Turnkey websites sound like a great idea when venturing out on your own.
Of all the steps involved in starting a business and the start-up cash required, turnkey websites seem like a no-brainer.
The term turnkey, in this context, refers to a business you can start immediately by just “turning the key” and beginning.
Turnkey websites follow a similar concept. They’re websites you “adopt” from the previous owner, with the expectation that all the gears are set up for smooth functioning.
This might be anything from the domains and hosting to scripts and shopping cart systems.
While that sounds great on paper, these websites are ripe with trouble.
I’m not talking about sales when referring to scale.
Why are you starting your own business? What’s your internal motivation to solve the problem your business idea addresses?
Answers to these questions can’t be secondary when starting a business.
These answers are the core determinant of your brand identity, the strategic message and tone that will resonate with your customers, your vision for business growth, and your employees’ beliefs in the field.
Ultimately, this is what allows you to scale – this is what most influences sales growth.
The primary issue with buying a turnkey website – or business – is buying someone else’s vision.
You’re buying someone else’s “why” as we like to explain it at NerdBrand.
The chance you’ll be able to authenticate someone else’s vision is slim. That’s why even the most significant household brands have difficulties maintaining the customer experience through a merger or acquisition.
If you’re going the turnkey route, you should have the plan to align the brand and business with your vision. That being the case, what’s the point of buying something “turnkey” then?
Maybe you’ve heard X platform is best for Y business, or a particular platform is easiest to manage yourself.
Many platforms give you a website with demo content for a low price, between $49 and $200, suggesting that if you can spend a few days tweaking things, you’ll be up and running.
That’s never true.
You’ll spend entire days tweaking the design and content and looking for add-ins to expand features (most of which won’t function out of the box quite as well as you hoped).
Worst case scenario, you’ll lose time fixing broken things instead of working on your business.
Eventually, you’ll realize business is suffering. So much time gets spent on this website you thought was the easy solution.
Turnkey websites sacrifice the individuality and uniqueness of your vision, making people loyal to your brand.
Getting a website tailored to your needs is always a better investment.
Yes, it will cost more upfront. However, the return on investment of having a standout brand identity and website aligned with your unique business approach is enormous.
To me, it’s essential to consider the opportunities lost by taking a turnkey or DIY option.
You give up time that could be spent face-to-face with people who can grow your business.
You drop a focus on improving operational inefficiencies. And strategically, your next big move gets delayed.
Your business will grow more slowly as you bury yourself in tasks that should be delegated.
There are scenarios where going the turnkey route makes sense. I won’t say there’s never been a successful turnkey situation.
But turnkey websites generally result in so much struggle that they hit the “not working” category for me. They distract from improving your business and presenting your brand in its most authentic form.
As a result, operations suffer, and the customer experience suffers.
That’s pretty much the definition of things not working well.
We knew a business that started a couple of years ago and took shortcuts on website design and brand development. They relied almost solely on a brand name to build trust and gain a certain demographic’s attention.
Unfortunately, they never invested in legitimate, standardized brand identities or effective websites. At least, not websites that adequately addressed content organization, SEO, and future marketing needs.
The owners thought no further than the next quarter. They quickly put together their website.
Website user experience, SEO, and marketing were not highly valued or considered.
Sales started to hit a glass ceiling, and they refused to invest in addressing the brand. They also neglected tactics like SEO to improve organic reach.
Instead, they relied purely on paid ads and tactics they felt still worked; Google Analytics contradicted those feelings.
As horrible as the challenges have been, companies that invested in their branding and website presence have increased sales.
Those that did not make these moves saw over 60% of their business quickly disappear. Even worse, they had to rely 100% on online sales channels they weren’t prepared for.
But it was too late. It takes months to build a viable digital presence and sometimes years to gain prominence in organic search rankings. They missed the bus in most cases.
Too much reliance on turnkey solutions, plus band-aids on branding, led to a lack of competitiveness when the market squeezed (which it always does eventually).
Turnkey websites, or solutions in general, make it easy to get going. The car will start.
That’s undeniable.
But you’ll be driving down the wrong highway entirely.
If you’re considering cutting corners using turnkey solutions, be aware of the likely outcomes so you can head them off.
Once you’ve established a legitimate website foundation, marketing and advertising can do their job best within manageable costs.
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