Lipstick on the Pig

Lately, I’ve been getting a slew of calls from artists looking to create new, snazzy websites. And I’m glad to do the work for ’em. The issue arises when it’s all said and done, a couple months go by, and I get the inevitable phone call:

“Hi.  I just paid you a couple thousands dollars for this amazing website, and I haven’t gotten any new sales, gigs, and massive surge in popularity.  What gives?  You suck! “

Seriously.  I’ve gotten these calls.  And each time, I ask the same questions:

Other than the new website, what are you doing differently?

Have you bothered to update the site since it was finished?

Are you actively doing anything to drive traffic to the website?

Invariably, the answer is no, nope, and of course not.  This is followed by “that’s what I paid you for!”  This gets followed by a brief explanation of the different between “build me a website” and “I’m interesting in some help with online marketing.”  And that gets followed by the client saying “oh, so now I need to give you more money?!”

Here’s the deal folks:   websites are instruments for  your career.  Like a fine Steinway or a vintage B3, owning them doesn’t equate to being a virtuoso player.  It’s just lipstick on the pig;  dressing up something that wasn’t all that pretty or wonderful to begin with.

I’ve spent hours working with clients to understand their wants, goals, and expectations.  A few months after their sites are done, I check ’em out.  Usually they’re exactly as I left ’em.  Virtual cobwebs starting to grow in the corners.

Then there are the “new and improved” type websites.  Look how slick we are, try us out, and you’ll see!  All new and better than before!  But of course, underneath there’s not much new or improved, and you end up feeling let down.  For all that  new website smell, it’s just more lipstick on the pig.   In fact, I’ve seen a lot of cases where new websites are more for the bragging rights of the designer than any real or new purpose needed/received by the client.  It’s usually a conversation like this:

Designer: I can give you the latest tools and coolest stuff on your website.  Seriously.  I just got an exclusive beta invite for this wicked cool thing you’ve gotta use.

Client: Really?  That’s awesome.  What will it do for me?

Designer: It will make people notice how cool you are.

Client: Then what?

Designer: Then I get paid, and you’ve got a new website!

Client: Take my money, please!

This usually happens with company websites.  Accompanied by phrases like “this is what the big boys are doing now,” “better to do this now and be ahead of the curve,” and my favorite “this will dramatically increase SEO.”  But the truth of the matter is, more time spent on the product is always better.  As for SEO, it’s a mythic promise that rarely delivers.  While there are certain rules and best practices, a lot of the SEO Experts are self proclaimed.  They know as much about SEO as they can glean from YouTube videos and occasional Mashable posts.

The point to this not-so-subtle rant?  To paraphrase a fine Bostonian, “ask not what your website can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your website!”  And when you spend as much time on your product as you do on its presentation, then (and only then!) you might be on to something!