Don’t Get a Website Until You’re Ready: What Most Business Owners Get Wrong *
Seriously, don’t even think about it.
I’m not saying this to be a jerk.
I’m saying it because most business owners treat a website like some magic button you push and poof! Customers appear.
Let’s get real:
If you aren’t actually planning to use it, don’t spend your money.
Don’t waste your time.
And don’t hire a designer until your head is in the right place.
(Or else your analytics dashboard will look a little like this…🫣)
You can pay for a website.
You can go through the full design process- mood boards, copyback-and-forth, revisions, late-night emails.
And guess what?
If you don’t drive traffic and use the site, it’s just a pretty brochure nobody sees.
Websites don’t work on their own. You do.
And that’s the part most people skip.
Websites are a numbers game, you need eyeballs on them for anything to actually happen.
Just building it? Doesn’t mean people will come. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your site won’t start converting without work.
Here’s what you must have in place first:
Not “everyone.”
Not “people who might be interested.”
I mean exactly who you help and what problem you solve.
Write your answers down!
Who is your ideal client? Who are you catering to? What are some terms they are Googling to find exactly what you offer and why? (This will also help narrow down your SEO terms when you do build a website!)
A website without goals is like a car without gas.
Ask yourself:
Do I want signups?
Calls booked?
Products sold?
Emails collected?
Write down your 3 top actions visitors should take on your site. Having clear and simple Call-to-actions throughout your website is instrumental to success. You need to tell the people what to do or else your website is just a pretty brochure that isn’t working for you.
What’s the point in having a website if you don’t have anything for them to do? So make sure you have a means to reply to them, something to sell them, something for them to download, something for them to watch….you get what I’m saying.
Traffic isn’t automatic.
You have to plan for how people will find your site.
I’ll cover specific traffic strategies in the next section.
Your site doesn’t need all the pages before launch. But it does need:
Clear headlines. Within 2 seconds of your website loading your visitor should know EXACTLY what you do and how you can help their specific need.
Descriptions of your services
Testimonials
A clear call to action that you are ready to act on
If you’re hiring a web designer they will handle the actual building, but expect to have to provide the content that goes here. If you’re brand new and don’t have testimonials then write the outcomes they can expect from your products/services but aim to get reviews/testimonials FAST.
You have two solid options that set you up for success before spending on design:
Not a designer.
A doer.
Someone who can help you:
• plan offers,
• set up traffic,
•manage email, ads, content, analytics.
If you can’t hire help, you need these things:
✔ a weekly content plan
✔ a traffic / marketing strategy
✔ time to monitor analytics
✔ patience to tweak & improve
Because websites don’t magically convert. They learn to convert.
Here’s what you should be focusing on before and after your site launches:
→ Have a lead magnet ready. This is something that is going to immediately peak their interest and incentivize them to look further into you and your business. This can be a freebie, a discount, an event, you don’t need to limit yourself but make sure its easily accessible and easily consumed.
→ Put it in your Instagram bio
→ Use linktr.ee or similar so people can sign up
→ Drive people to your list first, then your website
Social posts shouldn’t just be posts, they should lead somewhere.
Traffic -> Email -> Offer -> Website
Ever wonder why so many brands or businesses will have a CTA to write a specific word in the comments of their marketing posts? That’s because that word will trigger their bot (something like ManyChats) to reply to you and automatically give you the link that will start this funnel process. But more on that once you’re established and getting engagement!
Blood, sweat and ads aren’t the only way:
→ Partner posts
→ Shared reels
→ Email swaps
→ Guest lives
Take advantage of other people’s audiences, especially early on in your career! Making friends and business connections, especially in adjacent or complimentary fields will increase your traffic exponentially.
If you’re a local business, join your Chamber of Commerce and drag your a$$ to networking events (I know, they aren’t always my favorite)
If you are an online-based industry, find communities on Facebook, Reddit, business programs, etc where you can network, share your knowledge, and create lasting bonds.
Ads aren’t magic — but they’re powerful when you:
✔ know your offer
✔ know your audience
✔ have an email funnel ready
Paid traffic + no plan? Just burning money.
Here’s the truth:
A website is not a product — it’s a tool.
A tool that helps you work smarter — not magically.
If you get stuck with a site that just sits there, you’re going to:
❌ resent it
❌ hate the investment
❌ blame yourself (or blame “websites in general”)
And the worst?
❌ this negativity seeps into how you feel about your business.
That’s the opposite of why you started.
Maybe now isn’t the time for a full website.
Maybe what you actually need is clarity.
A tech audit can tell you:
• What’s already working
• What’s broken
• What marketing could move the needle now
You don’t need a website today, but you do need the right foundation.
And I mean really now.
We can sit down and make sure:
✔ your traffic strategy is ready
✔ your offer is clear
✔ your site turns traffic into customers
If you want results, not dead links, let’s make it happen.
Let’s build something that actually works.