Why Launching a Website is Like Delivering a Baby: Part III

In Part One and Part Two of this three part blog series I outlined the similarities between launching a website and delivering a baby. In this blog I will conclude the analogy and the blog series by outlining several additional items to consider when creating and launching a website.

When building and launching a new website a business owner should consider the following:

Do your research.

Before launching a new website do research to determine what intrigues you about a website. Is there is a particular website design or style that you like? If so, show it to the agency that is building your website. What information and message do your competitors' websites convey? How can you differentiate your website from your competitors?

Define the goals of your website.

• Are you looking to share product information?  
• Do you want to provide self-authored industry expertise to your readers?
• Do you want to create a venue for your customers to interact with you product or you brand?

Whether it is one of these goals or all of these goals you must consider them before launching a website. Without a solid plan before website launch the value you receive from your new website will be significantly reduced.

Without understanding your goals you won’t know how to measure the value of your website.

Many website owners cannot define the value of their website because they do not have a plan in place for their website. They have no goals to compare their website performance against.

Invest in your website.

As I have already stated, it is very common for website owners to build a website and let it sit idle for several years without taking action to drive traffic to the site.

Invest in your website just as you would a child. If your child needs braces you pay for braces. If your child is sick or breaks a bone you pay to fix the injury. If your child grows out of its clothes you would purchase a new wardrobe. If your website’s “clothes” are old and dated…reskin your site with a fresh look. Nobody wants to visit a website that looks the same for 4 years…that is boring and unengaging. A new look and feel to your site will continue to attract new and repeat visitors.

I’ll say it again…don't simply launch a website and have it lay stagnant for several years and hope that it maintains a healthy life. Babies grow and mature and they need a lot of support and attention. A website will also need support and attention. As your website ages and matures it needs upkeep, it needs new content, it needs new images, it needs code changes to comply and remain compatible with ever-changing web browsers. Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari are frequently releasing updates. These updates affect your website's performance. Besides, nobody wants to visit a website that never changes. Adding new content, new products, new offers will attract new visitors and keep existing visitors coming back.

It takes a village to raise a child. I would argue it takes a village to maintain a healthy and valuable website.  Everybody in that village has a skill set that is needed to create and maintain your website.  

There were 14 medical professionals in the delivery room for the birth of our daughter. 14! Launching a website isn’t that different. You may need website designers, developers, content writers, photographers, videographers, SEO and SEM specialists, Google AdWords and Analytics specialists or eCommerce specialists. Do your due diligence when selecting a digital marketing agency to assist you in creating and maintaining your website just as you would select the best medical staff to help birth and raise your child.

Take pride in your website as you would your own child. We are all familiar with the new parents who proudly show pictures of their baby taken on their cell phone. I would expect a new website owner to enthusiastically pull out their mobile device to show somebody their new website (designed for a mobile use of course).  

Babies are perfectly unique and websites can be perfectly unique. Parents hope that their child resembles them. Website owners too should want their website to resemble them…their corporate persona…their company’s culture..their company’s personality. A website is a phenomenal way to show the world what your company is about. Is your website engaging and fresh or stale and out of date? Make your website an extension of who you are and what your business represents. Have your website express to the outside world something valuable, engaging, and CURRENT.

When launching and growing a new website be sure to partner with an experienced digital marketing agency to help raise your “little baby”…your company’s website!

Image courtesy of TCJ2020 via FreeDigitalPhotos.net