If you build it, you will have built it

Years ago, an agency Karen worked for did some work for a small local brewery.

They designed a wonderful logo and label and packaging. Then everybody looked up and the agency and blown the entire budget (I said it was a small brewery) on logo and package design and nothing was left to use to actually sell the beer.

Fortunately, the guy who owned it was a rich guy who did the beer thing sort of as a hobby and didn't really need to make anything on it, but I think about that example when I see an organization (hotels seem to pop up most frequently) who spend a boatload on a new web site, but little to nothing to promote it.

There is a plethora of information out there that supports my contention that it's not enough to count on people who stumble on your site or find their way via SEO, so I don't need to expend a lot of energy citing it here. Besides, I have before and if you don't take notes when you read JITD, well, then shame on you.

(Are you impressed that not only can I spell plethora, but also that I know what it means? It's some sort of leech-like slug kind of thing, right?)

Just because someone shows up at the front door doesn't mean she is going to buy anything. It helps if she knows something about what you're selling, why it's worth the cash and was looking for you, not just people who live in your general neighborhood. This is where things like advertising and public relations come in.

Not only that, but just because she shows up at your door and peers into the foyer doesn't mean she is going to necessarily spend any money. This is why the success of a web site should be measured in conversions, not just hits and why a web site ought to be designed to turn visitors into customers.

A "new web site" too often seems like some sort of short-cut to success. It's not. It's a tool. And it will work better if it works in concert with other tools.