Can you guess which of our services has the highest demand?

YUP. Websites.

EEEEEEEveryone wants a website nowadays. I can’t blame em, everyone needs an online presence if they want to have a business in 2019. But notice how I say: Online presence… not necessarily “Website”.

You might be thinking: “Is this girl crazy?! Why is she dissing her own craft?” – The truth is, even though websites are a HUGE part of our income, I don’t recommend approaching it the way most of my clients do when they first chat with me about website projects. Here are some of those mistakes, so you can try to avoid them:

1. Hiring Cheap Labor

   If the first thing that comes up on Google when you type in “website designer” is an ad from 99designs, fiverr or upwork promising a website for $200 or less with a ‘2-day turnaround’ time, RUN. This is dangerous because it’s a complete lie. Just ask anyone who’s done it. They’re definitely tell you their horror story. These websites help many people bring money to the table, so I think it’s great they exist! But for you, I’d recommend steering clear. Those designers are often just starting out their careers and are not qualified to do the quality of work you need for a properly functioning website. They often use outdated ways to make websites, they don’t estimate timing correctly, sneak in a bunch of hidden costs, use templates without customizing, pay for positive reviews, and the examples they use on their profiles are often stolen from the internet! You’re also putting yourself at risk of not being able to reach them for edits later on if you need them.

2. Demanding WordPress

   WordPress’ marketing team goes HARD on this fact: More than 30% of the internet is powered by WordPress. OK cool. Most of the internet is GARBAGE. Sorry to be harsh, but you know I’m right. You don’t want to be included in that percentage. You want to be in the % with the beautiful, user-friendly, high quality designs! WordPress does not = a professional website. We used to build WP sites all the time, but after a few years we’ve noticed it’s just not cutting it. People seem to think WordPress is more customizable than Squarespace (Hint: it’s not) and it’s just as easy to use (no way, josé.. I don’t care how savvy you are, you can expect to need help from an expert almost 100% of the time). WordPress plugins are made by anyone, so they often are not compatible with one-another and make your website crash! Last but not least, people think it’s cheaper: Again, not true. After paying for a fancy theme & adding all the extras that you’ll (for sure) need: like expensive monthly access to plugins, website security, constant maintenance cost, etc. it can end up being way more expensive than SS!

3. No Strategy

   Thinking about your audience and your goals is absolutely KEY when building a website. You can’t come into this thinking “I need to put my info up” and that’s it. No. In order to make a website work, you need to think about the customer journey. What’s in it for them? How do they get to your website? What do they do once they land there? ALSO you need to think about how this website is going to actually generate revenue for you. The idea that “you’ll build it and they’ll come” is never going to happen unless you invest in good content development & SEO. I’m also shocked at how many of my clients never thought of doing a competitor audit to see what other options their customer might be considering and what the opportunities are for standing out. Before blowing all your savings on a “pretty” website, invest in strategy.

4. No Branding

   I can’t tell you how many times a client has come to me asking for a website before having any kind of brand identity. You need to develop a brand identity in oder to use it on your website. This is not only what will dictate the colors, fonts and layout, but also the voice in the copywriting, the imagery, the content, EVERYTHING!

5. No Content

   I don’t know how this is logical, but many times I’ve had clients come to me asking for a website design (with a fast turnaround) and offer ZERO content to fill the site. Content development & copywriting are a whole other project, and in order to have an effective website, this should definitely be looked at closely before kicking off the web design process. When done right, you can develop solid, strategic content that ‘s optimized for SEO & is perfectly aligned with your brand personality. When starting out, I recommend developing a simple 1-page site, with a lead magnet for email signups & focusing on developing quality content to grow your audience (blog, email and/or social media). Then, as you grow your email list and maybe convert some into customers, you can learn more about your audience and use those learnings to develop the rest of your website strategically.

That’s it! hopefully you can avoid some of these and have a nice & smooth process building your website. If you’re interested in working with us to help develop your Brand Strategy, Brand Identity, or to develop strategic content for your Website, Blog, Email Marketing or Social Media, don’t hesitate to reach out! Just click the button below to schedule a free intro call.