Failure, just like success, is measured differently by each and every one of us. What one man treats as success another may view as failure. For the purposes of this article a website that fails is one that fails to attract and convert enough targeted visitors into paying customers.
Yeah - positive feedback from your website visitors is great but let's face it - we're all in this ultimately to make more money.
Websites do fail. Lots of them fail. You will see many of them every day. Some of them fail to inspire or enthuse. Some fail to get found at all. Some fail to get completed. Some fail to understand the needs of the people visiting them. But there is an underlying common reason for all these failings..
"A Website? Yeah - We Got One Of Those Three Years Ago"
I guarantee you will have heard something similar to this statement before. Some people take the viewpoint that a website is something that gets done, the box gets ticked and that's it taken care of. They get a website because everyone else has one and it seems like the right thing to do.
They don't have a better reason than that. The information they put on the website is copied directly out of their latest brochure complete with company history, MD's mug shot and crappy photo of the offices. And that's it. The site goes live and they tick the box..
"The Internet Sucks - We Don't Get Any Business From It"
That's what these people say three years after their brochure website went live. It's been unchanged in all that time, it uses Frames, has a counter on it, has some 'funky' scrolling text across the top and an early 90s colour scheme. Why on earth haven't they got any business from it?!
And this my friends, is the number one reason most websites fail - the business owners treat the decision to get a website like it's the least important thing they will ever do. A necessary evil that has to be completed to keep up with current trends. Businesses like this will never get any business from their website and they don't deserve to!
Your Competitor Is Driving A Truck Towards You - Stand Still And You're Dead
It's that simple. Keep moving. Developing a website that brings you business is not a task it is a lifelong dedication to ongoing learning, application of new knowledge and continuous improvement. Keep moving, keep learning, keep improving your website, keep it up to date, overhaul it every two years, implement the latest technologies and industry practices.
Just remember what Darwin said;
"It is not the strongest or the bravest that survive. It is those that are most adaptable to change."
Stand still and you will get hit by the truck. Keep moving and you have a chance to remain in the race for success. Don't let laziness or fear of change lead to your failure..
Michael Cheney is Author of The Website Marketing BibleTM. Take the Free 7-Part Course "Internet Marketing Made Easy" and get your free sampler of 'The Bible' here: http://www.websitemarketingbible.com/marketing/