Finally Launching My New Website…
Posted on Tue, Aug 17, 2010
The Trials and Tribulations of Building a Website
I would love to say that my new website is finally finished, but websites are never finished. They are a living and breathing part of your business that is constantly evolving and changing. What I can say is that the major redesign of my new website is finally complete. What I am saying is the structure of the site has changed dramatically. What I want to share is my journey that is filled with errors, poor judgment, but is guided by a clear vision and the result that I wanted. Let me explain the clear vision first.
I wanted to have the RickSegel.com website to be easy to understand, use and serve as an example of what good web design should be. The other thing that all of us want in a website is that it must be an investment and not just an expense. There are too many websites that are built which are beautiful but worthless. A website should generate business but it cannot be any type of hard sell. It is important to understand I have reviewed over 500 different websites in seminars, workshops, webinars, magazine and newspaper articles along with my book, The Essential Online Solution. That makes me a picky customer. Generally, I am an easy sell, but as they say, knowledge can be a dangerous thing. The other factor to consider is that not only have I reviewed that many websites, but I have also reviewed the work of hundreds of web designers.
The one constant complaint that I got about my previous website was that it was difficult to navigate. The sad part about it was even I couldn’t find things that were there, so how could I expect my visitors to find what they were looking for? The internet, ecommerce, and web designs are changing at hyper speeds, which means your website has to be and look fresh all of the time. The other goal that many of us forget is that the web is about convenience in finding things fast. That is why things such as pictures flying in and out, music blasting, and the use of FLASH is truly not necessary. One of the other things I learned from reviewing so many sites is that the prettiest sites don’t always receive the highest ratings. It is the ones I refer to as utilitarian that often receive this distinction. Another way of saying it is that function beats out form. So don’t expect to go to my website to find whiz-bang graphics.
Now let me share some of the mistakes I made along the way. I believe the biggest mistake has been in my selection of vendors or consulting firms who supposedly have all of the answers. My new site represents the efforts of four different web development companies. One quit, two were fired, and one firm I love. The web designer who quit was a one-man shop who simply burnt himself out by promising too much and carried guilt when he couldn’t deliver it. That was my first lesson for the size of the website that I have: a one-person shop is way too small if you want multiple projects taking place at the same time, which is really what the web is all about. The first company I had to fire just talked in technical terms and I had no idea what she was talking about. When I would ask for an explanation, I was made to feel stupid. I am the customer. She forgot that and I forgot her. The good thing about the relationship was that I realized it early and made a move.
The next firm I hired had such great promise. I loved the people she employed and loved her website plus the websites she had created in the past. I should have known there was a problem when shortly after I joined the firm, she changed her website and the new sites she was designing were terrible. Remember I had a clear vision of what my website was to look like and do for me. The principal of the firm would argue with me on every change I wanted to make. We would meet on a weekly basis and argue about the stupidest things, and I ended up wasting months and money until one of my colleagues observed that we were literally just spinning our wheels and going nowhere. The lessons to learn from this relationship were firstly, make sure your philosophies are in sync with each other. Second, never trust a company that is telling you how to do business when the health of their business is suspect. Lastly, don’t ask them to use a process or a piece of software with which they have no experience.
I am a huge believer in the HubSpot Software Solution to “Inbound Marketing”. The company that I had hired did not know or understand the true benefits of this approach to marketing. In short, I was paying someone to learn and that was dumb! To my credit, I was smart enough to finally go to HubSpot and ask them for referrals of consulting firms which utilized their product and processes. That was smart! I then reviewed 15 different vendors and interviewed 8. That was also smart because each one gave me more knowledge and a better understanding of what was needed.
Let me share the reasons why I like my website as much as I do and maybe there are some lessons for you to learn as well. I do invite your comments and criticisms, and I will explain and defend any of my actions and why we did what we did. I am not saying defend in a negative way but rather an explanation of why it was done that way.
- It is easy to navigate. Anyone can figure out where they are and how to get there.
- It is focused on the benefit of the viewer.
- It is built for growth. As many pages as it has, it is relatively easy to add to it.
- There are reasons to return to the site.
- The calls to action and opportunities for perspective clients to contact me are many.
- My use of testimonials helps to build my credibility. It reinforces Rick Segel as an authority and a thought leader.
- It positions me as the expert in my field. This is important for all of us, not just for a writer and a speaker. Every retailer has to be positioned as the expert in their area.
- It is an integral part of all of my marketing efforts and it has a lead nurturing system built in for prospective clients.
- It allows me the flexibility to include many of my other business ventures under one umbrella, such as texting4retailers, mystery shopping4retailers, and even websites4retailers.
- There is a sense of organization that is not only appreciated by the viewer, but also appreciated by the people who work on the site. Simple is good.
I wanted to make the process I went through an example and something we all call learn from so that maybe your process will be a little bit easier than mine. I will share the name of the company that I am using: Lynton Web Solutions out of Houston, TX. Rick Segel and Associates are pleased to announce a partnership with Lynton Web Solutions which will create websites for retailers and help them with new and innovative marketing strategies.
I hope this makes a difference in your online struggles.
Have a great week and check out my website at www.ricksegel.com. I would love your feedback.