Failure to launch (when business websites get stuck)

• Freaking out about which specific shade of green (or blue or orange) should be in the logo?
• Agonising over pages of scribbled notes, searching for the perfect tagline?
• Putting off the website launch for the third time because it’s not quite right?

You’re definitely not alone.

I’ve spoken and worked with people who’ve become so stuck in the process of building their business website – they’ve been going around in circles for months, or even years.

And we so-called ‘professionals’ are just as bad. Even though I’m a copywriter (perhaps because I am a copywriter), I’ve managed to alternate between procrastinating and reworking a single page of my own copy for weeks.

How I got unstuck: it’s all about iterations

What helped me get unstuck, and what I talk about with my clients, is understanding that a website is never ‘done’. It will always change. The critical question is: why?

Common wisdom will tell you it’s because you must get your business website live as soon as possible, and tweak as you go. The implication is that it’s more important to be out there competing in the market, than it is to be ‘perfect’.

That’s true, but there’s a deeper reason.

Your website changes because your business, and your understanding of your business, changes. In fact, particularly if you are a new business, it’s impossible for you to produce a website right now that will serve you really well in six months.

I’m not a designer or a coder, so I’m not talking looks or software. I’m talking about how you connect with potential clients, how you help them find what they need, the story you tell and the way you tell it.

Each day in business you will learn more about your ideal client, more about what you do or create that they love so much, and more about yourself. All this knowledge is vital to uncovering your business essence and crafting stories that inspire you and your customers. As your knowledge evolves, so your story evolves – sometimes subtly, sometimes radically.

Iteration means ‘repetition of process’. As you learn, you repeat the process of getting to the heart of your business, of uncovering your compelling message, of finding your unique voice. And each time that process is deeper and more rewarding.

So, whenever you are creating your business website you are creating only this iteration of it. There’s no need to agonise, to become entangled in this moment. Whatever you create will be right for now, and will be the perfect stepping stone to your next iteration.

I realise this all may sound a bit too ‘zen’ to be practical, but it comes directly from my own experience. To prove it – here’s a peek into my web past.

A smart fresh website retrospective

Website #1

When I left a management / corporate communications job to go full-time freelance in 2008, I knew that I wanted to write for businesses and that my approach was about being smart and fresh – high quality, authentic, lively business writing.

But I didn’t really know my ideal client because I hadn’t met them yet, and, unsurprisingly, I hadn’t honed in on what I could do that would best serve them and me. So the terms were broad, and also influenced by what I saw on the sites of other similar service providers.

This first site wasn’t refined – it didn’t sound like me – but it served its purpose and contained the seed of what was to come.

Website #2

By 2009, I knew a lot more about the people I loved working with (mindful, passionate entrepreneurs and small business owners) and the kind of writing through which I could deliver most value (website copywriting and content).

I stopped comparing with other websites and had the confidence to say exactly how I wanted to work (in full partnership with my clients), aware that it may turn some people away.

Of course, what I got was more enquiries from the kind of people I loved to work with, who loved the site and wanted to work with me.

Website #3

I’m going into 2010 with my third iteration, the recently launched site you are hopefully now enjoying (and if you’re looking at this in a feed reader – get on over and check out my site!).

This site takes what I did with site #2 a step further. I’m more specific about the kind of people I work best with, and how we will work. I’ve learned, from many interactions over the last two years, the stories that best communicate what I’m about in a way that resonates strongly with my ideal clients. There are a few key phrases that remain from the very first site, and more that have emerged from my intervening experience.

Most importantly, I think this site is more me – revealing my uninhibited voice and personality – than ever before, which means I can connect more deeply with the people I want to serve.

Enjoy your iterations

I could never have written site #3 when I first started freelancing, but if I’d let that stop me from launching site #1 I would never have learned everything I needed to learn to make site #3 happen.

I’m obliged to say that partnering with professionals, be they copywriters or web designers, can definitely make the process of creating your business website less painful, and bring the end result closer to your big vision.

Even so, there will, and should always be, iterations. Enjoy them. Take pleasure in the gradual and cyclical learning, uncovering and growing of your message. It’s a vital part of being wholly present, passionate and mindful in your business.

One last piece of advice

Finally, if you’re thinking of changing your site, take a screenshot of the old one first. It’s nice to be able to look back and see where you’ve come from :)

24 Nov 09   |   Read more on Writing Connections   |   4 Comments »