Archive for March, 2010

The failure of DIY websites

We live in a world of knockoffs. For every designer watch, handbag, or electronic gadget you could have your eye on, there are probably three others that look similar from a distance, but turn out to be cheap imitations once you’re holding them in your hands. That’s the same way I feel about small business do-it-yourself website “designs.”

Once the Internet started changing the way small businesses found and worked with customers, it didn’t take long for software and hosting companies to realize they could cash in on the trend. A good designer or creative team doesn’t come cheap, and they sensed eager entrepreneurs might be looking for ways to cut costs while taking their ventures online. And so, one after another, they started mass producing web designs – offering predesigned packages that could supposedly be used to make professional-looking sites within minutes, and at a fraction of the normal cost.

Soon, others started getting in on the act. Do-it-yourself website designs became a standard feature included with dozens of hosting packages and software suites. I’ve seen “ready-made” layouts offered inside productivity bundles, word processors, and even accounting software. The idea remains simple: fill in your information where it’s needed and you can have a custom website in a matter of minutes. It’s hard to find fault with this system, because it seems like everybody wins: the software company puts a few extra dollars on the balance sheet, and the customer saves some hard-earned cash.

And really, it would all be fantastic, if it weren’t for the results.

As you may already know if you’ve tried one, 99.5% of the ready-made, fill-in designs are terrible. I don’t just mean that they’re bad… I mean that they look like third grade computer science projects. From frames that don’t load correctly to colors that haven’t been in vogue since “elephant leg” jeans, they represent the exact opposite of what you want a customer to think about your business.

The biggest drawback to a “fill-in-the-blanks”, though, is that it hasn’t been designed for you. There are always going to be certain features, pages, or details that don’t quite do as much as you need them to, and others that are useless to your business. By attempting to come up with layouts that will work for anyone, in just about any industry, these companies are asking you to miss the forest for the trees. Sure, the do-it-yourself software is going to be easy from some to use – but most things that don’t stand any chance of making you money are.

Do it yourself website designs sound like a good idea in theory, and are kinder to your wallet. But if you’re serious about reaching your business goals, invest in an expert web designer who can create a layout that looks and performs the way it should.

Not since the invention of the business luncheon has there been a more powerful way for entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals to stay in touch with their clients than Facebook and other social media. In fact, I might venture that our digital tools have a leg up on afternoon martinis, given that it’s faster, less expensive, and allows us to reach dozens of people at a time.

To leverage your Facebook page to your advantage, though, you’re going to need to manage it the right way and avoid the most common pitfalls. Here are a few tips for using Facebook and other social networking sites to your advantage:

Act like a professional. Your Facebook page isn’t the place to post a detailed account of your drinking marathon, or rant about something that might offend one of your customers or colleagues. A surprising number of people forget that they’ve “friended” so many of their clients, and that each of their updates or ideas is going out to the men and women they do business with. What’s more, lots of the information on these sites is picked up by search engines, meaning that it could be nearly instantly accessible to someone who hasn’t even bought from you yet.

Be careful with photos and other media. A picture truly is worth a thousand words… or maybe tens of thousands of dollars if your best customer sees you doing something that doesn’t portray you in a good light. You don’t have to run every family vacation snapshot past a PR expert, but be careful about the photos and videos you share.

Keep private things private. In the same way, it’s a bad idea to talk about one of your clients personal or business details online. If you have any doubt whatsoever about whether they would want the information shared, then keep it to yourself.

Let your hair down. That doesn’t mean you have to be all business, though. One of the great things about social networking sites is that they allow you to share your personal side with the people who know you from a business setting. There’s nothing wrong with letting your customers know that you enjoyed a weekend away with your spouse, or that you just got a new puppy – these kind of details can strengthen your relationships with them, but use your better judgment.

Network. Online, it’s pretty easy to see who your clients are affiliated with, and it’s usually as easy as a quick e-mail to get an introduction. Treat Facebook and other social networking sites the same way you would any other professional networking setting – look for connections, but don’t be pushy about it.

Facebook might be a lot of fun, but it’s an also important business tool. That doesn’t mean you have to be thinking about sales and profits every time you log on, but you should probably remember that anything you say or post has the potential to be read by a client or prospect.

If we could narrow the wishes of every web design client in the world down to just two things, I suspect they would come out like this: they wish their website would be finished faster, and that their projects could cost less.

Both of those make perfect sense. Once a manager or business owner has decided to upgrade their site, or start a new one from the ground up, they are usually eager to get it done. And what company doesn’t like to save money? The expense of a new design can have a big effect bottom line – especially in this economy.

But what most clients don’t understand is that, while quality work is always going to take a little longer and require a more serious investment than something that’s poorly done, there are actually several things they can do to cut the time and lower the expense of their new website design. Here are a handful to get you started:

Know what you need. What features or functions will your new site have to have? What kind of look are you aiming for? Who will your visitors be? Knowing the answers to these questions gives you a strong starting point for your website design. In fact, I’d venture that the biggest time-waster in most clients’ projects stems from helping them figure out the basics of what they really need – issues they probably could have considered before we got started.

Supply pictures and content. Having the “raw materials” you’ll need for your website on hand – the photos, company history, logo files, etc. – can save your designer from having to track them down (or worse, re-create them from scratch) later. Naturally, this leads to fewer headaches, not to mention billable hours.

Appoint a contact. Who should your designer call or e-mail if they have a question? Having one person be the internal point of contact on your web design project can prevent dozens of smaller hassles. Ideally, it should be someone who knows where to find answers and information your company, and is in the office regularly. Whether they are in admin, management, or some other department isn’t important; that they can be reached and respond quickly is.

Give clear feedback. When you get a first look at your new design, try to give more insight than a simple thumb up or down. Specific feedback about the colors, tones, layout of the page, etc, if given early in the process, can cut off confusion (and expensive edits) down the road. Don’t be afraid to take a day or two and see how your new layout looks to you after you’ve slept on it. It’s a big decision, and one that costs a lot less time and money if you get it right the first time.

Stick to the plan. In the same way, try not to be too distracted by all of the things you’re new website could do, and focus on all of the things you decided it should do. It’s easy, once you’re in the middle of the process, to decide you want that two-minute video after all, or that your pages should all have rotating images. It’s also expensive and time-consuming. Remember the old proverb about an ounce of planning, and try to make decisions you can commit to at the start.

Hiring a designer or team to build your new website is probably never going to be as quick or inexpensive as you’d like. But keep these tips in mind, and you’ll burn a lot less time and money than most of your colleagues and competitors would.