If you have ever wanted to go on a hunt, you have definitely looked online for resources. Whether its the optimal rifle setup, how-to-s for spotting and stalking, or e-scouting for the optimal location to hunt, the internet is now our go-to place to answer our questions. That means that if you are a business operating in the hunting space, such as an outfitter, guide, gear-producer, rifle-builder, or any business whose clients are hunters, you must have an online presence if you want to capture views online. And why wouldn’t you? In 2024, your website has the largest impact on your brand image to new clients, so it needs to align with the vision, goals, and style of your company, as well as adequately convey who you are and why you provide your services.
The Vision
Start with your brand’s vision. We like to draft a document that concisely articulates the classic Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How? of your business. Of course, a vision board will consist of far more than these questions, but it is a great starting point.
Now that you’ve gotten the basis for your brand, its time to answer a few more specific questions. Here are the 10 questions we like to ask when we onboard a new web client, that pertain to the build process with us.
- What aspects of your business frustrate you the most?
- Which parts of your business do you feel are under-performing?
- Are there any websites you admire that you wish you could emulate?
- What specific goals are you hoping your website will achieve (e.g., more leads, higher engagement, etc.)?
- How important is mobile optimization for your business?
- Do you have a content strategy in place, and would you be open to making any changes? (yes, blog posts are the #1 addition that can make or break your website)
- How much time and resources are you willing to dedicate to the website project on your end?
- Are there any upcoming deadlines, product launches, or events we should be aware of that might impact the timeline?
- How do you currently track and measure the success of your website (e.g., analytics, conversion rates)?
- Is there anything else you’d like us to know about your business or vision that will help us build a website aligned with your goals?
The Build
It simply will not do to create a bland…
Our Build Process
Tools We Use
The Finished Product
You need to be able to utilize your website too. If you can not make changes to it yourself, you don’t really have control over it. Sure, it is your website, but if you have to call up a developer in order to publish a blog post or correct a spelling mistake, the site isn’t as intuitive as it should be. Now, we also understand that many folks struggle with technology, especially websites, or simply do not have the desire to do it themselves, so we are happy to provide any and all assistance to our customers. When looking for a company to build your website, don’t settle for a company that won’t help you through every step of the process.
Pricing (is it too cheap?)
Like everything else, websites have increased exponentially in price over recent years (thanks Biden!). A quality website with amazing support doesn’t come cheap these days unfortunately, and if you pay for a cheap website build, you’ll likely get what you pay for. Many one-man builders will charge between $1-2k for a full build, and will provide only minimal instruction to keep the website up and running. Some builders offer continuing support packages, but others don’t. Even if they do offer a support package, the amount of work they offer is minimal, and the cost only really includes website maintenance, such as updating plugins and ensuring the site is still live.
Larger marketing companies always have a web division, as they correctly identify that a website is truly important to your company. However, when working with a marketing company the end result is often a generic, template-based site, that while functional and decently attractive, offers very little unique value and fails to convey the truly important values your brand stands for. And all that is before we get to the price tag. While marketing agencies generally land closer to the true value of a website build, the product they deliver is almost never up to par.
At the end of the day, it is difficult to put a price tag on a website, as there are a myriad of different needs that every business will have. A satisfactory website for one business may only cost $1500, but another business may need a $10,000 website. While the price tag is always an incredibly important factor in choosing who to work with, make sure that the builder you work with is engaged, understanding, and truly values what makes your business unique. If you find this in a website builder, you can be confident that the site they build you will be an effective tool in promoting your brand.
Shoot2Hunt can help!
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