A Beautiful Empty Box
I started designing websites in 2000, long before build-it-yourself platforms like Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Google, and others existed. If you wanted a professionally built website for your small business in the early years of the 21st century you were compelled to hire a web development company, which was not cheap. Or you could ask your Uncle Ted, the IT guy, to build your website and hope that it didn’t have long pages of white text over a red background, cheesy synth music, or blinking links.
Modern build-it-yourself platforms promise that you can build a beautiful and professional-looking website in an afternoon and be well on your way to marketing nirvana by dinner time.
This is not true.
If you think I’m being cynical or this is sour grapes because Squarespace has taken business away from professional web designers, let me point out that you’re reading this post on a Squarespace website. I’ve also built several Squarespace and Wix websites for clients. Both are great platforms that have made my life easier in many ways so I’m definitely a fan. But the reason I find them so useful is that I’m a professional designer with over 20 years of experience creating websites.
A beautiful empty box
My point is that, while build-it-yourself website platforms are a terrific tool, the most you can do with them is build a beautiful empty box.
I love beautiful empty boxes. I have a large collection of vintage packaging in my home office and it brings me great joy (hands off, Marie Kondo). But a beautiful empty box is not the same thing as a productive and revenue-producing website.
Your beautiful box is useless without putting something valuable inside.
Content is the heart and soul of your website. A beautiful wrapping makes your content attractive and helps communicate your visual brand to the world but, if you skimp on developing good content, all you have is an empty container.
what to put in the box
Now that I’ve ruined your fantasy of launching a new website in a weekend, let me soften the blow by giving you a list of ingredients for truly successful website content.
The Message: Start with your brand message; a unique and compelling message that will resonate with the right audience. This is some of the foundational work I do with my clients. We spend a significant amount of time together taking a long, hard look at their “why” and developing a mission, a vision, and values around their why.
A Visual Brand: A brand is more than just a logo. But you definitely need a good visual brand to distinguish yourself in the marketplace and provide an instantly recognizable face for potential customers as they walk down the grocery store aisle or scroll through their Facebook feed. How much should you budget for a visual brand? You can read my thoughts about that topic here.
Well-written Content: Copywriting is probably one of the most undervalued components of website development. I love writing for my own blog and maybe you’re a fair hand at writing, too. But if you’re like most very busy entrepreneurs you need to hire a professional copywriter to fill the About Us, What We Do, and Why You Should Work With Us pages of your website. Well-written copy informs, convinces, and motivates curious onlookers and researchers into becoming customers.
Quality Imagery: Put down your iPhone and step away from that free stock photography! One of the first things any visitor to your website will notice is the imagery. It makes an emotional connection with their brain, draws them into your content, and brings them closer to hitting the “purchase” button.
If your business relies on e-commerce, quality product photography can stop someone mid-scroll on their Instagram feed and click on that gorgeous pic to see more.
Video has become king for communicating a message quickly and in a compelling way. You can explain a complex idea quickly and effectively with a 1-minute video and, using well-crafted heartfelt or humorous dialogue, make that emotional connection with a potential customer.
so, now what?
There are other ingredients that go into creating a successful website: information architecture, search engine optimization, and marketing strategy. But all of those are useless without good content for your beautiful empty box. So the next time you see an ad for Squarespace, Wix, or other build-it-yourself platforms you’ll know what kind of investment is truly involved before clicking “get started.”
Do you have questions about your website content or wondering how to get started developing your brand message? Let’s start a conversation.