Which Came First: The Web Site or the Money?

Chris Rackley

Oct2nd

Chicken or the egg? Take your pick. It’s the question that will be debated as long as this earth stands. Some people will passionately side with the chicken … they can even outline their argument. The same goes for the egg. It’s amazing how people can “reason out” such a simple yet mind blowing question. There are other “impossible” questions, too. Take my current favorite for example: Which came first — the web site or the money? Do I invest in a web site in hopes that it will bring me the business I need, or do I wait until the money is there, and then get the web site of my dreams? Just like the “chicken or the egg” question — you can side with either answer, and you could say that there are “no wrong answers.” Same goes for my question — which is why I’ve decided to play both sides and have an all-out war with … myself (?!)

The Web Site Came First!

Yeah, you heard me. You gotta spend money to make money! How are you supposed to get money for a web site for your business? Advertise in the Yellow Book? Please! You just gotta fork it out now and reap the rewards later. The more you wait to have a web site, the more business you lose. Duh. My toddler can tell you that. Think about it: you can get a great web site for less than 1 30-second commercial on the 6 o’ clock local news. And now look, you’ll reach far more people, many of whom are actually looking for you. In other forms of media, you’re just throwing spaghetti on the wall and hoping something will stick. An online strategy of a good web site, a grassroots campaign utilizing stuff like YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and MySpace, some GoogleAds, etc. is just what you need for your business. And you need it now! Now! Now! Now!

The Money Came First!

Shut up, fool! You’re about as responsible as a spoiled 10-year old who doesn’t know how to rinse his own dishes out in the sink! Don’t you know that it’s smarter to wait until you have the money to properly invest in the site you want? If you rush to get a site before you have the needed funds, its quality will be compromised. It’ll smack of mediocrity! And in the wild world of web, if your site isn’t the best in your industry (or close to it), then you might as well not have a site at all. You should get an estimate to know what it’ll take to build you the web site you want, and then you should work at it until you have all the money you need. Then you can invest, guilt free, and get everything you want. Remember, rushing in almost always leads to something mediocre. So wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!

And Now, The Rest of the Story

Alright, kiddos — back up and chill! Let’s set some records straight. First off, every day you don’t have a web site, you’re potentially losing more customers. Period. There’s no sales pitch in that statement, it’s just the cold, hard truth. People use the web. It’s that simple. Even if they’ve heard about you from a friend, chances are your potential customers are looking you up first before they give you a call. Let that sink in for a second … what happens if they don’t find you when they look you up? What happens if they see a bad web site when they look you up? Not cool! So obviously, getting a good web site up as quickly as you can is definitely a good thing.

BUT, you never, ever want to settle. I think back to the few times I’ve finished projects for clients who weren’t “thrilled” with the results. They were satisfied — we’ll always see to that, but not thrilled. I take it very personally when someone’s not overly thrilled. So I’ve thought back at what brought us to that point. They all had one thing in common: At the beginning of the project, they realized they didn’t have the money to do what they wanted. So we cut some things and got the project within their budget. And at the end of the project, they’d have a great site for their investment … but it usually wasn’t what they’d envisioned when they first called us. So there are times where it might be good just to wait that little while longer so that you can get the web site with all the bells and whistles you want.

I think when all is said and done, the answer to this question comes down to a bit of soul searching. There are some people who keep waiting and waiting to do a site because they “don’t need one right now” or “they don’t have the money.” What they don’t know is that their competitor’s stealing a good dose of clients from them by having a strong web presence. On the other hand, there are people who rush in to a web site too soon, and the result is they’ve become very cost-focused rather than product-focused. Please don’t be that person. (Or if you’re stubborn and that’s who you’re going to be, please don’t call us.) You need to be thinking about the web site, not the cost … that’s the Web Strategist’s job.

So is there really an answer to this whole dilemma? Yep. The best solution for both sides is to work with a web company to produce a scalable option for them. That way, as the web site begins to generate business and sales go up, more can be invested to make the site better, without having to redo it all. Always check to see what your web developer’s vision is for you. You may not always be interested in it. But it’s good to know that they have one in the back of their head, just in case you ever are interested in “upping the ante.” You need to work with people who see the big picture and what’s down the road … rather than just putting out a site for you really fast and collecting a check. A lasting partnership is the way to go.