The Fatal Flaw in Most Websites (Yours Too?)
I spend a significant portion of my time reviewing client websites and branding as we launch into projects. I’ll be the first to tell you: I am not a web designer. Sure, you could nudge a button ten pixels to the left, make the phone number more prominent, and maybe rework some clarity here and there. Optimization has its place, but let’s stop kidding ourselves. Do we honestly believe a prospect, meaning the one looking for an experience, a transformation, or a solution, boils their decision down to a minor layout tweak?
This is a rut web designers have led us into. Yes, it may help get your prospect there and encourage them to stick around for a minute, but it is up to you to sell the dream, vision, or transformation of your brand.
The Missing Ingredient
There is exactly one thing that makes a difference to your prospect, and it is almost universally the one thing missing: The Dream.
Most websites don't sell the experience of working with the brand. Instead, they serve up a text-heavy, keyword-stuffed graveyard of "content" provided by—guess who?—the web designer.
Public Service Announcement
Your web designer is not your ideal client. Trust them for the expert mechanics and the technical optimization, but never trust them to sell the ultimate vision. You are the expert when it comes to your brand. This can never be replaced or outsourced.
The Puzzle vs. The Picture
Think of your website like a puzzle. It’s complex, it’s iterative, and you have to keep working at it. But never lose sight of why people buy the puzzle in the first place: because the image on the box resonates with them. It looks like something they would enjoy. It’s that simple!
(Now, if you are one of those psychopaths who buy the puzzles with no images— go away, you scare me!)
Optimization, keywords, and how they interact are just the individual puzzle pieces, very important mechanics, but not the message of the brand. The dream or the transformation is what the completed puzzle is promised to look like. Most businesses are so endlessly obsessed with the shape of the pieces that they have completely forgotten to show the customer the finished picture.
Sell the Wonder, Not the Specs
I know this matters because I know how you work. Test this and see:
The Theme Park Test: Would you take your family to the park that shows images of joyful families experiencing Disnyland magic, or the one that provides a 3,000-word essay on their ride maintenance schedules and staff certifications?
The Space Test: Would you book a flight with Blue Origin for the images of people experiencing the life-changing wonder of the cosmos, or with a company that leads with a written lecture on orbital mechanics and math?
See, I know you because I know humans. You make buying decisions based on your ability to see yourself inside the dream. You buy for the transformation of who you want to become or where the experience will take you. Your prospects are no different.
The Bottom Line
If your visuals fail to sell the dream, your $500,000 website looks no better than a $500 website to the person holding the checkbook.
The Reality Check
Is there room for your brand to improve in this one thing? If you believe optimized layouts and walls of text are the answer, if your website describes what you do instead of what your clients become, you are leaving millions on the table.
I’m offering to personally review your web assets and provide an honest "Buyer’s Eye” perspective. Hey, if I find your visuals are on point, selling the dream, it costs your organization nothing. I’ll be the first to say, "Hats off to you!" If not, you get a no-cost opportunity to learn how our plan can bridge the gap between your mechanics and your vision.
You win either way.
Reach out today and find out where you stand.