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Just Jess: Your Website is not the Field of Dreams

JUST JESS Bold Truths & Other Musings | Your Website is NOT the Field of Dreams

Let’s talk about websites. Everyone has one, right? Everyone needs one, right? Many people think creating a website for their company will be like the “Field of Dreams,” where “if you build it, they will come.”

Unfortunately, this is not the case. And in the vein of “Jess’s Bold Truths,” I’m here to give you the real scoop. Sure, you can pop us a quick ACME (pick a canned website builder) site in about 5 minutes. However, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Think about your domain name

Getting a domain is something you shouldn’t necessarily do on the fly. Your domain name will be on your business cards, your email and will live with your business for a very long time. There are a plethora of examples of lousy domain choices which businesses have made. For example, when Ben Dover grabbed his name, I doubt he considered it would be Bendover.com. So take a minute to consider the domain you stick with. When we created our firm, “Write Connections” was not available. We went with “makethewriteconnections.com,” which I still like but is a pain to type out or put on swag, including business cards.

Know your audience from the beginning

This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised. Many companies create websites without considering their target audience or what they want that audience to do once they get to their website. A website should not be a virtual scrapbook about every thought, idea, and activity you do in your business. Instead, all your words and images should create an experience geared toward your specific audience in a way that makes them want more (more of your product or to learn more about you).

The average visit to a website is 45-seconds. How will you use that 45-seconds to entice a visitor to stay longer? Every second matters; every graphic and word is important.

Build something you can actually manage

It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the bells and whistles. We as consumers are used to interacting with top dollar websites like Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Guess what? You are not them. Your website is not going to look or act like theirs.

Your content will not be updated daily, weekly, or even monthly. Understand if you create a blog, you have to feed content to that blog. This will take time outside of your core business (the irony is not lost as I write this). Do you have the time, the content, and the desire to add this to your list of things to do?

Building a website that will work for your business takes a strategy. Write Connections | strategy + design, works with businesses regularly to help them think through the functionality of their website before beginning a website build. Sure, planning and thinking aren’t as fun and sexy as just going for it. I understand completely. But in the long run, taking a few moments to work through these ideas will save you time, money and ensure your business brand remains strong.

Need help? Have more questions? Reach out to Write Connections.

Want to see some of the websites we’ve built? Visit our portfolio.