As the founder of a design agency for small businesses one of the things that makes me disappointed (and quite frankly ticked off) is seeing companies whose websites are not up to par. To add insult to injury, then I find out that the agency who designed the company’s website, is not even up to par — which ticks me off even more! I am concerned for the business owner who is too prideful to consider that their website is bad, or the owner who keeps pushing off their website redesign because it is not at the top of their list.

A company website is a business owner’s largest marketing tool. Most importantly, a well designed website can create industry authority. I can’t tell you how many potential customers a business loses when an online visitor lands on their website and bounces (i.e., a technical term for “leaving”.) because it looks bad. Or consider how many potential sales a business misses out on because they do not even show up in Google search results (i.e., they need SEO help.).

So, I’ve made a list of five types of businesses that absolutely need a fantastic website. And if you do business in one of these industries do yourself a favor and ensure your website is up to par.

1. Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

   Most of the websites in this niche are developed very poorly. Unlike the purchase path for a dentist or a general doctor, most would-be patients search for a plastic surgeon online. Even if they get a referral from a friend, they still look online to see reviews and learn more about procedures.

   Cosmetic surgery is a big deal, so there will likely be more research involved. That is why it is so important to have a cosmetic plastic surgery website that is beautifully designed. The point of a plastic surgery is to make the patient look better. How can you ensure a potential client is going to look better if you can’t even make your website look like a million bucks?

2. Exotic Car Rentals, Repair, and Customization

   Everyone knows their go-to mechanic. But when it comes to repairing a high-end, luxury vehicle you want the right person for the job. If you operate a business in this space your company website needs to look like you have authority in this niche. Consider this: people don’t rent an exotic car for the heck of it; they rent it for the experience. That experience starts, or ends, at your website.

   Why would anyone in their right mind invest $2,000 per day to rent your Aston Martin Vantage Roadster, if your website looks like it was made twenty years ago? Please! Just get a good website (Like this one: Lou La Vies; their branding is impeccable.). Remember: As soon as an online visitor lands on your website the experience begins, all the way through the rental return and beyond.

3. Real Estate Developers and Contractors

   It used to be the Yellow Pages, but now homeowners find their new digs through search engines. While a lot of contractors build their businesses through referrals, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t still have a great website. For instance, if I live in Denver, and I am looking for a contractor, I am going to type into Google “Denver Contractor” or “Denver House Remodeling”. If your company website does not show up on the first page of Google search results for those keywords, than you are screwed (i.e., no one is going to find you.).

   However, if you do show up on the front page of Google and your website stinks then I’ll happily click onto the next competitor. Like most prospective customers, I am thinking to myself: “Why would I want anyone to work on my house, if they can’t even pay attention to the detail of their website?”

4. IT Services and Support

   When a business owner is need of cloud services or a managed IT services provider, most of the time they will start their search online. You would think that companies in this industry wouldn’t have a problem with there websites, but they do. Most of the IT company websites that I have seen are very plain with outdated stock images.

   If you own an IT services company ask yourself: “Have I ever just walked down main street and seen an IT company, walked in and said ‘Oh hey! I’ll take these services!'” No, no one does that. A well-designed website is an IT company’s primary lifeline for customer acquisition (other then referrals).

5. Landscaping and Lawn Care Services

   If you own a landscaping service company you likely know that it takes a lot of referrals and collateral to be successful in this industry. Here’s the problem though, most of the companies in this industry don’t worry too much about their websites. But let me tell you something, if this is you, you are missing out on so many clients — especially if you are a high-end landscaper. It is extremely important for landscaping service companies to show off their work in this niche (i.e., before and after) along with customer reviews.

Basically, if you are in a specialized niche where the purchase path isn’t so easily defined you need a branded company website — but not just any website, a good one. But how do you know if your website isn’t up to speed? Here are several indicators that it’s time for a redesign: a) does your website play music when someone lands on the page? b) do you see .html at the end of your url when you are on any of your website pages? c) do you just have some text and an image and call that a website? Do your navigation tabs have icons instead of words? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you probably have a bad website. Also, if you don’t know what WordPress is then you definitely have a bad website. So, get it together people!

Michael Tandarich is the founder of NO-COMPLY Designs. NO-COMPLY is a design agency for small businesses. They specialize in web design, graphic design and branding.

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