Let’s be honest: small farm websites are important, but the thought of creating and managing a website on top of managing a regenerative farm sounds impossible. As a farmer, most of your time is spent building, planning, planting, maintaining, harvesting, and selling.
If you are completely new to the idea of managing your own website, there is a lot to figure out. There are different web design platforms that offer you a wide variety of features. So it takes time to research what works best for you.
The extra time invested is worth it, as a website is one of the best things you can do for your farm.
In this blog post, we are going to go over why small farm websites are so important and so incredibly helpful. We will cover 5 reasons why this is one of the best things you can do for your marketing.
The Importance of Small Farm Websites
First off, the success of small, sustainable farms is incredibly important. Conventional ag. has a huge advantage over the rest of the farming community. More resources in general, including government subsidies, are funneled towards these large-scale operations.
Conventional agriculture, however, wrecks havoc on the environment. Those large fields of corn and beans slowly degrade local topsoil density, and the constant use of fertilizer kills biodiversity.
Regenerative farms, on the other hand, are a boon to the local environment. They nourish precious topsoil, which in turn traps excess CO2.
If you are in this line of work as a farmer, you know how absolutely important this work is. What you do helps mitigate climate change. Put simply, the more successful you are, the more carbon you can capture.
This is why small farms with regenerative practices need as much exposure as possible. The easier it is for the public to find and buy sustainably produced food, the more likely we can turn the tide towards locally based, climate-friendly farming.
So, without further ado, here are 5 of the top reasons why small farmers need a website.
1: Makes you Easy, and Possible, to Find
Nearly everyone uses Google. Google is a massive indexing database, and it serves as the primary search function for anyone looking to find or buy a product.
It is estimated that Google has over 4 billion users across the globe. In order for any of those users to find your farm, you need to start by having a website indexed on Google.
Without it, you are a ghost to a majority of the world. Even amidst your local community, you are missing a ton of exposure by not having a simple website optimized for Google’s database. (Most affordable web-design platforms will be “SEO friendly”, meaning they are automatically tailored to be picked up and indexed by Google).
With a basic website, people in your area entering “regenerative farms near me” will see your website pop up on the list of suggested links. They will then be able to see what it is you grow or do.
This gives you a huge boost in exposure.
Furthermore, individuals already familiar with your farm name can look you up at a later date, or spread the word to their friends and family by easily sharing your website link.
2: Lends Legitimacy
With the dawn of the internet, the constant presence of phones, and the dominance of digital marketing, having a website is now necessary for any business wishing to succeed. On that note, farms are a business, and having a website works wonders for solidifying interested parties into buyers.
Small farm websites are like a store front, or a business card. Having both makes it far easier for you to establish a name and identity, and having a website is that extra effort that helps potential customers know this is a quality product.
3: Easiest Way to Market Your Farm
If you are already aware of the potential in digital marketing for your farm, you might be overwhelmed by the amount of work involved. Social media demands a rather active presence, and everything else requires an inordinate amount of time and effort to implement.
A website, however, requires nothing but the initial build and occasional product updates.
And once built, this performs a majority of the “sales” work for you. Cute pictures of your livestock, beautiful pictures of produce, and a short description of your farm makes your job so much easier.
4: Small Farm Websites Provide Essential Guidance to New Buyers
New buyers always have a lot of questions. This is especially true in such an entirely new landscape. So many people are used to buying produce from a grocery store. Buying directly from a farm can be slightly intimidating.
Any good, affordable website builder will give you an easy way to set up a contact button or form, which will help immensely in building trust and answering questions.
Have a farmers market you are attending in the near future? When a new contact reaches out, tell them to visit you there and buy some produce at the market. Or, if you run into new customers at the market, give them your website URL so they can contact you later.
Small farm websites serve as the connecting bridge between the local community and the farm itself. So many people living in the city rely on a website to simplify the buying process. There is a lot about farming people don’t understand, but there is a growing interest in being a part of the process.
A website that shows what you grow or raise, and how people can buy that product, is an excellent way to guide brand new buyers.
5: Your Farm Can Easily be Listed on National Regenerative Farm Directories
Yes, those directories do indeed exist.
Regenerative agriculture is growing in popularity. It is no longer just a fringe movement of environmentally minded farmers looking to rebuild a connection with nature.
It has landed at the forefront of the climate change debate as a strong tool in combating rising CO2 levels.
Well-known documentaries like Kiss the Ground on Netflix really helped define regenerative farming amongst the general public, as well as popularize it.
As part of Kiss the Ground’s efforts to build awareness, their website directs people wanting to get involved to a national regenerative farm map. This is put together by Regeneration International, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
The map not only lists the farm name, but it also lists what they grow, where they are located, and their website. This offers free advertising, all with minimal effort on your part.
The Hidden Power of Small Farm Websites
While it can take some time to build, manage, and create a website from scratch, it is worth every dime and every minute you invest.
It is the essential storefront for your business, and it is the best way for people to contact you. On top of this, a proper website will index you in Google’s database, meaning your farm name is searchable by billions of people.
Last but not least, a website is easy, and it is how you introduce the urban communities to the wonders of locally grown produce. It allows a large, interested populace a window into the wonders of regenerative agriculture.
If you are interested in getting started on creating your own website, click here to learn more about what I do and how I help farmers market their work.
