Web design prefection versus going online quickly
3rd December 2009

We are known for our web designs but sometimes we encounter clients who are minutely fastidious about their website designs. They agonize for weeks over a colour or a font and fine tune each and every part of it. Although our clients pleasure is our business I do wonder if it would be more prudent to agree on designs and go online faster.

So the question is that does detailed web design fine tuning pay off or would the client be better off posting the site asap and start getting business immediately. I am not saying the client should put up anything the web design company dishes out but should he put up the site once the design reaches SATISFACTION level or should he wait for PERFECTION.

Some arguments for perfection are:

1. Our visitors are detail oriented themselves and would appreciate the finer nuances
2. Our visitors are all high networth individuals for whom we have to make sure the site is perfect.
3. I (the client) would personally not be comfortable with putting up a site with which I am just satisfied.

Are the above justified for the time and effort taken to make the website perfect?
Yes & No.

• Yes, because sometimes some subjects such as luxury goods, jewellery, art etc. do need a finely detailed site.
• No, because there are a huge number of businesses online making a fortune selling stuff from downright average to poorly designed sites.

I sometimes tell say that if there is demand for a product even if you put up a site with no design, just plain white background, and present the products neatly and provide all the relevant information you will sell by doing basic SEO.

What is the client probably loosing while he agonizes over the design?

• Probably customers with urgent requirements
• Customers who might buy irrespective of the website design perfection
• Time, which could be used promoting online cause SEO is a lengthy process.

What does he gain by the perfect (of course design is subjective) web design?

• Associates the brand with good design sense and detail orientation.
• Gives customers who are detailed oriented a thrill.
• Allows our client to sleep well at night content that his site is perfect, or as perfect as he can make it.

The last point is probably the most important. I always feel its the client that has to get up every morning and view his site and if he feels good about it then its surely going to attract business for him.

Maybe sometimes perfection is called for but sometimes its more prudent to go online quickly and start selling immediately.

Either way I love it both approahes. For me the client?s happiness is what matters. Happy clients are simply good business.

Cheers,
Ron