Why Every Business Needs a Website – Yes, Even the Beer Garden Around the Corner
If you can't be found, you don't exist.
Introduction
Imagine: it's Friday evening at 7 pm. Someone is looking for a cosy beer garden in their city. They type it into Google – and don't find you. Not because you don't exist. But because you don't have a website.
That customer goes somewhere else. No hard feelings – they simply had no other choice.
This isn't a rare exception. It happens every day, in every industry, in every town. And it doesn't only affect beer gardens. It affects the hairdresser on the corner, the plumber, the physiotherapist, the farm shop. Everyone who thinks: “I'm small enough that I don't need this.”
Google Maps is not a substitute – it's a teaser
Many small businesses think: “I'm listed on Google Maps, that's enough.” No. It's not – for one simple reason: Google Maps shows that you exist. A website shows who you are.
A listing with an address, opening hours and three photos doesn't answer a single one of the questions potential customers actually care about:
- →Is the beer garden family-friendly or more of an adults-only place?
- →Are there vegetarian options?
- →Can I reserve a table – and if so, how?
- →What's the atmosphere like – rustic, modern, traditional?
- →Is there parking or a bus stop nearby?
Whoever doesn't answer these questions loses the customer to someone who does. It's that simple.
Trust is built before the first visit
We live in an age where people Google a restaurant before they hold the menu in their hands. Where someone calls a plumber and is already browsing their website to check if they look trustworthy. Where a mother decides whether to book an appointment at the paediatrician – based on the impression the website gives.
That might sound superficial. But it isn't – it's human. We decide with our gut, and our gut is shaped by impressions. A professional website communicates: I am reliable. I take my business seriously. I take you seriously.
For reference:
According to a Stanford study, 75% of users judge the credibility of a company based on its web design. Not the product. Not the price. The design.
Instagram is not your home – it's a rental
“But I have Instagram.” Yes. But Instagram doesn't belong to you. Facebook doesn't belong to you. TikTok doesn't belong to you.
What happens when the algorithm changes and your reach is cut in half? What happens when your account gets hacked or suspended? What happens when Meta shuts the platform down – as has happened with others before?
A website is your own foundation. You control the content, the design, the features. Nobody can take away your access. No platform can change your presence overnight.
Social media and a website complement each other – they don't replace each other. Instagram creates attention. Your website builds trust and converts interest into contact, bookings or purchases.
“Too expensive” – or just bad maths?
The most common objection to getting a website is the price. And yes – a professionally developed website costs money. But the question isn't what it costs. The question is what it brings.
Take the beer garden: say the website costs €1,500. And it brings in just three additional bookings per month at €40 turnover each – a table of four, two rounds. That's €120 a month, €1,440 a year. The website pays for itself in twelve months. After that, everything is profit.
For comparison:
A single flyer print run costs €300–500, ends up mostly in the bin and is outdated within two weeks. A website works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – no holidays, no sick days, no extra costs.
The real reason people shy away from the investment is rarely the price. It comes down to three other things:
- 1.Uncertainty: You don't know what you'll get, what it will cost, or whether you'll be understood. The industry has done itself no favours here – with opaque quotes and hidden costs.
- 2.Effort: “I have to write texts, provide photos, make decisions – that takes time.” True. But that effort happens once. The benefit runs for years.
- 3.Priorities: “It works fine without one.” For now. But the market is changing. The next generation of customers Googles everything – and expects an answer.
Conclusion: A website isn't a luxury – it's infrastructure
A website used to be something for big companies. Today it's the digital equivalent of a company sign, a phone line and a shop window – all at once. Anyone who goes without is consciously giving up visibility.
The beer garden in the backyard, the cobbler, the yoga teacher, the vet – they all have one thing in common: customers who are searching. The only question is whether they can be found.
A website doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to exist – honest, clear and up to date. The rest comes with time.