A good friend asked me to look over an ADA-compliant website built for the medical practice where he was consulting. It was launched over a year ago and had a lot of errors. I plugged the domain into the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool and sent him the results. The site had tons of errors; very low contrast between text and background colors, missing ALT Tags (Image Alternative Text), a typeface that was too small, and images that were way too big. Although the website was aesthetically attractive, it was not doing its job.  It wasn’t attracting visitors using organic search engine optimization or helping those with visual impairments read the page.

The doctors paid good money for their ADA-compliant WordPress website.  What went wrong? Most likely it was the programming and design effort put into creating the site, along with whoever was tasked with reviewing it before launch.  The clients did not hire a small or even medium-size website design agency. They used one of those big resellers of domains, websites, email, and other digital solutions.

What happens when you order a website from what I call a “Big Box Website Company?”  Your work becomes a ticket.

Big Box Website Sellers Grind Out Websites for Anonymous Businesses

“Please refer to order number ‘000000’ when contacting our customer service representatives. “
“Please fill out your order number when submitting your changes.” 
“Submit your order number and we will contact you when your work is finished.”

In the case of my friend’s client, the errors mentioned above were most likely caused by geeks creating the website without the guidance of marketing professionals. They didn’t look for the little details and think about the clients’ interests. They are usually offshore workers and grind out websites for anonymous businesses.  No one cares about anything except the numbers.

It’s very different around here.  Clients, not numbers, come first.

It’s undoubtedly cheaper to go with some of the Big Box website builders for certain people.  They see it as more efficient because it’s faster, and an “all hands on deck” service with so many programmers on the payroll.  Without a thought to customization, optimization, or future updates, it feels like the right decision.

But a professional, retailer, not-for-profit, or business owner should establish a relationship with their website designer and digital marketer, just as they would work with an accountant or attorney.  A Creative Concierge like I am will have your back.  No middle person.  No “take a number.”  I know my clients’ names, their goals, and with some, after a while, I learn the cyclical nature of their business and can anticipate when changes will need to be made. My talented website developer is here in South Florida, not in Asia or Eastern Europe. We’re a team.

Looking for website design and/or social media management that will be handled by a person you can trust, a person who will learn about your unique business, and someone who will be the one directly responsible for what’s happening with your account?  Give me a call. We’ll talk!

Nancy Suchoff
561-477-7548

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” – Benjamin Franklin