Custom Vs. Canned Website Design

A client responded that the price of a website was too high and “we may just go with more of a canned product” – I had to write back. This is what we do, and we’re passionate about it. And we make fantastic websites, not canned products.  Here was my response:

Our canned is better than their canned – but still to even call it that and/or state that’s what you want just sounds weird… Would you put a weird floor in a new house? Would you paint your store the wrong color? Do you really want a canned website in a world where ALL of the marketing innovation taking place is online?

Being found on Google & Yelp is the new yellow pages and social media is enhanced word of mouth.

Look at this company’s reviews – and you will understand and see that he is using his website the right way, as an integral part of his business operations. If you see it as a business tool you will get VERY USED to saying “go to our website to see this example in our photo gallery” or “go to our blog we have a great article on vinyl vs. real wood floors” – and then soon after that you will start hearing GREAT WEBSITE and WE LOVED YOUR ARTICLE ON REAL WOOD VS VINYL or WE LOVED THE PHOTOS OF YOUR STORE SO WE HAD TO COME SEE IT FIRST HAND.

Or we continue along in humdrum land, and don’t realize the potential of a website – which is the single biggest, most interactive marketing tool business has ever had

If it was up to me we would use our Great Business Website Formula as the basis for the new site and we would analyze competitors and see what they are doing. We would also plan to deploy our new Leveraged Social Content Formula that is just being finished – but it works by writing great content regularly then deploying it on the blog & social media – and it can also go out automatically via email.  So we would need to create your social media profiles while we are at it and make sure the website has social media profile links and action buttons (like, tweet, +1).

Google loves new content and puts active publishers WAY AHEAD of stale websites – but that is step 2.

Step 1 is creating and deploying a fantastic website that can be rapidly expanded and gives potential clients the information they want – now.

Very Best Regards,
Charles Montgomery