I remember one of the 1st times I built a sandcastle. We weren’t “beach” vacation people growing up in Canada, so it was when I built one with my kids as an adult.
My kids and I worked for hours on our masterpiece. Every little detail was added. A door, a path, ledges, etc. We wanted it to be perfect. So people would find it and ooh and aah over it.
Sure enough, we completed it and took a step back, and realized we attracted attention. Other kids suggested to their Dads that they wanted to build a sandcastle just like ours.
Problem. No matter how much detail and care you put into a sandcastle, it’s sitting on sand.
Jesus even talked about it. A house built on the sand will fall. Period.
And that’s what happened. Our castle didn’t even last one change in tide. It crumbled and disappeared.
Like a sandcastle, you’re putting great care and attention into your organization’s website. You’ve made it look perfect so that people find it and wish they had a site “just like yours”. But if the foundation of the website is weak, it will fall.
And before long, your web presence will be lost.
What’s a good foundation?
- Brand. Know what your brand promises, what your brand looks like, and what your brand message is. And communicate it — in unison.
- CMS. Be sure that your content management system is easy to update. Yourself. Easily.
- SEO. The 3 pillars of SEO are followed. If not, you’re wasting your time.
- Engagement. You want your pinpointed audience to love your website and interact with it. Forms and engaging queries.
- Simplify. 50 words/page, video and pictures. Long text pages don’t get read. Period.
I learned a lot when I built that first sandcastle. I learned it’s not a good use of time if longevity is your goals. Instead, I learned that it’s a great way to spend time with my kids. And sadly, a lot of websites look like they’ve been built on a poor foundation. And by kids.
