In this day and age, it's hardly an option for a business to not have a website. Consider this: as of 2021, the probability that a consumer will first go online to find a local business is a whopping 97%.

If you don't have a website, you are definitely missing out on potential new customers. On the other hand, it's better to have no website at all than to have a really bad one. Case(s) in point...

• The Yale School of Art (yes, THAT Yale. what the heck????)
• Arngren (worst navigation ever. period.)
• Pacific Northwest X-Ray (we love the PNW. just not this part.)
• Gates N Fences (wow. just wow.)
• Ling's Cars (flashback to 1965? the internet wasn't invented yet.)

I'm sure the above businesses are perfectly nice places with people who do their jobs well — but that's not apparent from their online presence. Having an ugly website is not a character flaw, but it is definitely not good business.

Almost 70% of website content is never seen by visitors.*

Let's get to the point: You are not a website designer.

‍And that is perfectly ok. If we had a dollar for every call or email that began with "I started my website and I really need help...", we would have a lot of dollars. The truth is, a great designer starts with understanding the client's client — the most important person to consider when designing a site.

And the client's client cares very little about most of the stuff the client wants on their site. They want clear answers to a few questions:

• What is this product/service?
• How does it help/serve me?
• How do I get it?

Are we saying that the copy on your website is unimportant? No, but our experience says that there are probably (way) too many words, too much jargon and the overall design is not properly structured and poorly organized.

Are we saying that design elements are bad? Of course not. Our own website has many design elements. It's how and when to use those elements, and making sure that each one enhances the user experience (the client's client).

So what are you saying, then? If you want a great design, hire a great designer. Review their site, their portfolio, what their clients are saying. Then,

Trust your website designer.*

*Here are some of the most common mistakes — and simple ways to fix them:

• Too much text & unclear message (5 Minute Marketing Makeover)
• Cheesy stock photos or fuzzy images (Unsplash)
• Broken links (Dead Link Checker)
• Misspellings and poor grammar (Grammarly)
• Old info: Read every page on your site... and remove the Christmas sale.
• Outdated design*: If you fell in love with WordArt in '97... it's time to break up.

*For inspiration and an overview of current design trends and layouts, check out these Webflow templates.

Design Checklists

Pages Checklist
‍View here ➝

Elements Checklist
‍View here ➝

Flows Checklist
‍View here ➝

Topics Checklist
‍View here ➝

Next week

Bookkeeping + Payroll
‍It's that time of year — time for making sure everything is in order, ready for the accountant, reports filed, records up to date. Want to chat with our bookkeeping/payroll team? Let's talk.

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