FAST, INEXPENSIVE AND ACCORDING TO A TEMPLATE, OR WHY A WEBSITE DOESN'T MAKE MONEY. IRINA MUSHTINA EXPLAINS

Today, it’s nearly impossible to find a company or personal brand without a website. Around 90% of businesses have gone through the process of creating one. However, in reality, some companies turn their website into a powerful business tool, while others look back longingly at the days of the “Yellow Pages” and complain about the uselessness of “all your digital stuff.” Let’s explore why the first group succeeds, while the second faces deep disappointment.

A website is not just a company’s business card. It’s a way for businesses to digitally communicate with their clients. Essentially, it’s the language of the web, and it must be beautiful, clear, and convenient for all parties involved. A website must align with business objectives, meet client expectations, and be as useful as possible for both sides.

Simply creating a visually appealing landing page with product ads is no longer enough — marketplaces now handle that role perfectly. Digitalization of business requires a clear strategy both in organizing internal processes online and in customer interaction. The website is the first and most important point of contact with potential clients. So how do you make this touchpoint the launchpad for your business growth?

Goal

The first and most important step in website development is defining its purpose. You need to understand what tasks this resource must fulfill, what results the company expects, and how they can be measured.

Brand awareness, new product launch, service introduction, sales funnel creation, or even direct service delivery through the website — all of these are valid goals.

However, the more goals you set, the harder it is to achieve them. That’s why it’s crucial to separate the wheat from the chaff and answer one clear question: Why do you really need a website?

The next step is analyzing user behavioral factors, which play a critical role in strategy development. Back in 2018, Google officially announced that user behavior affects site rankings. Classic SEO is no longer enough — new trends must be incorporated into your development algorithm.

After defining your goals and identifying your target audience profiles and behavior, it’s time to move on to site architecture design, wireframing, and creative concept development, all of which should be detailed in a technical brief.

Beautiful, Fast & Mobile-First

Everyone knows how important first impressions are — and you don’t get a second chance. That’s why a high-quality, memorable design is not everything, but without it, everything else means nothing. The user won’t get to explore your functionality or product — they’ll close the tab in 2 seconds.

We live in an age of clip thinking, where we have no more than three seconds to process information. If the site doesn’t load and display relevant content within that time, the user will switch to a faster competitor. Interest is directly proportional to site speed and informativeness. Therefore, beyond design, loading speed is crucial — not just from a UX perspective but also as a Google ranking factor.

"Loading speed not only subconsciously affects user interest but is also one of Google’s indexing metrics."

An ideal load time is within one second. Slow sites suffer from increased bounce rates — people today simply aren’t interested in waiting.

Over 70% of internet users access the web via smartphones, and for many, it’s a primary work tool. That’s why mobile optimization is no longer a trend — it’s a must-have. Site layout, design, and development must begin with the mobile version in mind.

In 2019, the Mobile First approach became standard: optimizing websites for various mobile devices and varying connection speeds. From the very start, the user must be presented with key content immediately.

Another vital factor, beyond design and mobile adaptation, is hosting location. Choosing the right type of hosting impacts your site’s performance and speed.

And let’s not forget about storytelling. If you want to convey your brand — you need a story. A beautiful, clear, and memorable one. Without that, your message becomes background noise no one will hear.

Automation

One of the key factors of an effective website is ongoing administration that is convenient and easy to manage. Depending on your goals and resources, you must define the level of automation: Do you need automatic product uploads, price updates, or a streamlined checkout system for both buyers and sellers?

A lack of live content or outdated information can lead to trouble. For example, an online clothing store that doesn’t update prices risks losing customers or, worse, damaging its reputation.

Or imagine a news portal with no automatic content triggers — an admin stuck manually publishing updates all day. This exaggerated example shows how setting triggers and dividing functions between human and machine can lead to a high-performance business tool.

"Setting triggers and dividing tasks between machine and admin helps create an efficient business resource."

Popular Content Management Systems (CMS) should be scalable, customizable, and easy to develop further. Templates rarely beat custom ideas, and convenience depends on how well your admin panel fits your project.

Reporting

Building an effective online strategy takes more than just launching a website. You must plan its future usage, and that’s where reports come in. Google Analytics is a classic choice, but its tools may not always give a full picture.

You need to know:

• What actions did users take?
• What IPs did they come from?
• What did they search for?
• How long did they stay?
• Where did they drop off — and did they return?

Reports help executives and marketers make data-driven decisions about digital strategy. This is especially critical for corporate sites and e-commerce platforms. Sometimes, you’ll need custom report systems that offer full-site analysis.

“Fishing with a bamboo stick leads to no catch, wasted time, and disappointment.”

Marketing Tool

A website today is more than a sales platform — it’s a marketing tool and a branding element. The days when clients called or visited in person are gone. Today’s users want instant answers. Whoever delivers first, wins.

That’s why your tools must match your ambitions. Fishing with a stick brings only disappointment — sure, it’s cheap, but you’ll catch nothing.

A tailored development process requires:

• A business model
• Defined processes
• Clear goals
• Target audience insights
• A well-thought-out technical brief
• Functional design

Investments in custom-built web solutions pay off faster, offer more predictability, and can be flexibly managed. A project “written on a napkin” might launch fast, but it won’t produce results.

There is no universal formula for a successful business website. Every case is unique. But synergy is possible when you bring together a professional team of strategists, developers, creatives, SEO experts, designers, and analysts.

Originally published on telekritika.ua