The Question Every New Business Asks
You're starting a business. Instagram? Check. Google My Business? Done. Business cards? Ordered. Website? ...maybe later?
Here's the truth: not every business needs a website on day one. But when you do need one, waiting too long costs you real money.
You Don't Need a Website Yet If...
You're Still Validating Your Idea
Testing a product concept with a dozen customers? Save your money. A landing page or social media works fine while you're still figuring out product-market fit.
What to do instead: Instagram bio link, Google Form for inquiries, or a simple Linktree. Total cost: $0.
Your Entire Market Lives on One Platform
Running a nail salon where 100% of bookings come from Instagram DMs? A website won't change that—at least not yet.
When this changes: When you want to expand beyond your immediate neighborhood, or when Instagram's algorithm stops being reliable.
You're Pre-Revenue and Bootstrapping
If you haven't made your first sale, a website is a luxury. Focus on finding customers first, building second.
The exception: If your business model requires online transactions (e-commerce, SaaS, etc.), you need it from day one.
You Need a Website Now If...
Customers Are Asking "What's Your Website?"
This is the clearest signal. If you're saying "we're working on it" more than once a week, you're losing credibility—and probably sales.
Why it matters: People research before they buy. No website = immediate trust loss.
You're Paying for Ads
Running Facebook or Google ads without a website is burning money. You're sending traffic to platforms you don't control, with no way to capture leads or retarget.
The math: If you're spending $500/month on ads, a $750 website pays for itself in week one.
You Want to Look Legitimate
Harsh truth: businesses without websites look amateur. Even if you do great work, prospects judge you in 3 seconds.
Example: Two landscaping companies. Same prices, same reviews. One has a website, one doesn't. Who do you call?
You're Losing Local Business to Competitors
Google "plumber near me." The top results all have websites. If you're not there, you're invisible.
Reality check: 76% of people who search for something nearby visit a business within 24 hours. Without a website, you're not even in the race.
You Need to Capture Leads
Taking phone calls all day kills productivity. A website with a contact form + calendar lets customers book or inquire on their schedule, not yours.
The shift: From reactive (answering calls) to proactive (following up with qualified leads).
The Real Cost of Waiting
Let's do the math on a real scenario:
- Your service costs $2,000 per customer
- You get 5 inquiries per week
- 20% convert to customers (1 sale/week)
- A website could double your inquiry rate to 10/week
Without a website: 1 sale/week = $104k/year With a website: 2 sales/week = $208k/year Cost of waiting 6 months: $52,000 in lost revenue
Suddenly a $750 website seems cheap.
The "I'll Build It Myself" Trap
DIY sounds smart until you're 3 months in, still tweaking fonts, and haven't launched.
The hidden cost: Your time. If your hourly rate is $100, a 40-hour DIY project costs $4,000—plus the opportunity cost of projects you didn't take because you were "building the website."
The alternative: Pay $750, launch in 6 days, get back to making money.
When You Know, You Know
You don't need a checklist. You know you need a website when:
- You're embarrassed to say you don't have one
- You're losing business to competitors who do
- You're ready to scale beyond word-of-mouth
The businesses that win aren't the ones with perfect websites. They're the ones that launched fast, started getting traffic, and adjusted based on real customer behavior.
Ready to stop waiting? Start your 6-day build