4 Reasons You Might Be Afraid to Launch Your New Website … and what you can do about them.
So, what’s stopping you?
Do you have a beautiful new website but for some reason are unable to launch it? Your web designers have done everything you wanted, and all the information is accurate and ready to go. But still you hesitate.
Truth is, you have lots of company. Here are four reasons for this, and some suggested solutions.
I have no idea where to start.
If your website is ready to launch you’ve probably already dealt with this first barrier. Many people approach us with a handful of notes and a brain on overdrive and it’s very exciting to help get them get through these initials steps. The best approach is to go ‘lean.’ If you’re planning to sell products, start with just a few. If you’re offering services, pick your top three. If you’re dreaming of becoming a publishing giant, start with a few good articles in your blog.
Goodwin Creative has a few very successful websites but all of them started small - indeed, our most successful website, Great Bridge Links, started with just a single page in 1995.
Goodwin Creative will help you put your website preparation into action and guide you through sorting your thoughts and goals.
It’s a big audience and I’m just a little guy. What if my new website overwhelms my work capacity?
The size of the internet, with its billions of people, can be daunting to someone launching their first website. And that’s understandable. As of January 2021 there were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide. How easy would it be to walk out on stage in front of that many people and say ‘hey, here I am!’ Not easy for anyone!
But truth is, until you reach the top of Google, most people won’t even see your website. Because there might be 4.66 billion users, but there are also over 1.7 billion websites. Each one its own stage.
Our suggestion is to consider a ‘soft launch.’ Launch the website! It’s perfect. But maybe share it with only a few close friends or clients. Get their feedback. Tweak the site if you need to, then prepare for a bigger launch.
Your big launch might include an email newsletter, a post on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or other social media. You might put a sign up in your front office window. You might decal your work truck. And these are all great ways to get your website domain name out there.
But even after all this, it’s likely you’ll only get 5-6 visitors a day. Your new company website will augment your current marketing efforts while bringing you into modern times. Phone calls might be falling off due to fewer and fewer clients using the Yellow Pages but at the same time your web visitors and connections will pick up and it’s all going to balance out just fine.
What if people judge me?
Stepping into a bigger world always brings the fear of judgement. I want to share a story. I once had an acquaintance who was renovating his kitchen and living room. Every year we’d be invited over for a holiday dinner, and the kitchen and living room were still partially unfinished. Whenever he was asked about it, he’d say ‘ya sorry, I’m in the middle of renovations.’ This went on for years. Perhaps he felt that if he finished, people might judge his work. But no one judges someone in the middle of renovations. Right?
We have clients who will leave a very old and malfunctioning website in place, even though they have a beautiful new website ready to launch. Maybe they think people will see the old site and think “Well, it’s just old, that’s why it doesn’t work very well.”
We’ve had clients ask us if we can just put up a ‘Under Construction’ landing page thinking this would explain why they didn’t have a website yet. Have you been to company sites that have had Under Construction for years? Yes, we’ve all seen them. Today Google will punish you if you do this. They will list your business as ‘closed’ so it’s not advised.
When you work with a web designer, your new website will have everything a user needs and wants. Your services will be clearly described. The navigation will be helpful and logical, all the links and contact information will be where they expect it to be. When you have everything in place, you will not be judged. Your future clients will be happy.
Your website is a tool. It’s a way for clients to find you, interact with you, and hopefully hire you.
The website is pretty fancy, I’m not really that fancy
OK so this is often referred to as ‘imposter syndrome’ which refers to an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. This experience could be exaggerated of course with the launch of a new website for all 4.66 billion people to see. The short answer is, you ARE that fancy. In an article on IS for Entrepreneur, Nadia Goodman reminds us, “Feeling like an imposter doesn’t mean you are an imposter. Feelings aren’t facts.”
Here are some working suggestions for getting past Imposter Syndrome:
Make a list of accomplishments in your field. This list might include education, previous projects, client reviews, or experience of any kind. You don’t need to put these on your website if you don’t want to - but you need to remind yourself!
Keep your expectations in check. As we’ve discussed earlier, if your goals start out lean and manageable, they’ll be easier to achieve. And be sure to not have unreasonable expectations of yourself. Most goals and expectations take time and come along slowly.
Check out your competition. This will help you set a more realistic bar for yourself. What does their website look like? How do you compare? It’s useful to see how you fit in the grand scheme of your industry.
A little “pretend” is not a bad thing. So you run your soap business out of a basement room, but your website makes it look like you have a lovely storefront. This is ok! Your website is your storefront. Maybe you are refinishing furniture in your garage, but your website makes it look like you’re a much bigger operation. This is not a problem if you do good work. People will be thrilled with their refinished heirloom and glad they found you on the internet.
