Simplify your ideas
Sometimes it’s really easy to get carried away with the possibilities of the web and to want to include every new technology in a website. Sometimes you find yourself just wanting to manage every aspect of your business online in a format that is “easier” to access. Sometimes you think that you need work every business function into an online solution.
All of these are traps that can seriously affect the success of a website. It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people forget that adding new functionality and complexity to anything will make it harder to build. This can only result in the build taking longer and costing more. It can be a bitter pill to swallow, to realise that your dream solution will cost four or five times more than you had budgeted.
The thing is, your website doesn’t need to do everything. To be honest, it’d be better for everyone if it didn’t. Big websites require big resources; in development, in design, in maintenance, in management. If you’re chasing a big solution then you need to be prepared for ongoing “big” investment. Look at Google’s investment if you want evidence of how absorbing big solutions become.
Most of us can get by with a website that does one or two simple things really well. Ultimately this should fit well with what your business is fundamentally about. Identify your core needs and simplify your ideas. Focus on executing those to the highest standard, and you’ll find that you have a website you can be proud of and one that adds value to your business rather than requiring time and resource you may not be able to afford.
