7 reasons business owners fail to get a professional website launched on time and on budget

Business owners, does this sound familiar?

 

You've decided it's about time to invest in digital and get a new website built - your current one is looking tired and hasn't been updated for months (well for 2 years if you're honest), plus your competitors all look much better than you do online...

Where do you start?  Searching on Google just brings up ads for self-build solutions and tools which claim to make it easy to do-it-yourself, only you haven't got the time or resource in-house. When it comes to trying to choose an agency, there are just hundreds of them out there, but you do a few searches in your area, trust your gut and find 3 or 4 "digital ninjas" to approach.  

That's when the can of worms pops open...  There is a big difference in prices quoted and in the quality of the initial discussions.  This then creates nervousness and uncertainty that you might back the wrong horse to ultimately find project becomes a headache with deadlines not met and that initial price you agreed moving up unexpectedly due to "project creep".

 

 

If you can relate to this, let me shed some light on what might be happening in this situation...

 

1. When you've decided to proceed with your new website project, you don't know how to create a project brief that will ensure you work with the right digital partner - you just don't know all the right questions to ask - there're the experts - right?.

2. The agencies you talk to don't take time to understand what makes your business tick and don't ask you the right questions about your core objectives. They don't have a structured road map to deliver projects like yours - they just want your business.

3. The agencies don't have an easy-to-follow breakdown of prices from which you can choose so you can pick what's right for your business.  They don't supply a concise project specification and ask you to work with them to fine-tune it so you get what you need on time.

4. They don't provide live case studies of projects they're delivering right now for other businesses or offer to introduce you to their clients for recommendations.

5. When you sign on the dotted line, you are quickly passed along the line to a junior account manager to be your point of contact.  You quickly find they don't have the skillset or passion to make sure the project stays on track. 

6. You assumed that because the agencies' website looks nice and glossy, your project will be built with the same care and attention to detail. You just don't get what you are paying for...

7. You were promised a "bells and whistles" backend CMS platform that would be easy to manage and you didn't get the training you needed as part of the project, thus leading to you having to find an extra resource to stop delays due to migrating old or creating new content for launch.

 

I started my first online retail business in 2005 selling Lucasfilm licensed product - I had a big contract investment to fulfil, and I had to get it right or the stormtroopers would be at my door!

For years found my myself handcuffed to website systems that just didn't deliver what I needed.  I burnt through a number of agencies who promised the earth only to find that thousands of pounds of my hard-earned cash spent with these suppliers had brought me little in return.

In 2009, the credit crunch stopped my customer base spending online literally overnight which forced me to pivot what I did. I knew I could provide a better service as an agency offering website design and development solutions that really worked for my clients.  I had been on their side of the fence.

 

For over 10 years since then, I have built a solid team and network of professionals, and I am proud to have supported many companies and brands, large and small, with successful digital strategies that make them superstars in their market sectors.

 

Let's connect to see how I can deliver your next website project on time and on budget.

 

Tim Bennett - MD, myCloud Media = LinkedIn