{"id":60,"date":"2018-01-06T02:36:06","date_gmt":"2018-01-06T02:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-555301-2679610.cloudwaysapps.com\/fierce-insights\/behind-scenes-new-website-5-lessons-learned\/"},"modified":"2022-07-24T13:24:45","modified_gmt":"2022-07-24T13:24:45","slug":"behind-scenes-new-website-5-lessons-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/safimedia.co\/fierce-insights\/behind-scenes-new-website-5-lessons-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind The Scenes of Our New Website: 5 Lessons Learned"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_post_title _builder_version=”3.0.92″ title=”off” meta=”off” author=”on” date=”on” categories=”on” comments=”on” featured_image=”on” featured_placement=”below” text_color=”dark” text_background=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.92″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n

2018 kicks off with the launch of our <\/span>brand new website<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

In this post, I\u2019ll take you behind the scenes of our website redevelopment, and share 5 lessons learned from this massive undertaking. <\/span><\/p>\n

The backstory<\/b><\/p>\n

In early 2016, I considered revamping our website. I\u2019m a pragmatist at heart, and I don\u2019t enjoy spending money on unnecessary things. <\/span><\/p>\n

As much as I <\/span>wanted<\/span><\/i> a new site, I wasn\u2019t convinced it was necessary. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the time, podcast producer Adrianne (also a pragmatist) told me she felt we could \u201climp ahead\u201d with the site we had, provided we make some minor updates, so that\u2019s what we did. <\/span><\/p>\n

Along the way, many people told me they felt creating a new website was a big priority for the company. I heard them, I agreed that I wanted a new website, but I held off making the investment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of the following two years, our business grew by more than 300%. This brings me to:<\/span><\/p>\n

Behind the Scenes of Our Website Launch Lesson #1:<\/b><\/p>\n

You can accomplish a GREAT DEAL with a mediocre website. <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, creating a brand new website can be a powerful distraction from doing the necessary work that actually grows a business, i.e. talking to customers and making powerful offers to work together.<\/span><\/p>\n

I know the unique type of agony that is website shame…I felt minor website shame for 2 years AND didn\u2019t use it as an excuse to stop growing the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the fall I met with my coach and she said to me, \u201cEleanor, honey, the purple butterflies [i.e. my old branding] have got to go.\u201d She went on to share that my brand and business had evolved so far beyond my existing website that it was now hurting my business.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whereas before, the idea of redesigning my site was a \u201cnice to have\u201d, I realized that now, a new website was a \u201cmust have.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.92″ show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” src=”https:\/\/eleanorbeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/beaton_old_website_-_home.png” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_overlay=”off” force_fullwidth=”off” show_bottom_space=”on” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.92″ show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” src=”https:\/\/eleanorbeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/home_page_-_new.png” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_overlay=”off” force_fullwidth=”off” show_bottom_space=”on” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.92″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n

Which brings me to:<\/span><\/p>\n

Behind the Scenes of Our Website Launch Lesson #2:<\/b><\/p>\n

Embrace \u201cJust in Time Problem Solving.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the 1940s, a Japanese executive developed the concept of \u201cJust in Time\u201d inventory for Toyota. Just in Time Inventory allows a company to drastically cut costs because it only buys and store inventory as it is consumed — so you don\u2019t have to lay out big sums of cash for inventory you won\u2019t need for weeks or months.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just in time inventory revolutionized the manufacturing process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, Just In Time problem solving can revolutionize your life and business. If there\u2019s one area that my clients get stuck it\u2019s in worrying about problems they don\u2019t have yet. <\/span><\/p>\n

We chose to NOT rebrand our website until the site actually became a problem. This allowed us to use the thousands of dollars we would have invested to update the website on sales and marketing initiatives that — unlike a website — actually brought us clients and revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the reasons I wanted to hold off on redesigning my website was that I knew the project would be a large undertaking, and require a team of people to complete.<\/b><\/p>\n

And as extroverted as I am, I have a tendency to avoid meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

I chalk this up to my late dad, an economics professor who loved to say that \u201cthe best way to get nothing done was to have a meeting about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But for this project, I went against my dad\u2019s advice, which brings me to<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.92″ show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” src=”https:\/\/eleanorbeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/work_with_us_-_old_site.png” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_overlay=”off” force_fullwidth=”off” show_bottom_space=”on” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.92″ show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” src=”https:\/\/eleanorbeaton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/work_with_us_page_-_website.png” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_overlay=”off” force_fullwidth=”off” show_bottom_space=”on” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.92″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n

Behind the Scenes of Our Website Launch Lesson #3:<\/b><\/p>\n

Hold a powerful kick-off meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

In November, we hosted a 90-minute in-person meeting for <\/span>our internal team<\/span><\/a> as well as the website team I hired to help us create a site that slayed. Specifically, <\/span>branding genius Brittany<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>web development lord Jean<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>copywriting queen Kate<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

During that meeting, we covered the following agenda:<\/span><\/p>\n