having a basic website:

1. Domain Name

   This is your business’s web address (like www.yourbusiness.com). Think of it like your street address online—it helps people find you.
   

2. Web Hosting

   This is the where your website “lives” on the internet, much like how a business has to rent an office or shop floor. You pay a fee for a company to store your website and make sure it’s always available to visitors.
   

3. Website Builders

   These are the tools you use to actually create your website. Imagine these as the tools used to install furniture and fixtures of your shop. They play an important role in how your "shop" looks and feels like to visitors. There are 2 broad categories:
   

   1. Online Website Builders (No- or Low-Code)

      Think of these like IKEA furniture. Everything is designed and packaged for you already—if you follow instructions, you should be able to put them together yourself. These are simple but offer less control over design and features. Examples: Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, WordPress.com.
      

   2. Coding Tools

      This is like building custom furniture from scratch. You can make anything you want, exactly how you want it—but you need to know how to use the tools (coding languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript).

      
      

Then there are 3 other optional components that you might want to pay for:

4. Site Design Site design is like the interior decoration of your shop. It’s about how your website looks, feels, and how easy it is for people to find what they’re looking for. It includes things like colors, fonts, images, and layout. You can use ready-made templates, or you can hire a designer to create a unique look that fits your brand.
   

5. Copywriting and User Experience (UX) They are actually different disciplines, but I'm lumping them together as we are focusing on small websites. Copywriting is the text on your website—what you say and how you say it. UX is about designing your site structure so that it feels great for a user to navigate. Professional consultation might be necessary if your website will be content-heavy.
   

6. Manpower for Site Set-Up and Maintenance You might also want to hire professional help with:

   • Initial Set-Up: If you don’t want to do it yourself, you can hire someone to set up your site for you.

   • Ongoing Maintenance: Even after your website is up and running, it needs a little care and attention—just like keeping your shop clean and up-to-date—like updating your opening hours, adding new products, or writing blog posts.

   • Technical Updates: If you’re using a more advanced platform, someone might need to help with updates or fixing issues.
     

Ask yourself: What should the website do for you?

Before diving into building a website, it helps to get clear on why you want one. This will guide you in choosing the right tools, design, and features—so you don’t spend more time or money than you need to.

Here are some common reasons business owners create websites:

1. "I just want a place online to share information about my business or project."

You simply want people to know who you are, what you do, and how to contact you. This is often called a “brochure website.”

• Relatively simple to set up using most website builders.

• Could even just be a social media profile page.

2. "I want to sell stuff online."

The most straight forward choice would be to list your products in a suitable marketplace (think Amazon, eBay, Vinted etc). Otherwise, you need an online store to list products, take payments, and manage orders.

• Look for website builders with e-commerce features (like Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace).

• You’ll also need to think about shipping, taxes, and payment methods.

3. "I’d like to find and connect with a wider audience."

You want to grow your brand and build a relationship with potential customers through content—like blogs, newsletters, or social media.

• Consider creating a profile on publishing websites that have existing communities and can push your content within its ecosystem, such as Medium and Linkedin.

• Alternatively, look for services that support blogging and newsletter sign-ups, such as Substack or Beehiiv.

• If you want to have your own site, look for one that supports blogging or has a content management system (CMS), such as Wix, Webflow, or even Notion.

4. "I want to generate leads through search engines."

Your goal is to show up on Google when people search for businesses like yours, and get them to contact you.

• Look for site builders that feature the keywords "search engine optimized"or "SEO".

• Make sure the site builder supports contact forms.

5. "I want to build a digital business."

If your business is online-first (like offering courses, booking services, memberships, or custom apps), your website might need special features.

• You might need a more advanced platform or even custom development.

• Look for site builders that offer rich add-ons, custom code capabilities, or integration options with 3rd parties tools.

How much does having a website cost?

Depending on your requirements, creating your own website could range from FREE per year to infinity.

1. Domain Name

   1. Free: These are usually subdomains of the site builder that you are using (e.g. zigzag-blahblah.notion.site They are not very customizable.

   2. Typical Cost: Most domain names cost around $10–$20 per year if you choose a common name with a standard ending like .com, .net, or .org.

   3. Premium Domains: Some domain names are already owned or are in high demand, and they can cost crazy amounts to buy from the current owner. OpenAI, for instance, famously paid $15M for chat.com not too long ago.

   4. Special Extensions: There are also domain endings like .shop, .studio, .co, .biz, .design, and more. These can vary in price, often ranging from $10 to $50+ per year, depending on the extension.
      

2. Web Hosting

   1. Free: Free hosting usually comes with restrictions, like no custom domains, limited bandwidth etc. (e.g. Github, Netlify)

   2. Typical Cost: For basic plans that are suitable for most small businesses cost between €5 – €25 per month.

   3. Advanced Hosting: This can cost up to hundreds per month for advanced sites.
      

3. Website Builders

   1. Free: Modern website builders often include hosting as part of their package. Limited functions.

   2. Typical Cost: Between €10 – $40 per month.
      

4. Site Design

   1. Free: Most site builders have free templates to choose from. You have to do all the customizations on your own.

   2. Templates: Many site builders are compatible with premium templates that can be purchased via specific designers or marketplaces. The cost ranges from €50 – a few hundred euros.

   3. Hire a designer to customize a template: An in-between solution, where the designer takes a ready-made template to customize it to your brand. Costs between a few hundred euros to several thousands (excluding the cost of the template), depending on the complexity of your request.

   4. Hire a designer to create a design for you from scratch: The sky is the limit, but be prepared to pay at least several thousand euros for this.
      

5. Copywriting and User Experience (UX)

   1. Free: Do-it-yourself!

   2. Hire professionals: Their hourly rates starts from €25 and goes up to €150+. If you have a small website and you feel that finding specialised UX Designers might be an overkill, look for general web designers that have some UX knowledge and are willing to offer basic consultation.
      

6. Manpower for Site Set-Up and Maintenance

   1. Free: Do-it-yourself! It will require some time up front to learn how to use the online tools.

   2. Hire a web developer for specific site builder: Some developers specialize in specific platforms like WordPress, Webflow, or Framer. They can help you set up your site faster and more professionally. Cost varies, but simple setups often range from €300–€1000++ depending on complexity.

   3. Hire a web developer to create a site from scratch: There's no limit in pricing here, depending on what you're expecting the web developer to do. Also, might need to hire several developers to work together. Starts from several thousands.

Do I really need all of this?

Maybe not. If you're just starting out or have a small local business, you might get by with:

• A Google Business Profile (great for showing up on local search and maps)

• A Facebook or Instagram Page (easy to set up, free, and people can message you directly)

• A Linktree or similar tool (lets you share multiple links from one simple page)

But if you want more control, more trust, and to look more professional, even a simple website can go a long way. I'll covered free options in my next blog post here.

Just like how there are many options between have a little booth in a flea market to a multi-storey shop in a giant shopping mall, it's more important to find a form of online presence that fits your business purposes.