10 Reasons Why You Should NOT Have a Web Site

In the past, I’ve advocated using WordPress to manage your own web site. I’ve said that having your own web site is critical to the success of your business. I’ve said you should blog, that is, write posts regularly.

I’ve had people question that advice. People don’t want to follow it. They want a web site, but there’s a leap there, that they are not ready for yet.

I understand the hesitation and the confusion. In order to support those people who do not have web sites yet, here is a list of good, valid reasons why they should not get one.

This is list is for them.

10 Reasons Why You Should Not Have a Web Site

1. They are expensive.

When I worked for a video game company, our budgets for a new game web site were usually between $20,000 and $30,000. Most of that money was spent on going to meetings and arguing with the Marketing Department about the graphics. As a guy who loves learning about new technology, I was shocked to learn that the bulk of the cost was in the politics of building the site, not the technology of building the site. Building a web site is easy and cheap. Figuring out what it should look like and what to put in it, that’s the hard part.

Of course, if you already know what you want it to look like and what you want it to say, then maybe the only expense is your time.

2. They are technical.

Web sites live on web servers, or web hosts. They are built with HTML, a coding language that uses tags and variables and attributes. Domain names need to be configured so that the whole system of moving parts works together. Cars are technical too. They have engines and transmissions and differentials. You need training to learn how to work on them, just like you need training to configure web servers.

Of course, if you just drive a car without knowing everything under the hood, you could update your own web site using WordPress. Let the mechanic take care of fixing the car. Let me take care of configuring your web site.

3. They take too much time.

Updating your own web site takes time. You have to learn a few things about how to update it first, then you have to set aside time each day to write something new. You have to log into WordPress, then click on the “Add New” button. Writing out a title, then putting something into the body of the post takes, well, maybe 15 minutes.

Of course, maybe, 15 minutes every couple of days isn’t that much time.

4. You use other sites.

It’s possible to sell products on sites like Etsy. It’s possible to connect with your clients on sites like Facebook. It’s possible to communicate with people on Twitter. If all these other sites do the same thing, there’s no reason to have your own web site.

Of course, if you want a central place that will coordinate all of your efforts on FaceBook, Etsy, and Twitter, then maybe your own web site might work better.

5. You can’t write no good.

It takes some skill to organize your thoughts and write them out in logical paragraphs that make sense to people. You didn’t go to school to learn how to write. You’d be embarrassed to have people read your stuff. You’re just not a good writer.

Of course, if you talk to people on the phone, you can communicate. If you can talk to people in every day conversation, then you know how to get your point across. Besides, practice would only make you better, then you wouldn’t have this excuse any more.

6. You advertise other ways.

You use some other means of advertising, like print for instance. You pay the newspaper for ads that are seen by, well, they could be seen by, thousands of people already. Maybe you spend money on cold calling your customers. Maybe you sponsor a softball team in your city. Maybe you hand out flyers on the street corners, or dress up in a costume and spin those big arrow signs around. You’re doing just fine, thank you very much!

Of course, maybe a web site is actually cheaper and more effective than those other methods.

7. It’s just a hobby, not a business.

You don’t really want to make any money. You just want to make pretty things. You don’t want to mess with accounting or marketing or sales. Do what you love and the money will follow. The reason that they call it “hard work” is because it’s hard. You didn’t start your business to do things that are hard. You just want to make money.

Of course, you might want to make money with your business, then you might want to treat it like a business and not a hobby. Doing some hard work might pay off.

8. You don’t really like people

People can be such a pain sometimes. They complain. They insult. They are stupid. They do things that you don’t want them to do. You don’t need the grief. There’s no reason to put anything out there yourself, if all they are going to do is complain. They aren’t worth it. They don’t need your product anyway. They wouldn’t appreciate the hard work you put into it.

Of course, if someone actually might like your products or your service or what you wrote. They might compliment you. They might say nice things. You might actually make a new friend. Your life might actually be better because you write something and made a connection.

9. You already have enough money.

You’re good the way you are. You have a nice car and live in a nice house. You go out to eat whenever you want (Chinese food every night!). You can buy whatever you want, whenever you want. Life is good. You don’t need to put out any effort to make it any better.

Of course, if you happened to want more money, then maybe a web site would promote your business, develop some client relationships, and make some concrete sales.

10. You don’t have a computer.

OK. You got me there. This is a good reason to not have a web site.

Of course, you could go to the public library and use theirs.