The Biggest Mistake Business Owners Make When Investing in a Website

Mar 26

Chances are if you own a business you know that getting a real website, that’s all yours, is a huge milestone. It’s a moment in every entrepreneur’s life that makes it suddenly feel real. Like you have your life in order and your business is finally coming together.

Now, not to be a party pooper, but If you’re thinking about paying the big bucks for a website but haven’t invested in your branding, I’m going to ask that we take a moment to pause and hear me out for a minute. I want to go through this together, saving you money and a potential headache down the line.

Oh, and just so you have complete confidence in what I am about to tell you, check out this case study where I increased a client’s inquiries by 94% with a website refresh after they rebranded.

Okay, now let’s begin.

So, if I had to guess, your dream website would:

Communicate what you do and the problem you solve
Effortlessly sell your product or service
Attract and build trust with potential clients/customers
Make you the obvious choice over your competitors

So, here’s the deal: brand strategy is what’s going to make that magic happen.

You see, branding isn’t just logos, or making things pretty. It’s carefully considered messaging and design decisions that make your business recognizable, memorable, and trustworthy. It’s what helps your future clients feel seen, heard and understood (aka you’re gaining their trust).

Without that clarity, it’s going to be awfully hard to sell yourself no matter how beautiful your website looks (because at the end of the day if your audience is confused about why they should care about what you do, a confused mind never buys).

Why Businesses Without Branding Find it Impossible to Grow

When businesses jump straight into web design without branding, they’re missing out on a massive opportunity. Working with a brand designer on your strategy creates a beautiful, solid foundation for your business, but also:

Makes you more money by making it easier for customers to connect and trust you.
Supports growth with strong brand guidelines, making sure your business always looks consistent.
Improves market positioning by helping you stand out instead of blending in with everyone else.
Builds credibility so potential customers feel safe and can confidently choose you over someone else.

Without branding, a website is just a thoughtless collection of pages with text and images. It might look nice, but it’s going to lack that depth that comes with intentional, strategic messaging that makes your audience connect with, and ultimately, choose your business.

If I had to guess: the last time you made a big investment or expensive purchase was because you felt heard and understood, and then were offered a solution to your problem - not because a website had fun animations, an image gallery and a parallax scroll.

I Personally Don’t Like Throwing Away Money

And I’m pretty sure that you don’t either (and if you do, let’s become friends). If your brand foundation is wobbly before you start paying for marketing and websites, it’s going to lead to expensive and time-consuming issues down the road. Some of the classics include:

Low-quality logos or incorrect file types that designers can’t use and need to recreate, billing you for the extra time (Canva logos are notorious for this).
No direction for copywriting or website content (if you can’t confidently sell your product or service, how will you write five pages trying to convince others to care?)
Inconsistent fonts and colours that don’t work together or translate well across different platforms (again, confusing your audience and what did we learn? A confused mind never buys.)
Stock images without proper licensing, which can lead to legal trouble or additional costs (friendly reminder that finding it on Pinterest doesn’t mean you can use it.)

I couldn’t build a cabinet to save my life and I’d for sure loose a finger or three, but I do know that you should measure twice and cut once. Same idea applies here. These common mistakes often result in businesses having to redesign their websites from scratch once they realize their current branding (or lack of) just doesn’t work. That means spending more money to fix or redo something that could have been intentionally designed from the start.

Brand First, Website Second

When an investment in foundational branding is in place before web design, everything comes together in a more intentional and strategic way. You know what your message is going to be (the unique way you solve your clients problem), your visuals will support your messaging in a way people remember (while also differentiating you from your competition) and you’re crystal clear on who your people are (so you can speak directly to them).

Having this all in place is going to make your web design process so much more smoother, faster, and more effective because the foundation is already built. Bonus points if you work with the same designer, who already knows your brand inside and out and can take the reins (‘cause they created it).

Investing in branding first ensures that your website isn’t just something that looks good—it’s something that actually works. It saves you from expensive redesigns, wasting your time, and an online presence that doesn’t fully represent your business (or worse, just confuses people).

Still unsure how the emotional connection created by branding increases profit? Take a peek at this study on branding done by University of Wollondong that found when people are emotionally aligned to a brand they’ll spend significantly more than average. You can’t just tell people to love your brand — it has to feel earned through use and consistency.

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re ready to create a brand that supports your business and makes growing feel effortless, you have two easy ways to take the next step:

Explore my services – Get a clear idea of what working together looks like and how I can help you build a strong brand that sets your business up for success.

Book a free discovery call – If you're eager to get started today, let’s chat! I’d love to learn more about your business and how I can help you create a brand that aligns with your goals.

No matter where you are in the process, I’m here to help you build a brand and website that work, so you can grow your business with confidence. Found this post helpful? Use the images below to Pin it for later.

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