That’s right, I wrote it out loud for everyone to read. Let me introduce you to my simplified view of a website. It’s a bunch of files on a computer somewhere. That’s it.

Some web developers or designers will most likely argue with me on this view and well, that’s their problem. Seriously though, I have personally designed and built over 50 sites in the past 5 years and most of them are about 10 documents, a handful of images, and maybe a script or two (still documents). The whole thing weighs, oh- maybe 5mb or so. Really. Are you amazed yet? Hopefully so, what I’m trying to accomplish here is to dispel some of the grand mystery of the web I encounter with some clients.

It really can be that simple. The more complicated part is how they look when all put together, and how effective they are in getting your visitors to contact you or purchase your products or services. That is where true expertise comes into play. Any average one of us can publish a series of web pages. The trouble is that most of us expect a lot from our online experiences. If you are in business and your website is the only perception of that business, then it is very important to make sure you look and act your best.

Looking your best is key to any visitor experience whether you are meeting in person, walking past a storefront, or in this case- presenting your presence online. If you show up to that meeting with that great new prospect in your bathrobe it probably won’t go much further (even if it is a really, really nice robe). Even if you have a great message, most people won’t  likely be waiting to hear what “the guy in the bathrobe” has to say. On the other hand, if the stunning beauty in the room has nothing to say, or is difficult to understand, it’s also not likely to go much further than, “Wow, she looks great”.

Get dressed up, feeling great, message in hand, now get up on that stage and tell the world, “I have what you are looking for”, and you will begin to see a difference in the crowd that gathers before you, the amount of response you receive, and ultimately, the number of customers added to your list.

Yes, it is a bunch of files and images. It’s really that simple. What matters is what you do with them. I hope to have made it less scary for you and if you really don’t want to deal with it, we would be happy to help. Maybe I’ll tell you about databases next. -tw