Can You Launch a Website That Isn't Perfect?
Yes.
It's that simple.
You can launch a website that's not even finished.
If that last statement has left you in shock, take a moment. Just breathe.
What kind of digital marketing company would suggest such a thing? One that realizes this simple fact: a website is NEVER done.
Too often, companies delay launching their new sites because they feel the need to add or edit something, and they require more internal time and resources to do so.
Sadly, they lose money by allowing perfection to become the enemy of the good—or even great.
Old-School Process vs. New-Age Technology
Before the internet, newspapers would have to wait 24 hours to amend any mistakes they reported. For an entire day, their error was out there in black and white—for all to see and read—and nothing could be done until the next morning.
If this were your reality, you would, of course, leave no stone unturned to ensure perfection—or as close to it as humanly possible.
Thankfully, it's not our reality.
The rapid evolution of the internet made the process of change so simple, it can be done from nearly anywhere at any time.
Most content management systems (CMS) are so intuitive that you can swap images or content with a few clicks. Even better, you can do it yourself, without involving an agency or web developer.
A new website is a significant investment, and of course, you want it to be the best possible product.
However, the sooner you realize that NO website will ever be perfect and become comfortable with the thought of launching, even with a few unfinished changes, the better off your company will be.
Expectations vs. Reality
In a perfect world, well… everything would go perfectly.
Sadly, we're stuck with real life and the possibility that expectations can be too high to meet.
Does that mean you shouldn't aim high? Of course not.
It does mean that "settling" for excellent, great—and even good—isn't settling at all.
Online marketing expert Neil Patel said it best:
“Trying to make something perfect can actually prevent us from making it just good. Perfection in its elusive glory is like a unicorn. Sure, it sounds great, but who’s actually seen one? I’d rather ride a real horse than wait for an imagined unicorn.”
Everything's Gonna Be Alright
You have hopefully come to realize that it's OK to move forward with a website, even if your banner isn't the right shade of purple, or your blog isn't fully updated.
"Settling for excellent, great—and even good—isn't settling at all."
If you've scheduled your website to go up, but A, B, and C aren't where they should be, just take a deep breath, press the "Launch" button and make those changes as the world is taking in the beauty and creativity that is your new website.