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(I will never rent, trade, or sell your information) * = required fieldThere is one thing that will undoubtedly delay the launch of your website (or blog). It's something I haven been guilty of for my own websites, and it's something I have seen my clients and other business owners struggle with. No, it's not having too little money to spend on design & development, or ending up with a "lemon" of a web company. In fact, it usually has little to do with the technical aspects of the project. The culprit is usually Perfectionism.
Are you surprised? Let me explain how this insidious tendency can delay your website launch (even indefinitely!), and why it doesn't have to.
A website is really a very personal thing - especially if it is representing a solopreneur (sole-proprietor business). As a solopreneur, who is often very personally connected with the brand of the company, having the right image is so important. The "right image" includes all sorts of pieces - a decent headshot that makes you feel attractive; a logo which really conveys your message; text that authentically and persuasively informs visitors about the substance and value of your offering; and an overall site design which is high-quality, beautiful, professional, looks good in different web browsers, is easy to navigate, and contains everything a prospect would want to see. Phew! It sounds like a tall order! No wonder it's so easy to get overwhelmed with the task of actually creating such a site, why it can be so challenging to choose a web developer, and why so many solopreneurs who know they need a new website, just can't bring themselves past procrastination to get one.
Perfectionism can infect any stage of a new website project - it can halt your project before it even begins, when you can't stop researching web technologies and web developers to just hire someone and get started. After you have a developer, it might mean dragging your feet when sending over your basic graphic materials. You delay because you don't yet have the perfect headshot, or you're not sure if you need a logo. Perhaps you struggle committing to decisions about the design, what content and features you want, or whether you want a squeeze page or not. Maybe you haven't found the "perfect" email list provider, so you don't have your sign-up form code, or you just aren't 100% pleased with your website copy. It can mean having an almost completed website, but not wanting to "launch" because you are working on a product, and you want that on the website also, but it's not ready yet, or you are going to start having events in a few months, so don't we need to wait so there is an event calendar?
Maybe you recognize yourself here. I hope your heart isn't pounding too hard with anxiety, because there is good news about all this - You don't need to launch a "perfect" website. This is good news because your website will never be perfect - in fact, perfect doesn't exist, and you probably wouldn't be able to recognize any website as perfect. This might be shocking, but let me explain.
The nature of a website is constant evolution. A website is not something you can just "do" once, and then it's "done." It is something that is a living part of your business - a place where your new services and products are showcased and your bio is kept up-to-date. It's where tomorrow's event is advertised, and last month's events are archived. It is today's news and yesterday's history. This constant activity keeps your visitors - and the search engines - coming back regularly. You never want your website to get stale.
Yes, you want to feel great about your website - it needs to represent your business authentically, in a way you are comfortable with, and having a strong foundation for your website is important. But you need to recognize when you are unnecessarily delaying the progress of your site launch. Sometimes you might fear that if you put in a so-so headshot now, you will never be able to change it, or if you don't have an event calendar on your site the day you launch, it will be difficult or impossible to add it later.
I want to acknowledge these concerns as valid. In fact, many web developers do cause you problems when it comes to making certain changes or adding things after the initial design is completed. My advice for you is to think carefully about what your individual concerns are, about why you are reluctant to launch your website, and then bringing those concerns up with your web developer. There might be a simple solution that your developer can offer you that painlessly alleviates your fears, or at least you can get the truth about what the changes will cost to implement later. Complete information will help you make wise decisions about your site launch, rather than keep you hiding out paralyzed in "what-if" land.
When I develop websites for my clients, I do like to make sure they have a solid foundation - clear branding and a great design. I also talk to them about their longer-term plans, because I know that in reality, creating your website is a big project, and there are many business and marketing projects which will come to fruition down the line, months after launch, which will need to be accommodated on the website. I also know that new opportunities and ideas will arise that the website needs to support as well. This is why all the sites I develop are built with a flexible layout framework and all the "plumbing" in place to quickly "turn on" things like product catalogs, event calendars, additional squeeze pages, etc, long after the launch when they are needed.
I also build sites on a content management system so that all the content on the website is editable by the business owner with a secure login and a simple web-based interface. The great thing about this set up is that my clients launch faster, and are able to easily and instantaneously add to their website's evolution.
Your website can't do anything for your business until it's launched and your prospects can see it. Your first draft of your service description might be just fine to launch with, as long as you can easily improve it later. If you are looking for a website developer that is focused on a faster launch and ongoing evolution, please contact me for a complimentary strategy session. Don't delay your website any longer!
