It’s been 10 years since I updated my company website. Back when I did the update it was a total re-construction and re-build from the ground up. I found a new developer, sat down with a copywriter, had custom graphics designed and spent a boatload of money to get it up and running. It looked great! I was very proud of the website and my customers let me know they were impressed too! In fact, sales went up as a result of the new site.
Fast forward to present day and the website is not getting the job done anymore. It crashed a few times and I found out that many of the plugins were out-of-date and so in order to get back to the latest protocol we need a new website built from scratch. Now, before you start to think this blog will be a technical conversation about website building let me set you correct. This will be a thought provoking article about my thoughts on a new website. What to do and how to do it.
Certainly, what was popular 10 years ago with the wedding crowd (25-39) is totally different today. After 2 years of a pandemic and the domination of online shopping there is no doubt in my mind that couples today plan weddings different from couples of a decade ago. A 27 year old bride-to-be is busier than ever and rarely picks up a phone to call people. THEY TEXT!!!! They don’t want to talk with you because they have been conditioned to get what they want with a phone in hand. The pandemic brought people out of their office in business clothes and put them on their couch in pajamas. You could go to Amazon and have all of your goods delivered to your door. Food brought to you by Uber-Eats and doctor visits by tele health. But the biggest advancement to come out of the pandemic was ZOOM and the normalization of video communication. This was a game changer.
In a previous blog article I wrote how I lost my office and quickly realized I didn’t need it anymore. I’m not saying I don’t need my website anymore, but the need for a big fancy website might be unnecessary. This revelation comes from noticing how the tendencies of my potential clients have evolved post pandemic. Let’s explore the way couples plan a wedding in 2022 vs 2012.
- 2012 Couples would search the internet on a lap top or desk top. – 2022 Couples search using a smart phone or tablet
- 2012 Couples wanted to meet in a face to face environment – 2022 Couples prefer to meet via video conference or even over phone conversation
- 2012 Couples would look to friends to make recommendations – 2022 Couples read on-line reviews
- 2012 Couples would go to bridal shows – 2022 Couples would search page 1 of Google
- 2012 Couples would read and research a website – 2022 Couples have a very short attention span (Thankyou TikTok)
Ok, so armed with that information I get to my big consideration for the new website. Do I need to have a BIG, long winded and technical website? Based on what I am observing in couples now the answer is no! I seriously think you can cut down your business website based on 3 main considerations.
- The website should tell everything that is needed to communicate but nothing more. Meaning, not larger than is necessary.
- The website should be colorful. Dare I say that couples today are into shiny and less into deep content.
- The website should represent best on a smart phone. Forget lap tops, do people even use them anymore?
So, as I plan for my new website makeover I will focus on the following….. A streamlined version of what I had previous. Great copy, well written but concise and to the point. Sharp graphics and images. The ability to get information from couples so I can followup. No prices on my website! (That’s another blog article). Less images but high impact for what we select. A major focus on SEO.
In conclusion, I remember the days of beautiful FLASH sites, great graphic and video content. As we get older we tend to remember what impressed us and look down on what is current. Everyone does as we get older, but ultimately we need to understand that its not about what impresses us. It’s about what will impress your target audience and drive work to your business. That’s the complete goal of a website. It always was and continues to be your on-line business card. How you design it is up to you.