If You Build It, They Will Come: Why A Strong Website Foundation Is Crucial 

By Steve Hoag

 

web foundationBuilding a great website can be a crowning achievement for many businesses. A lot of money and time are invested into these platforms, so much so that it is imperative the website turns out well. Companies with a strong foundation are like the kids in college who took the time to get internships and got a great job right after graduation. They set themselves up for future success. You reap what you sow, and that is especially true when it comes to online business. Here are some reasons why you want to be one of those college kids:

  1. Putting in the time and money now is better than having to do it repeatedly later.

If you’ve ever taken finance classes you know the basic principle that money now is worth more than money later. When it comes to websites, it’s the exact opposite. Yes, I know I am   completely disagreeing with some core ideas of finance, but those finance guys never had to go through multiple redesigns. And trust me; it can be a real headache. Making sure all your i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed early on can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Custom websites aren’t cheap, and neither are multiple redesigns.

  1.  You only have one shot with some consumers. Get it right!

Eminem once said: ‘If you had one shot, one opportunity…would you capture it?’ I like to think he wrote that just for this article and not a biopic. It definitely applies to online business. Some consumers will only take one brief look at your site and completely write you off. No three strikes and you’re out. You need to have a strong foundation so that you can effectively capture these leads from the get-go. Any lost leads means lost $$$.

  1. Rebranding and redesigns can lead to lost sales opportunities.

As said earlier, redesigns cost more than money, they cost time. This means you have to allocate business resources to the redesign, which can detract from sales efforts. The opportunity cost on redesigns can be quite large when you take everything into account. Make sure your foundation is strong so you don’t have to make these unnecessary sacrifices later on!

  1. Websites are the new brick and mortar store.

Back in old timey days, people didn’t have the Internet. They had to physically move to buy something they wanted. Now you can do pretty much all shopping from the comfort of your La-Z Boy. Old timey people judged stores by their appearance and by holding their wares. Nowadays people judge companies by their websites and snarky customer reviews/social media comments. This means that your website needs to be in tip top shape, ideally from day 1. It has to effectively reflect your brand, and persuade viewers that what you have to sell is worthy of their Benjamins.

  1. Climbing search rankings depends on sound website design and development.

SEO is like trying to lose weight. It’s a constant uphill battle, and you can undo significant progress with a few late night pizzas. That’s why it is important to have a strong foundation that you can easily build off of. Good search rankings don’t happen overnight. You need to do the little things like having suitable tags, use of keywords, intuitive nav structure, and linking through social media/blogs etc. It’s better to have your growing pains early on, rather than trying to adjust further down the road. Make life easy for search engines, so they can bring customers to you.

View User Profile for Steve Hoag Steve is a recent graduate from UW, and the Marketing Coordinator at Fast Track. He primarily has experience in the tech and start-up industries. When he's not busy promoting Fast Track, he's watching Huskies or Green Bay Packers football. You can find him on Twitter @steven_hoag .
Posted by Steve Hoag Friday, May 31, 2013 5:35:00 PM Categories: B2B enterprise SMB web design web development website
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