0When I speak with small business owners I often ask what’s kept them from creating a presence on the web. Initially, I assumed their answers would range from lack of money to not knowing where to begin.
Yet that’s not what I typically hear.
What I tend to hear, more often than not, are along the lines of,
It’s overwhelming to even think about!
Digging a little deeper I hear stories about how owners began keeping a list of features each website should include. Many such features include support forums, live chat for tech support or putting each product into a complicated online store. Taken alone, none of those, with the possible exception of the online store, are terribly difficult. But taken together, along with other standard website features, can begin to feel like a major undertaking. No wonder so many people decide it’s just easier to postpone. In the mean time, the list of features continues to grow.
When I meet with small business owners who are feeling this way, I give them the same advice: Start small.
A website is a living organism. Accept that it will never be 100% complete and those tense feelings demanding completeness and perfection often disappear.
Are there features your website should contain? Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start with a few and add more at a later date once you’ve dipped your toes into the waters of the web.
At Ox we try to encourage our customers to think about what they absolutely must have on their site. The “nice to haves” can wait for now.
Starting small allows you to make minor changes on the fly. You may really want a support forum, but maybe
a simple contact form will do for now. It’s always easier to smart small and add features than it is to go big and complex right out of the gate and then try to pull back.
Start small.
Start smart.
We’re here to help.
