Building a Web Site – Harder than you Want!

I just spent a couple of minutes answering an email, not from a Coaching client per se, but from one of the members of SurviveAndConquerCoaching

She wrote:

We are trying to get our e-commerce site up with delay after delay.  I'm sure my frustration just spilled out to you.  Is it always so hard to make a web site come to life?

Needless to say, this is a question that comes up often, in phone calls, working with clients, and even just chatting with folks at the TNNA Shows…

Now, the truth of the matter is that my answer is always the same –

Yes, it is always hard. Sorry!

and always different –

I tend to give warnings or suggestions, depending on what problems I have run into most recently with my coaching clients.

Here was my brief answer, colored in part by the problems I ran into this summer, trying to get a client's domain moved to a different registration company.

Actually, yes it is. I tell my coaching clients to consider it the same amount of time, work, and effort (if not more) as opening a second physical location… in a foreign country!

The biggest problems will be the ones you don't know about and the most important questions will be the ones you don't know to ask!

Here are a couple of issues:

• Be sure that your Hosting company and Domain Registration company are different. I spent probably 10-15 hours this summer sorting this problem out for a client… It was an eye opener even for me!

• If you are planning on selling online, start with a VERY narrow niche, get it up and running and then add another narrow niche, adding incrementally.

  Don't try to put your entire shop online… that would be the equivalent of throwing the entire pot of spaghetti at the wall to see if it is done LOL

• Do plan on using an AutoResponder company for your marketing email… business email and marketing email are entirely different. You don't want to get your web site email address blacklisted…

There are always going to be unexpected problems… but here are a few suggestions to minimize their effects:

1. Know what you want to accomplish with your web site — is it an ecommerce site, or just a business card site, or something in between. Answer this question FIRST!
2. Plan out the site navigation BEFORE anything else — how do you want / need to have visitors travel thru the site?
3. Plan in testing time, after the site is built and before it goes live

No matter how good a site design looks and functions, once it is live and online, you WILL see things you want to change.

This is as true for me now as it was when I was just starting. I design several sites a month and I am FINALLY learning to accommodate this in my schedule! LOL

Having said all of this, if you want a viable business offline, you MUST have a web presence of some sort, if only to take advantage of the Local marketing options both Google and Bing are now offering.

Sharing the Road to Success!

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