How do I find out how much of a print shop’s work comes through its website?

Many print shops say the website drives growth, but the claim needs to be traced. Start with the order system. Ask whether web orders are tagged as such in the shop’s records, and ask for a report that lists them with dates, customers and amounts, next to every other source.

Then test it. Pick a handful of recent invoices and ask how each customer first reached the shop. Some web orders are from customers who already knew the shop and just used the site for convenience. Others are from strangers who found it through search. The second kind is harder to replace.

Look at who controls the website. Does the shop own the domain name and the site, or did a designer or agency set it up in their own name? Ask for the logins and confirm that they will transfer. Ask what the site costs to run and who updates it. Finally, ask how much of the traffic depends on paid advertising, and what happens to orders if that stops. Ask for any messages or reviews customers left through the site, as they show who is using it.

Key takeaways

• Get web orders reported separately and compare them with a sample of invoices.
• Separate loyal customers using the site from new ones found online.
• Confirm that the shop owns its domain, site and accounts.
• Ask what the site costs to run and who keeps it updated.