Website Angst – What you don’t say, can hurt you

I have finally turned over the files to my web developer for my new website. It’s taken me months—maybe it’s been a year. I’m not sure. What I do know is that I dragged my feet.

It wasn’t that it was hard to get rid of the old one. It was dated and although better than the version before it, it was not helping me. In fact, I know that in one case it actually hurt me. I discovered this in a bizarre conversation I had with a potential client.

We chatted about my previous experience with clients like the one she represented. She seemed to enjoy my telling her of my experiences, the challenges of previous clients and how I was able to help solve them. We talked about messaging, which I contend is the center of any good campaign. The channels you use to tell it are secondary although extremely important––print, broadcast, and online in its myriad forms.  Then the conversation was cut short when she told me she looked at my website and it didn’t say enough about social media so she didn’t think I was the right person.

It was strange because she didn’t ask me about my experience with social media. That would have been a different conversation entirely. The next day I hung an “under construction” sign on my website. It’s still there now but will be coming down, I hope in the next four weeks.

So why would I drag my feet? It seems that I would need a pretty urgent remedy. The reason is simple and one that makes me empathize with my clients. Simply put, it’s because I don’t want to get it wrong. I don’t want to leave out that nugget that resonates with potential clients and affirms what they believe they need. I don’t want to say too much so that it is verbose and boring. I want it to be straightforward but not pedantic. I want the right images that reflect the energy of my work. It takes time but now I’m ready. The layout, the copy, the images and colors are all brand spankin’ new and about to come together to create my new online presence.

If you are in the same boat, I can help you too––with the patience or urgency that you need. I won’t do the coding (you should be glad), I will help you be strategic, distill your message to reach your target market and help you choose the look and attitude that will work for you. Then, we’ll take it to my friends and colleagues at Omnibeat to get it up and running.