Dont judge a book by its cover

When you were little, something your mum would have told you is not to judge a book by its cover; however this is something we all do. We take one look at the outside of something, a first impression and we judge them, making assumptions about who they are and what they represent. This has now moved from a physical domain into digital, through the use of internet.

I am the first to admit that quite frequently I judge a company by the state of their website. When I hear about a new company or business, the first thing I do is jump on the internet and search for their website. They immediate lose points if they do not have a website as I believe that a website is crucial, even for a business that exists only in the physical world. My next judgements are made upon looking at the webpage. For me, my whole perception of a new business is based solely on how well the website is designed. Is the website visually appealing? Does it provide the information that I require? Is there sufficient information without information overload? Can I easily find contact details, opening hours, etc? If I find the website to be hard to navigate or it looks unprofessional, I immediately confer these perceptions onto the company itself.

When I first saw the website for MSY, an IT retailer, my initial impresions about the business were not good. I immediately associated the lack of care for the website with a negative view about the business. There was no way that I would go to that store. It just so happens though that despite this terrible website, MSY is a very popular store, with a great reputation where people line up on the footpath to buy computer parts from them. Does this then negate the need for a good website?

So my question to you is this; is it necessary to have a website, even if you operate only in a physical store/office? Is it reasonable for us to judge a business by their website? What do you think?